complex care | Secure Healthcare Solutions

More and more families are turning to complex care at home for their children. This innovative form of healthcare allows children with special medical needs to receive professional, comprehensive at-home care without the need for frequent hospital visits or long-term stays.

Complex care at home offers a range of services that can be tailored to meet each child’s individual needs. These services provide personalized solutions that enable them to remain in a comfortable and secure home environment.

The advantages of complex care at home are numerous: parents can provide their children with one-to-one attention, have better control over their treatment plans, and save money on costly hospital bills.

Additionally, by receiving ongoing support from dedicated professionals such as nurses and therapists, families have access to specialized expertise that is not available through traditional healthcare systems.

Needs & Types Of Care: Tailored To Each Child

When it comes to complex care for children, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Each child has unique needs and must be catered to in order to ensure their best health and quality of life. Medication management and family member support are integral components of any comprehensive healthcare program.

A number of medical conditions can occur during childhood that requires treatment and support for the rest of a child’s life. For those who have complex medical needs, a tailored approach to care is essential. This may include medication management, as well as coordination with other specialists such as physical therapists or occupational therapists.

Family members should also play an active role in the child’s care by providing emotional support and helping to manage day-to-day tasks such as organizing doctor appointments or managing finances associated with treatments and medications.

Challenges: Unique Circumstances

Home health care for children presents unique challenges for caregivers and requires special support. While the primary focus of home health care is providing medical services to patients, it extends beyond this to provide personalized services that meet the needs of each individual.

When a child is ill or injured, home health care can be invaluable in helping them heal while providing comfort and safety in their own home environment.

When caring for a child at home, there can be additional complexities due to the age of the patient. Aside from any physical or mental disabilities they might have, this is also a concern. Caregivers should seek out specialized support systems, such as organizations dedicated to providing resources and assistance in navigating these unique circumstances.

The treatment options and conditions associated with the condition of a child must be fully understood by their families. By doing this, they will be able to make informed decisions about how to best provide comprehensive care for their loved ones in a timely manner.

Benefits: Improved Quality Of Life

Home health care is becoming increasingly popular as the population ages, and for a good reason. Not only can it provide much-needed medical and social support for seniors and those with disabilities, but it can also drastically improve their quality of life. It is well known that home health care can be beneficial for those who require medical, psychological, and emotional attention. Caregiver support is an invaluable part of this process, allowing individuals to receive the compassionate and quality care they require to improve their quality of life.

From providing patients with access to necessary medical services to assisting them with daily tasks, home health care and caregiver support can help make all the difference.
Individuals being cared for at home are often able to maintain a sense of independence while still receiving the necessary treatments and medications needed to improve their overall well-being.
Home health aides may also be available to assist patients with everyday activities such as bathing, dressing, cleaning, and even shopping trips if required, providing much-needed assistance that allows individuals to remain in their own homes while still receiving proper care.

Home health care services range from providing skilled nursing care to more basic assistance such as medication reminders and help with activities like bathing or dressing. Furthermore, home health caregivers not only assist their clients with their physical needs but also offer them emotional support as well.

They can help them stay active by organizing outings or engaging in hobbies that their client enjoys. Most importantly, they are a source of companionship when family members are not available due to distance or busy schedules.

There are many benefits to having a caregiver at home, including having peace of mind for both the caregiver and the patient. This is because they know that someone is there who can recognize any changes in behavior or condition quickly.

Resources & Support: Connecting Families

Childhood illnesses and disabilities can impact a family’s life in profound ways, making it difficult to manage day-to-day tasks. Home health care for children is essential for these families in order to provide the necessary medical care and support.

Fortunately, there are numerous resources available to help families connect with the right home healthcare services for their child’s unique needs.

Parents of children in need of home health care should start by researching available programs and services through their local government or healthcare provider. Many communities have dedicated organizations that provide access to qualified professionals that specialize in treating pediatric patients.

These organizations offer a variety of programs such as respite care, transportation assistance, education, counseling, and financial aid programs. Additionally, many family physicians can also refer patients to specialized providers who can address specific medical needs.

