Type 2 Diabetes and Commitment of Seniors to Adapted Physical Activity within the French System of Therapeutic Education

Abstract

While the ageing of the population can in part be attributed to improvements in the field of health, it also raises new issues. Contemporary ageing tends to be characterised by greater sedentariness, exacerbated by loneliness and the loss of social contact. This often results in a decrease in function (decreased muscle strength, responsiveness, reflex and precise gestures, breathing capacity), which in turn increases the risk of developing chronic pathologies (cardiovascular illnesses, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and so forth), compounding ageing processes. The aim is not only to add years to a person’s life, but also to add life to those years by sustaining autonomy for as long as is possible. This is considered to be the key to successful ageing and physical activity the key to autonomy (Henaff-Pineau, 2009: 82). The scientifically established therapeutic and prevention benefits of regular physical exercise for ageing and chronic pathologies underpin the development of exercise adapted in accordance with the objectives (Perrin, 2008, 2012; Sparkes et al., 2012; Tulle, 2012, Poortmans and Carpentier, 2009). The various ‘Ageing Well’ programmes (Programme Nationaux Nutrition Santé [PNNS 1 and 2, Ministère de la santé et des solidarités] and Bien Vieillir 2003–2007 and 2007–2009 [Ministère de la santé et des solidarités]) promoting active ageing are nevertheless difficult to implement among a sedentary senior population suffering from an array of chronic pathologies.