OXFORDSHIRE’S growing elderly population is set to soar in the next 20 years with the number of over-85s rising by 168 per cent between 2011 and 2035, from 14,683 to 39,400.

But with our health service and welfare system already stretched, the issue of caring for and coping with the older population has been branded our “number one health care challenge” by the county’s public health chief, Jonathan McWilliam.

Last year, Age UK Oxfordshire, in partnership with Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, launched Generation Games, a three-year, not-for-profit service to inspire the 50-plus age group to participate in more regular physical activity and stay ‘Stronger for Longer’.

Each year the market is flooded by the latest, celebrity keep-fit DVDs.

But Generation Games, offered up by Age UK Oxfordshire and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, puts less emphasis on looking good and more on fighting the major health risks associated with old age.

Through the Generation Games website, people over 50 can access a bespoke ‘activity prescription’ based on their state of health and lifestyle.

And as well as signposting exercise classes and all kinds of sports from bowling to jazzercise, Generation Games teams are visiting older people’s groups, sheltered housing and day centres, to give talks and interactive demonstrations about the value of taking up manageable exercise.

The scheme’s latest weapon in the fight to keep over 50s healthy has been designed to help people who find it difficult to get out to an activity – the NHS-endorsed keep-fit DVD, Generation Games: At Home.

The first DVD for older people produced in Oxfordshire, the DVD has been created in partnership with Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust’s Sport and Exercise Medicine Department and features 30 minutes of carefully-selected seated and standing exercises suitable for the over-50s.

So far, 500 copies have been handed out around the county.

Paul Cann, chief executive of AGE UK Oxfordshire, believes its benefits can’t come soon enough. He said: “Oxfordshire is a great place to grow old, and there are more and more of us. Living longer is great, providing we age healthily and the services out there can cope. But at present we don’t and they can’t.

“Lower levels of activity are linked to loneliness, which is perhaps the worst blight of later life. Poor social contact poses the same damage to our health as 15 cigarettes a day.

“We must break the cycle and take steps – brisk steps, for half an hour, five times a week – to prevent the added years from being added miseries.”

Dr Natasha Jones, consultant in sports and exercise medicine at OUH Trust, has been involved in finding the right exercises for the DVD and agrees that educating older people about the value of exercise is vital.

She said: “As doctors, we spend a lot of time treating people for illnesses which are direct side-effects of being less fit and active.

“Exercise has been shown to reduce the risk of dementia by 30 per cent and cancer by 25 per cent and we need to discuss these benefits more thoroughly with our patients.

“This DVD will enable people to exercise at home which is beneficial in many ways.”

Dr Will O’Gorman, from Piggy Lane Surgery in Bicester, has also voiced his support for the DVD.

He said: “We know so much about the benefits of physical activity for many long term conditions now.

“Generation Games really is a great step in creating these opportunities and the DVD supports those who would prefer to do this at home.”

The DVDS are available free to anyone over 50.

Head of the Generation Games service at AGE UK Oxfordshire, Anna Hegley, hopes for high demand.

She said: “Since its launch last year Generation Games has seen its online listing of activities grow to over 1,100 as more and more people signpost the activities they are already enjoying and new ones starting up.

“And while our official evaluation of the service is just about to start, we can say that so far it seems to be raising a lot of awareness, not only of the importance of having regular physical activity, but also of the variety of activities available, from exercise classes to activities like table tennis which can be accessible to large groups of people including those with limited mobility.”

EXERCISE WORKOUT GETS THE THUMBS UP.

THE DVD is 30-minutes long and its exercises have been designed to improve cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and balance.

Michael Niblett, 72, from Abingdon, owned and ran the village shop in Cumnor for 40 years, but retired five years ago shortly after suffering a stroke.

Following intensive physio, he regained his mobility but still has a slight ‘dragging’ in his left leg. He said: “I have been trying the DVD and I’m impressed.

“The exercises are easy to follow. I can still get about well and know it is important to at least enjoy a walk each day, but I find it difficult to push myself out of a chair unless it has arms to lean on and maybe this DVD can help me increase my strength.”

Former care home manager Helen Braisby, 67, from Banbury, has suffered six major strokes since 1994 which have left her with a weakness down her right side and limited mobility. She said: “I have been doing the Generation Games: At Home DVD three or four times a week for about a month and am very pleased with it.

“I have tried exercise videos before but always found them far too fast and energetic and difficult to follow. They also require you to lie on the floor, which is impossible for people like me. But this new DVD is very easy to use.

“The first time I used it I found it quite challenging and only did about 10 minutes, but that soon increased and I have found definite benefits in my balance since using it. I think it’s an excellent tool to get you back into exercising and think that regular use would build your confidence and maybe inspire people to start another form of exercise too. It’s a great idea.”