Special Needs Care For Children: An Essential Service

As a caring parent, it is important to ensure that your special needs child receives the highest quality of care. Special Needs Care For Children offers complex care management for children with disabilities and special needs. These children will achieve their full potential and have a fulfilling life if they receive the right support and guidance.

Special Needs Care For Children understands that each individual has unique needs and provides tailored services to meet those requirements. They offer a range of services, including educational consulting, behavior analysis, physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and more.

These services are designed to help your child develop communication and social skills as well as achieve independence in daily life activities such as self-care tasks or personal finance.

At Special Needs Care For Children, you will receive personalized attention from knowledgeable professionals who understand the complexities associated with caring for a special needs child.

Complex Care Advice For Children

Home health nursing for children is a specialized field of care that focuses on providing comprehensive, compassionate care to children with complex medical needs.

In order to deal with the challenges of caring for a child with complex needs, home health nursing services provide a great deal of assistance. This is because they can receive guided support and advice from qualified professionals who understand their unique situation.

Home health nurses are well-versed in the latest treatments and therapies available to families, as well as potential resources they can access when facing difficult decisions or challenging circumstances in their caregiving journey.
With an experienced home health nurse by their side, families can feel more confident navigating the complexities of pediatric healthcare.
Whether it’s providing specialized wound care or helping parents to better manage medications, home health nurses offer invaluable assistance and guidance. This can help families balance both physical and emotional requirements while tending to their child’s special needs.

Nursing can be a very rewarding career, but it comes with so many recruitment paths. Secure Healthcare Solutions understands that is can be hard to find the best route for you. Here at Secure Healthcare Solutions, one of the UK’s most established nursing and care providers, we offer many benefits so you know a Secure Healthcare Solutions career is right for you!

We look are you and VALUE you

We understand your PIN is your career. We have a safeguarding team and a quality and care team dedicated to making sure you are as protected as you can be with the support from the office staff. We also with able futures, providing mental health support and with Cavell Nurses Trust to help protect you and to take care of you if you ever come into any hardship.

Training

Personal development training is provided free of charge here at Secure Healthcare Solutions. We take care of any financial burdens of your training to make your life a little less stressful as it can be

Flexible hours

Want part-time work, full-time, days or nights? Secure Healthcare Solutions can provide all sorts of positions for you as a nurse! We have contracts with care providers across the UK that are continually after staff such as the NHS, nursing homes, and private hospitals, and we offer contracted hours on our Complex Community side. And even if you want to earn more as a Nurse you can pick up additional adhoc shifts.

Earn over £3000 a month

If you want to work, Secure Healthcare Solutions has the hours. As a result, our pay rates vary from £20-45 per hour varying from different shifts to different employment types. As we all know we love to see that payslip at the end of week.

Referral Schemes

Secure Healthcare Solutions offers up to £500 on our referral scheme, for every successful referral you make!

Sounds good?

If you have a minimum of 6 months of experience in the UK and an NMC pin, get in touch with Secure Healthcare Solutions today and get your career moving!
Secure Healthcare Solutions has nurse positions and many availabilities for our following departments:

NHS
Complex Care
Nursing Home’s
Private Hospitals
Community

We cover a range of area such as, Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Dudley, Tipton, Stoke-On-Trent, Warwick, Worcester, Shrewsbury, Northampton, Milton Keynes, Daventry, Corby, Solihull, Coventry, Cheshire, Shropshire, Bridgnorth, Ludlow, Hull, Derby, Chesterfield, Crewe, Malvern and many more

To get in contact give us a call today on

0121 285 9449

Or visit our website
https://securehealthcaresolutions.co.uk/

Working as a Complex HCA, the role is more person-centered care and can include working in a service users’ home. Complex conditions can vary from anything which requires clinical support, such as Parkinson’s, acquired brain injuries or a neurological condition. Complex Conditions can also be a condition that requires nursing care as a result in primary conditions such as peg feeds and tracheostomy.

For a Complex Carer role, ideally a minimum of 6 months’ experience in a similar role can benefit you In making a good complex carer, however there is certain personal characteristics that you must have for you to pursue this career option such as:

Being Patient and having the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
Expressing a caring and friendly personality
Endurance
Communication skills
willing to do personal care

Working as a Complex Carer has loads of responsibilities, these can vary from regular routines responsibilities but can also change depending on emergency needs such as tracheostomies or suctioning routines. With Complex Service users anything can happen at any time and a trained and experienced complex carer will be able to support the service user with ease.

