Exercise Right for Active Ageing is a national program designed for older Australians over 65. Funding from the Australian Government’s Move it AUS – Better Ageing Grants Program subsidises 12 group exercise classes.
The program aims to help you
Move more through affordable exercise classes led by university qualified professionals
Improve your quality of life and overall health
Connect with like-minded people in a fun and friendly setting
Find a class near you
There’s authorised providers delivering subsidised classes in selected locations around Australia.
This is updated weekly so if you can’t find someone in your area check back again soon!
ELIGIBILITY
The program is open to inactive older Australians over 65. Indigenous Australians who are over 55 can also enrol in the program. You must complete a pre-screening assessment prior to commencing the classes. This can be done over the phone or via video.
Our program is suitable for those:
- With a chronic condition, injury or illness
- Who are on the wait list for an Australian Government Home Care package
- Not accessing allied health services through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme
If you are living with a chronic condition, injury or illness, more information on how exercise can help you is available here.
If you have a lung condition, your Lung Foundation Australia ‘Lungs in Action’ exercise physiology instructor can apply to deliver our program.
WHAT'S INCLUDED?
Each participant may be eligible for:
- 1 x pre-exercise screening
- 1 x pre-assessment
- 12 x shorter 20, 30 or 45 minute sessions via Telehealth OR
- 12 x 1-hour in-person sessions
- 1 x free post-assessment
Please note, pre-assessments and post-assessments can be done in your home.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
To access the government subsidies, we require the following co-payments:
- $8.00 for each one hour in-person class
- $6.00 for each 45 minute Telehealth class
- $4.00 for each 30 minute Telehealth class and
- $3.00 for each 20 minute Telehealth class
The subsidies only apply 12 classes no matter how long a class you do.
Your final assessment is provided free of charge. An additional one-off payment is also required for your pre-assessment which varies depending on where you live. Please contact your local provider for more information.
WHO RUNS THE CLASSES?
Each class will be run by a university qualified Accredited Exercise Physiologist (AEP) or Accredited Exercise Scientist (AES). The classes are delivered either at a physical facility or via an approved Telehealth provider.
The benefits of attending a class run by an accredited exercise professional include:
- Improved safety during exercises
- Exercises that are better targeted to your needs
- Ongoing health and advice to help you stay active
- Referral pathways to other health professionals or services that may suit your needs
Alice’s Story – Weekly exercise helped her Osteoporosis
Alice is a vibrant and now-active 69-year-old who was diagnosed with osteoporosis six years ago. During this time, her GP recommended doing some walking and this ‘should be enough’. Alice became an avid hiker, conquering many hiking trials in Spain. Alice saw some excellent results with this increased physical activity, coupled with drug therapy, where she saw an improvement in her bone mineral density by 17%. However, during this time, Alice’s health journey took a halt when she had to care for her mother (who made it to her 104th birthday!).
Consequently, Alice became inactive due to the demands of caring for her loved ones. After no success joining a group-based gym class, as the exercises were not tailored to her abilities, Alice then joined the BallyCara Burleigh Heads Community Centre group and attended classes as part of the Exercise Right for Active Ageing program. Alice started with an Accredited Exercise Physiologist in January of 2020 and has ‘never looked back’!
The instructors are just so wonderful and really know how to tailor the exercises and make it more relatable to me
Alice has reported to be thoroughly enjoying the structured activity, alongside doing her usual gardening, family time with the grandchildren and travels. Alice loved structured exercise so much after joining the program, she decided to give an osteoporosis-specific, heavy weights class a try. Here, Alice has also excelled and loved learning new movements and having the ability to ‘lift heavy’. Alice is now currently participating in weekly online virtual sessions on Wednesdays, group classes on Thursdays and the osteoporosis-specific, heavy weights class multiple times a week.
