Altrua is a new startup within Enactus Nottingham looking to tackle social isolation, loneliness and sedentary behaviour in Nottingham through running art therapy, mindfulness, chair exercises and qigong sessions to care home residents. This provides a platform for the elderly to socialise and exercise, increasing physical activity levels to improve both physical and mental health. 

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• Between 10-20,000 elderly people in Nottinghamshire alone are affected by social isolation

• More than 1 million older people go at least a month without talking to anyone (Age UK)

• Feeling of isolation has the adverse health effects of smoking an equivalent of 15 cigarettes a day

• 17% of older people are in contact with family, friends and neighbours less than once a week and 11% are in contact less than once a month.

• Older people are a high risk demographic and those in care homes are a largely affected group (Nottinghamshire Insight) - older people living in residential care admit to feeling more lonely than those in the community.

• 1 in 4 of people aged 65 or over aren't meeting the minimum recommended activity levels and 1 in 5 admit that they cannot remember the last time they did any exercise

• The feeling of isolation can shorten life, increase disability, cause various mental and physical health problems including depression, sleeping disorders, impaired cognitive health, heightened vascular resistance, hypertension and psychological stress (Age UK).

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Altrua has run 4 trial sessions with 3 different care homes and a day care centre at Age UK, impacting the lives of 40 individuals. Feedback from the sessions showed more than 80% of would recommend the service to others. 

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The Sustainable Development Goals which Altrua tackle are sustainable cities and communities, and good health and well-being. Persons with disabilities generally have more health-care needs than others – both standard needs and needs linked to impairments – and are therefore more vulnerable to the impact of low quality or inaccessible health-care services than others. We offer our services to elderly that often face mental disabilities such as dementia and are secluded from the rest of society.​Altrua help to raise awareness on disability among communities and decision makers and create the enabling environment where persons with disabilities are included without discrimination and can participate equally in their communities and reducing social isolation for elderly.

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