As a Complex Care Assistant, the responsibilities may consist of:

Tracheostomy
Peg feeds
Spinal Injury
Acquired Brain Injury
Nebulisers
Suctioning
Moving and Handling
Personal Care
Cerebral Palsy
Medication Administration
Motor Neurone Disease
Gastronomy Care
Catheter Care
Bowel Care
Stoma Care
And many more

How can Secure Healthcare Solutions help?

At Secure Healthcare Solutions, we require 6 months minimum experience and provide full training to upskill you and for you as a Complex Carer to keep up to date with your training and your own skills.

Secure Healthcare Solutions always offers shadow shifts before getting you out to work so you have a feel on how the service user works and what their routine is. Going forward form your shadow shift a member from our inhouse clinical team will come out to support you and go through competencies and sign you off, by our clinical team doing this it allows you to work on the package and eventually you will have the opportunity to progress into being team leaders of the package and being a senior.

Secure Healthcare Solutions always have plenty of positions as a Complex Healthcare Assistant. As a UK’s leading nursing and staffing agency we work closely with the Care Commissioners Group (CCG) we always have the opportunity to provide services of care to either you or your family.

A quote from one of Complex Care Assistant

“Throughout my job I have to assess the needs of our service users to ensure tailored quality personal care is provides, listening to people is important, it Is vital that I communicate with service users, family members of those that I am providing care for and also with healthcare professionals to ensure that quality care and support is provided. Ever since the Covid 19 pandemic, it is also important that I use appropriate PPE to protect myself and others from Covid 19. This is done by me wearing gloves, aprons and using face masks and disinfecting surfaces when necessary”

To find out what positions we have available in our Complex Care department click on the link below:
https://securehealthcaresolutions.co.uk/jobs/

Working in care is a rewarding job where you get the chance to succeed and help people with their progression back to their normal lives. Secure Healthcare Solutions has many options to help with your care career.

Jobs available:
 Home care
 Complex Care
 Community care
 Nursing Care Homes
 NHS

Flexibility:
Working in community care gives you the flexibility in your working hours, where you can work on certain runs in and around your home life. For example, Secure Healthcare Solutions has runs that can vary from 06:00-14:00 or 14:00-23:00. We have many carers who work with us who work around school runs for their children, this is a benefit for working with the community care team with Secure Healthcare Solutions.

Training:
Another benefit for working in care is the progression you can make. To start off in your care career majority of people start off in home care/community care to gain the right amount of experience. After working a certain period of time, this can vary from 6 months to maybe a year. Secure Healthcare Solutions offers in house training for our staff and clinical support to help you gain the sufficient amount of experience to either go into working in nursing or care home even can go into the complex care team where you will be dealing with service users who have 24-hour care with a more clinical background of care.

Sociable Job:
Working In care gives you the opportunity to be sociable by working with other carers and providing a service of care to different individuals. Working in Community care for Secure Healthcare Solutions allows you to meet new service users and carers nearly every hour, going from house-to-house building and maintaining a relationship with many different people. Also working in Care homes and nursing homes will allow you to be very sociable, working with many different service users and members of staff every day.

No two days will be the same:
Working in care with Secure Healthcare Solutions is going to be an excellent choice for yourself, It’s a fun and enjoyable journey if you don’t like your days to be boring!

The great thing about working in care homes is that you are never sure on exactly what is going to happen from one hour to the next Yourself and your colleagues will be working together and creating an enjoyable environment for the patients that are in your care. What exactly this means is likely to depend on the particular interests of the residents and their family members. This means you’ll be invited to explore a wider range of varied activities.

Rewarding:
There are a few things more fundamentally rewarding than caring for someone else. Whether this is helping to empower an older person to make the most out of their day and to enjoy it, supporting them with short- or long-term health needs, or even easing the way for someone as they are about to reach the end of their life. Caring for others is a huge privilege

At the end of each of your shifts, you’ll be able to head home with the knowledge and satisfaction that you have made a real difference to the quality-of-life residents. The care you provide to elderly people on a daily basis will be values, appreciated and vital to sustaining their quality of life.

