NHS England has published a new Practical Guide to Healthy Ageing with Age UK, to help people improve their health and general fitness, particularly those aged 70 or over with ‘mild frailty’.

The evidence-based guide covers key areas that have been identified as the main risk factors for older people living at home, but if they are proactively managed, they can help people stay well for longer and improve their quality of life.

Topics include medicines reviews, exercise, preventing falls, general home safety, and keeping warm and staying well in winter, with tips to help older people stay both physically and mentally fit and independent, and pointers on when to seek medical support and advice.  It also signposts people to a range of additional help and advice from Age UK.

Clinical commissioning groups, GPs and pharmacists can order free copies of the guide from Prolog on 0300 123 1002, quoting reference HA1; on-line atwww.orderline.dh.gov.uk ; or they can download a pdf from NHS England’s website.   The guide is also  available as a pdf on NHS Choices website and will  be offered through Age UK’s shops across England, from February.

The Practical Guide to Healthy Ageing is being distributed alongside NHS England’s current public awareness campaign,  ‘Feeling Under the Weather?’,  that encourages people to nip health problems in the bud by seeking help early from their local pharmacist, to prevent illnesses developing.