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Fitness Australia have announced that the Victoria Active Ageing Partnership (VAAP) is to receive funding for another year on behalf of the Victorian Government. This year VicSport is also joining the Project Coordination Team (Musculoskeletal Australia, Monash University & Fitness Australia).

This partnership commenced in 2016 aiming to promote opportunities for participation in physical activity for older Victorians, especially in areas of socio-economic disadvantage and among isolated, lonely, older people not currently involved in physical activity.

Many successful initiatives have been delivered over the past three years including an annual Research and Practice Forums (with over 200 attendees), development of an evidence-based best practice framework and self-assessment tool & resources on the back over a research synthesis into older people engaging in physical activity.

At this year's VAAP Research and Practice Forum, Associate Professor Marilyn Wise from the University of New South Wales delivered the keynote address on a framework to be considered when working or acting in partnership.

The framework covers aspects such as necessity, opportunity, capacity, relationships, planned action (implementation and evaluation) and sustainability.

Ben Pollard from Hobsons Bay City Council presented on co-design and urged service providers to better engage the community by acknowledging that "other people bring a wisdom to the table that we don’t have".

Members of the VAAP co-ordination team – Gen Nolan from Musculoskeletal Australia and Associate Professor Ben Smith from Monash University – described initiatives recently undertaken by the VAAP. 

Moving forward into the fourth year, in addition to the annual VAAP Research and Practice Forum in October 2019, six regional seminars will be held around Victoria, and further work will be undertaken to promote the use of the VAAP best practice framework, tools and resources.

An educational series will also be available online assisting businesses and professionals to engage under-represented groups of older people in physical activity. As part of the educational series, the Engaging Older People in Physical Activity program is approved for one CEC for Victorian residents only.

For more information about the VAAP go to www.msk.org.au/vaap/

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