Vitality Passport program wins the 2020 Primary Healthcare Award for Promoting Healthy Living

A lifestyle program aimed at reducing or halting the progression of frailty and falls for older people has won the 2020 Murrumbidgee Primary Healthcare Award for Promoting Healthy Living.

The Vitality Passport program, delivered by Back on Track Physiotherapy, is an evidence-based intervention program that focuses on developing a plan for participants for exercise, nutrition and cognitive-stimulating activity.

MPHN Board Chair Dr Jodi Culbert congratulated Back on Track Physiotherapy on winning the award.

“The Promoting Healthy Living award recognises projects encouraging people to take ownership of their own health and wellbeing,” Dr Culbert said.

“A recent independent evaluation of the Vitality Passport program concluded that it has successfully achieved its goal of reducing or arresting frailty in the elderly and slowing down the common problems associated with ageing, which is a fantastic achievement.”

Back on Track Physiotherapy’s Jeremy Carr said he was thrilled to receive the award.

“We thank MPHN for giving us the opportunity to participate in a program that we’ve really enjoyed as clinicians, and has been well supported by the community,” he said.

“We thank our participants and the community support we get, along with the terrific team that we have on board, and we look forward to continuing to deliver these services to our communities.”

The QPR Community Gatekeepers initiative, coordinated by Wellways to help open up safe conversations about suicide prevention and increase awareness of available supports, was recognised as the runner-up in the award category.

“We’re very grateful to be a finalist for the awards,” Wellways’ Suicide Prevention Community Development Coordinator Fran Godde said.

“It’s really exciting to see all the different work that is going on promoting healthy living in our community. There’s a lot of people benefitting in many different ways.”

More information about Vitality Passport can be found here, and watch more about the QPR Community Gatekeepers here.