If you want to be apart of our Secure Family click the link below to register:
https://securehealthcaresolutions.co.uk/candidate-registration/

We understand that there are individuals that have no healthcare experience and are highly passionate about providing care, and also healthcare workers that may have experience of working in care homes or nursing homes that may want a new challenge to work as a home care carer. Working with service users in the comfort of their own home allows you to develop a healthier relationship to provide the best quality care and support. Providing personal care with service users regularly in their home allows you become close with individuals and build trust, which is important to prevent loneliness. Starting your journey as a home carer, requires no experience and full training is provided.

By working in a home care environment, it is a chance to make a difference to lives of people within your community, by providing the best quality support and care. Home care provides you an opportunity to make a difference to improve the routine of peoples lives who need your care and support.

Working in care homes allows you to use transferable skills and apply them effectively within a home care environment to progress your career in the healthcare industry. Providing Healthcare at home is a great opportunity to adapt your skills and allow you to progress your career within care. Through developing healthy relationships with service users, one of the most important skills it develops is, interpersonal skills which is one the most important skills when providing care and support.

Secure Healthcare provides flexible opportunities when working within a home care environment, this gives you the opportunity to do other things around your personal commitments. Within a home care environment service users there will be individuals that require basic care and other individuals may be need more complex care. You may be required to spend a few hours with service users or spend time for longer periods of time.

Duties within a home care environment include:

– Assisting with washing and dressing
– Support with getting patients in and out of bed
– Help with going to the toilet
– Preparing daily meals
– Talking to the patient and providing the individual company
– Support with household tasks
– Helping patients get around the house
– Administering basic medicines

A domiciliary care role is great way to start your healthcare journey, for this role no healthcare experience is required and full training is provided. It can open up an opportunity to become a care manager, alongside the experience you will need the RMA qualification, NVQ 4, or QCF diploma. To find out more about how to become a care manager click here.

If you looking to start your journey within the healthcare sector with a healthcare agency in the West Midlands, then look no further, as we have care jobs available, if a domiciliary care worker role is of interest to you then apply by clicking here. We have flexible part time and full-time domiciliary roles across Wolverhampton, Cannock and Walsall, offering rewarding salaries and pick up as many shifts as you require around your availability.

Or contact us on 01902 303017 to find out more and secure a role with us today.

As a young adult, you may require some extra support and assistance, while living more independently or it may be that your child is moving from children’s social care to adult’s social care.

We are here to support you or your loved ones and provide care to young adults that require it, whether this is required for a few hours, a few times a week, or full time, we are here to support you. We ensure independence and allow young adults to live an active life.

At Secure Healthcare, we understand that individuals requiring help or support for a loved one, can heavily affect your emotions.

Initially, individuals may feel anxious and nervous or could feel excited and overwhelmed. Overall, it is to improve the quality of life for an individual and it allows you to live a more independent life.

If yourself or your loved one is an adult, seeking support, there is many things that you can do to make life easier. Our healthcare team can support and provide care by assisting with day-to-day tasks, support with arranging appointments, assist with providing medication, support with shopping etc.

Every young individual deserves the chance to achieve their highest potential, which is why we offer short term and long-term care for young adults with complex care needs. We want to make sure that young adults have the opportunity to identify their goals and to feel fully supported every step of the way by our experienced healthcare team.

We know that letting someone new into your home can be a difficult decision and we understand that individual’s needs are going to be different. At Secure Healthcare, we have a person-centred approach which means that our case managers assess individual needs of our service users to find the correct amount of support and care.

There are various conditions that we provide support for:
– Acquired brain injury
– Spinal cord injuries
– Palliative care
– ADHD
– Down syndrome
– Cerebral palsy
– Neurological conditions (MS & MND)
– Stroke & Hypertension
– Parkinson’s & Huntington’s
– catheter, bowel & stoma care
– Tracheostomy care
– Gastronomy care
– Ventilated patients
– Continence care
– PEG feeding

Our healthcare team are all DBS checked, receive specialist training and have qualifications to ensure the best quality care and support is provided. Our specialist care services are regulated by the care quality commission. We ensure our team receive up to date training and are fully qualified.

