A Co Meath project that aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people in rural areas could have the long-term benefit of taking pressure off the healthcare services, according to a study to be published today.
The Summerhill Active Retirement Group got EU Interreg funding to run a series of health programmes for older women, men, people with disabilities and young parents at its Third Age Centre.
The programmes involved sessions on fitness, health checks, healthy eating, first aid and mental health.
An independent evaluation of this project and of a sister project in Wales, carried out by consultants Denis McAteer and Dr Bryn Roberts, will be published today.
Called Involving Rural Populations in Improving Their Health and Wellbeing, the report found that both projects "could have the long-term benefit of alleviating the pressure on the primary healthcare services in both counties".
It found the older women seemed to benefit particularly from the social element involved in attending a weekly class at the Summerhill centre.
"It would appear that the social interaction which took place during the sessions, and the availability of transport to bring them from their homes, presented these women with a weekly event that of itself was fillip for their general wellbeing," the report found.
The report pointed out the "extremely positive responses" from people with disabilities to the physiotherapy sessions, which "suggests either an unidentified demand or a poor supply of physiotherapy services for people with disabilities in rural Meath".
