A National Resilience Programme

That this House notes the importance of physical activity to keeping older people healthy and resilient; further notes that one in three older people did less physical activity during the first lockdown in March 2020 and that within three days of not using muscles people can experience significant decreases in muscle mass and quality which might be the difference of an older person being able to get out of a chair by themselves or not; highlights the proposal by The Physiological Society and Centre for Ageing Better for the introduction of a National Resilience Programme to bring together a package of measures to support older people through covid-19 restrictions, keeping them healthy and resilient over winter 2020; and notes that an effective programme should incorporate a tailored exercise package focused on older people with key covid-19 risk factors, clear guidance on a healthy balanced diet, support to build communities to counter loneliness in order to improve mental health, and a plan to enlist help of relatives, care workers and other professionals to re-build older adults’ confidence and support them to stay active and keep well.