When supporting young adults, there is two ways that we can provide care and support. This can be provided in a home care environment or within a care home setting.

Providing care in a personal home care setting has become very popular within society and it allows individuals to be close to their loved ones, around familiar surroundings. Another benefit of home care is that healthcare provided is more flexible, for example it could be provided for a few hours a day or a few times a week. The cost of this care is much lower compared to care within a care home. Home care also allows healthcare teams to build a stronger relationship with individual patients.

In a care home setting, care is generally more full time with individuals that have more serious healthcare conditions. Care in a care home setting is more routine based and you can not be around your loved ones as much.

Whether you require care for yourself or your loved ones within a home care environment or within a care home, find out more about our services by clicking here or contact us on 01902 302017

Over the last 10 years, there has been a major increase for children requiring Complex Care. There has been a 50% increase of individuals requiring Complex Care and there are over 100,000 children and young people that have complex needs.

One of the main reasons for this is because there has been an increase in the number of babies born with complex disabilities.
Caring for a young individual with complex needs can be difficult, particularly because young children are likely to be very needy at a young age, growing up. Young children that have complex needs attend school and it is important the correct support and care are provided around their education.

Here at Secure Healthcare Solutions, we provide complex care for young children, which is person-centered specialist support for young adults that have a long-term health condition, which could be due to a chronic illness, disability, or when discharged from hospital for care or treatment. As a healthcare agency, we understand that a young individual’s care needs are unique, therefore it is vital that we provide tailored care and support to care for these needs.

Complex Care can be provided within a home environment, as Live-in care which is around-the-clock care in the comfort of your own home. Visiting care is when care is provided on an hourly basis when you require support, it may be for a few hours a day. Respite care is when care is delivered on a short-term basis, as individuals’ loved ones could be busy with other commitments or could be on holiday, also if the individual has been discharged from hospital extra support and care may be required to help you loved ones recover.

Those with a long-term illness or injury will benefit from Complex Care to accommodate towards individual needs. Here at Secure Healthcare Solutions, we have a team of clinical Nurses with years of medical expertise and experience who work collaboratively with case managers to ensure the right level of care is provided

NHS funding for young children that require Complex Care
The NHS provides funding for young individuals that have complex health needs, and qualify for FREE social care which is funded by the NHS, known as NHS continuing healthcare.

Young individuals that require complex care will be assessed by a team of healthcare professionals to assess care needs.
To discover more about Complex Care funding provided by the NHS, click here

There are many Complex Care conditions that we provide care and support for.
Including:
– Acquired brain Injury
– Spinal cord injuries
– Renal care
– Palliative care
– Cerebral palsy
– Neurological conditions (MS & MND)
– Stroke & hypertension
– Parkinson’s and Huntington’s
– Diabetes care
– Catheter, bowel & stoma care
– Tracheostomy care
– Gastronomy care
– Ventilated patients
– Continence care
– PEG feeding
– Tracheostomy care

For those that are seeking Complex Care for yourself or a loved one, find out more about our Complex Care services by clicking here and contact our team on 0121 285 9449.

If you are seeking Complex Care within a care home or at home, Secure Healthcare offers this across the Midlands and Staffordshire.

Find out more about our Complex Care services and if you have any questions or queries, please contact one of the team members who are happy to help.

There is approximately around 15 million people in the UK that have Complex care needs, meaning that they require long term healthcare.

What is Complex Care?
Complex care is a person-centred specialist support service for individuals that have a long-term condition, which could be due to a chronic illness, disability or when discharged from a hospital for care or treatment. At Secure Healthcare Solutions, we understand that every client’s needs and requirements are unique, therefore it is important that we provide tailored care and support to accommodate these needs.

Complex care can be provided within a care home or nursing home setting or within a Homecare setting which is becoming more popular, so individuals are close to their loved ones and are used to their surroundings, care can also be provided in the individual’s own home.

NHS funding for Complex Care
Some individuals with long-term complex health needs qualify for FREE social care arranged and funded solely by the NHS, known as NHS continuing healthcare.
NHS
Individuals requiring complex care will be assessed by a team of healthcare professionals to assess care needs.