Read more stories about the program
‘Exercise & Sports Science Australia project features exercise classes via telehealth’ in Musculoskeletal Australia MSK News – a fortnightly newsletter for people with musculoskeletal conditions (published online October, 2019)
‘Exercise classes via telehealth’ in Partyline – the online magazine of the National Rural Health Alliance, the peak body working to improve health and wellbeing in rural and remote Australia (published online 2 December, 2019)
‘Initiative targets retirement village, community-dwelling seniors’ in Australian Ageing Agenda – a news website for people who work in or around the broad aged services and retirement living sectors (published online 13 December, 2019)
‘Grant for affordable group exercise program extended’ in Australian Ageing Agenda – a news website for people who work in or around the broad aged services and retirement living sectors (published online 3 December, 2020)
‘National exercise project extended for another year’ in Partyline – the online magazine of the National Rural Health Alliance, the peak body working to improve health and wellbeing in rural and remote Australia (published online 10 December, 2020)
Important COVID-19 update
With the gradual easing of restrictions, most in-person classes have resumed.
To ensure your safety during the COVID-19 outbreak, all our providers:
• have a COVIDSafe Plan
• screen participants before each class
• observe social distancing measures
• undertake training in COVID-19 infection control
• wear the appropriate personal protective equipment
• adhere to good hygiene practices and
• increase the frequency of cleaning and disinfection of clinics and all equipment
• follow Telehealth standards developed by Exercise & Sports Science Australia to ensure all exercises are safe for you, and are equivalent in quality to in-person exercises.
You can do classes via Telehealth if:
• in-person classes are on hold due to COVID-19 or
• you are worried about doing classes outside of your home or
• you live in a remote or rural area or somewhere else where we don’t offer in-person classes and
• you have a smart phone (a phone with internet and a camera) or a computer or a tablet with internet access and a webcam.
Each provider will run classes slightly differently to ensure they are suitable for everyone, so please contact them directly for more information.
Our university qualified professionals are also subsidised to do pre and post assessments in your home and assist you set up your phone or computer or tablet to do Telehealth classes.
- To know more about Telehealth and whether is it right for you, read this guide from the Centre for Online Health at the University of Queensland here .
- If you want to learn more about how to use Telehealth technology, then click here.
- If you need more help in using technology, then check out these free and low cost resources here.
Our provider list is updated regularly to let you know which local classes are being offered in-person and which providers deliver Telehealth classes. To search for a class near you, click here.
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Frequently asked questions
Can anyone access the discounted classes?
No. These subsidised classes are only available to older Australians (aged over 65) and indigenous Australians (aged over 55) who are currently inactive or not meeting the physical activity guidelines of 30 minutes of exercise on most days.
What is a pre-screening?
An exercise screening is just a short questionnaire to determine if it’s safe for you to exercise. If there are any red flags, you will be referred to a GP before starting exercise.
What happens at the assessment?
The assessment involves five low-intensity tests and a physical activity questionnaire conducted before and after the program. This assessment only takes a few minutes.
What are the classes like?
The 12 classes can vary depending on the provider, and can range from gym classes, yoga, Pilates, aqua aerobics or clinical classes. Check with providers in your local area to find a class that best suits you.
Can I do more than one class per week?
Participants will only be subsidised for a maximum of one class per week. The provider may have other classes available which can be accessed for a separate fee.
How much do the classes cost?
To access the government subsidies, we require the following co-payments:
- $8.00 for each one hour in-person class
- $6.00 for each 45 minute Telehealth class
- $4.00 for each 30 minute Telehealth class and
- $3.00 for each 20 minute Telehealth class
The subsidies only apply 12 classes no matter how long a class you do. Your final assessment is provided free of charge. An additional one-off payment is also required for your pre-assessment which varies depending on where you live. Please contact your local provider for more information.
What happens when I finish the 12 classes?
You will be eligible for a free post-assessment and the provider will work with you to develop a plan to maintain your activity levels based on your preferences. You may continue in the same class as a full fee-paying participant, join other classes with the provider, or be referred to other community exercise activities and volunteering opportunities.
What if I can’t make it to a class one week?
If you’re unable to make it, you should contact your provider as soon as possible. Each provider will have their own cancellation or postponement policies which will be explained at the beginning of the program.
