AN innovative charity dedicated to the physical and mental welfare of Ireland’s older and vulnerable population is reaching out to Southsiders.
Siel Bleu was founded in France in 1997 by two sports students at the University of Strasbourg.
Jean-Michel Ricard and Jean-Daniel Muller knew that physical activity was beneficial to all people, however, due to age, ailments or social issues some people were hesitant to participate.
And so Siel Bleu was created to bring specially designed physical exercises called Adapted Physical Activities (APA) and their benefits to older and vulnerable people.
Siel Bleu France now provides 135,000 hours of physical activity to 45,000 participants each year. As social entrepreneurs who want to share the benefits of APA Programmes, Siel Bleu has expanded into Belgium, Spain and Ireland.
Siel Bleu provides physical activity classes that are specifically designed to suit older and vulnerable people in a number of ways.
The charity understands that some people are reluctant to join more conventional sport classes with a
“one size fits all
? approach, where standardised exercises are taught to a group as a whole, disregarding any ailments or limitations an individual may have.
However, Siel Bleu aspires to make physical activity accessible and affordable for all. Their highly skilled trainers utilise Adapted Physical Activities to ensure that all exercises suit individual’s needs and abilities to help increase or maintain independence, autonomy and health.
Fiona Foley, Siel Bleu Ireland’s CEO, said:
“We pride ourselves on our specially designed Adapted Physical Activity Programmes which provide each individual participant with physical, social and behaviour benefits.
“Each exercise session lasts approximately one hour with 50 minutes of effective work, warm up, cool down and time for the trainer to work with each participant, altering exercises to suit their abilities.
?
Siel Bleu Programmes can be adapted to specific pathologies such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and all related dementias and obesity. In regards to degenerative pathologies such as Parkinson’s, Siel Bleu can help to maintain a person’s current levels of fitness and offset any further deterioration as well as encouraging a positive mental attitude.
With the number of people over the age of 65 set to double by 2025, placing a further burden on Ireland’s already strained health services, Siel Bleu established themselves to help lead the move away from costly medical care and rehabilitation to inexpensive and effective preventative health care.
Programmes are given in nursing homes, in community centres, parish halls, GAA halls and in private homes. The Siel Bleu business model seeks sponsors from Government agencies, related businesses and health agencies in order to keep the costs at a minimum for participants.
The cost of participating in a Siel Bleu Programme is as little as three to four euros per hour depending on whether the participants are in a nursing home or in the community.
For more information on Siel Bleu www.sielbleu.ie