Find out more about Complex Care funding by clicking here

Complex care needs managed in a home environment
With technology advancing and if patients are in a reasonable stable condition, it allows individuals to receive homecare within a home environment, close to their loved ones. Care will be provided by, complex carers, who have been specifically trained to deal with the individual needs. Case managers and support workers will work closely with healthcare staff to improve care plans and ensure social support is provided.

Live-in care
Around-the-clock support to individuals in your own home, so that care can be provided whenever you require it. The benefit of a live-in carer is that they will understand complex care needs of individuals and get to know routines. For example, individuals that have had a tracheostomy procedure and require ventilator care are likely to need around the clock care.

Visiting Care
This is when homecare is required on an hourly basis, which allows the individual that requires complex care, choose when and how you need support. This gives the flexibility for carers to pop in once or twice a week or for a few hours a day to provide care and support. This could be to prepare meals, help with housework, assist with washing and dressing and for companionship.

Respite Care
Respite care is delivered on a short-term basis, as an individual’s loved ones may be busy with other commitments, or could be on holiday, and if the individual has come home from hospital, you may require extra support to help your loved ones recover.

Individuals with a long-term illness or injury will benefit from Complex Care to accommodate towards their individual needs. We have a team of clinical Nurses with years of medical expertise and experience who work collaboratively with case managers to ensure the right level of care is in place in the comfort of your own home.

Complex Care Conditions
– Acquired brain Injury
– Spinal cord injuries
– Renal care
– Palliative care
– Cerebral palsy
– Neurological conditions (MS & MND)
– Stroke & hypertension
– Parkinson’s and Huntington’s
– Diabetes care
– Catheter, bowel & stoma care
– Tracheostomy care
– Gastronomy care
– Ventilated patients
– Continence care
– PEG feeding
– Tracheostomy care

If you are seeking Complex Care for yourself or loved one, find out more about our complex care services by clicking here and contact our homecare team on 01902 302017

There are many reasons why we tend to slow down and become more sedentary with age. It may be due to health problems, weight or pain issues, or worries about falling. Or perhaps you think that exercising simply isn’t for you.

But as you grow older, an active lifestyle becomes more important than ever to your health. Getting moving can help boost your energy, maintain your independence, protect your heart, and manage symptoms of illness or pain as well as your weight. And regular exercise is also good for your mind, mood, and memory. No matter your age or your current physical condition, these tips can show you simple, enjoyable ways to become more active and improve your health and outlook.

A recent Swedish study found that physical activity was the number one contributor to longevity, adding extra years to your life—even if you don’t start exercising until your senior years. But getting active is not just about adding years to your life, it’s about adding life to your years. You’ll not only look better when you exercise, you’ll feel sharper, more energetic, and experience a greater sense of well-being.

Remaining active throughout life is a vital part of ageing well. All types of physical activity – from walking and gardening, to dedicated exercise classes – can improve mobility, protect against ill-health, enhance mental well-being and lower the risk of cognitive decline, as well as keep individuals more independent for longer.

The Five Year Forward View, a roadmap outlining how the NHS can remain sustainable while still providing for an ageing population, highlighted the need to encourage healthy lifestyles in people of all ages, to prevent the development of lifestyle related non-communicable diseases. Ensuring older people have opportunities and the motivation to be active is therefore paramount to securing the future of the NHS.

Local authorities, health practitioners and fitness operators all have a role to play in supporting people to be active well into old age: from broad measures ensuring the local community is easily accessible by foot, to providing specifically targeted activity opportunities for older people in collaboration with the physical activity sector.

Active ageing is the process of optimising opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age. It applies to both individuals and population groups.

Active ageing allows people to realise their potential for physical, social, and mental well-being throughout the life course and to participate in society, while providing them with adequate protection, security and care when they need.

The word “active” refers to continuing participation in social, economic, cultural, spiritual and civic affairs, not just the ability to be physically active or to participate in the labour force. Older people who retire from work, ill or live with disabilities can remain active contributors to their families, peers, communities and nations. Active ageing aims to extend healthy life expectancy and quality of life for all people as they age.

“Health” refers to physical, mental and social well being as expressed in the WHO definition of health. Maintaining autonomy and independence for the older people is a key goal in the policy framework for active ageing.

Ageing takes place within the context of friends, work associates, neighbours and family members. This is why interdependence as well as intergenerational solidarity are important tenets of active ageing.

Apart from numerous parks, open spaces and access to Leisure Centres, the West Midlands region offers specific areas of activities targeted at older people such as Mature swimming lessons, Fitness sessions, Age Concern Tai Chi, 50+ activities, bowling , yoga and more.

We have recently teamed up with Wolves Community Trust to bring the fantastic sport of walking football to people in and around Wolverhampton. The aim of walking football is to help older people, or those with limited mobility, remain active and fit, while still pursuing their love for the beautiful game in a fun and sociable environment.

“In the UK around 22% of men die before the age of 65, compared to 13% of women. Although physically active men have a 20 – 30% reduced risk of premature death and 50% less chronic disease, by the age of 55-64 only 32% of men say they take the recommended half hour of exercise five times a week. “

The new sporting craze of ‘Walking Football’ may enable people to continue playing football into their 60s and 70s while reaping a multitude of health benefits, according to Aston University researchers. Walking Football has recently taken the country by storm, becoming one of the fastest growing sports nationwide.

Tips for staying motivated

It’s easy to become discouraged when illness, injury, or changes in the weather interrupt your routine and seem to set you back to square one. But there are ways to stay motivated when life’s challenges get in the way:

Focus on short-term goals, such as improving your mood and energy levels and reducing stress, rather than goals such as weight loss, which can take longer to achieve.

Reward yourself when you successfully complete a workout, reach a new fitness goal, or simply show up on a day when you were tempted to ditch your activity plans. Choose something you look forward to, but don’t allow yourself to do until after exercising, such as having a hot bath or a favorite cup of coffee.

Keep a log. Writing down your activities in an exercise journal not only holds you accountable, but is also a reminder of your accomplishments.

Get support. When you work out with a friend or family member, you can encourage and motivate each other.

What is Hypotention ?

Doctors measure blood pressure using two numbers – the first and higher of the two is called the systolic blood pressure, and it occurs when the heart beats and fills the arteries of the body with blood. The lower number is called the diastolic blood pressure, and it’s the pressure in the heart when it rests between heartbeats. A normal blood pressure is said to be in the region of 120/80mmHg (systolic/diastolic) and doctors spend a lot of time dealing with people with high blood pressure. Use a blood pressure chart to see what your blood pressure means.

Low blood pressure (hypotension) on the other hand often requires no treatment but elderly people in particular can find it a problem, especially when standing up from sitting or lying down. In general terms, the medical advice is that the lower the blood pressure the better, and for most people their blood pressure rarely falls below 90/60.

Recognition

However, low blood pressure can sometimes mean there’s not enough blood flowing to your brain and other vital organs, which can lead to symptoms such as:

dizziness or lightheadedness
unsteadiness
fainting
blurred vision
heartbeats that suddenly become more noticeable (palpitations)
confusion
feeling sick (nausea)
general weakness

What to do if you have symptoms

If you think you may be experiencing an episode of low blood pressure, you should:

stop what you’re doing
sit or lie down
drink some water

The symptoms will usually pass after a few seconds or minutes.

When to see your GP

You should see your GP if you have frequent symptoms of low blood pressure. Your GP can measure your blood pressure and help identify any underlying causes of the problem. Read more about diagnosing low blood pressure.

Low blood pressure after suddenly standing up

If you experience symptoms of low pressure after changing positions, such as standing up, it’s known as postural, or orthostatic, hypotension. Symptoms shouldn’t last longer than a few seconds, as your blood pressure will adjust to your new position. This type of low blood pressure tends to affect people more as they get older, when it can lead to more frequent falls. Similar symptoms may also occur after exercise.

Low blood pressure after eating

If you experience symptoms after eating, it’s known as postprandial hypotension. It occurs more often in older people, particularly in those who have high blood pressure or conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and diabetes mellitus. After a meal, your intestines need a large amount of blood for digestion. If your heart rate doesn’t increase enough to maintain blood pressure, your blood pressure will fall, causing symptoms.

Low blood pressure after standing for long periods

Some people experience symptoms after standing up for long periods of time. This is sometimes known as neutrally mediated hypotension, and most often affects children and young adults.