Health clubs could take more initiative in providing facilities and services for the elderly, one group has claimed.

Help the Aged, a charity which lobbies for rights for older people, has said that residential care homes often lack the facilities, training and manpower to offer exercise programmes to their residents.

It added that health clubs are often felt to be aimed at a different generation and older people do not always feel comfortable.

Mike Foster, public relations account manager at the charity, commented: "They tend not to [offer programmes for older people] except for sometimes discounts on quiet afternoons.

"They could do much more. Many older people do not find health clubs to be 'made for them'."

This week, Help the Aged has highlighted the plight of some older people affected by recent flooding across the UK and has called on friends and neighbours to offer support, for instance by running errands, for those less able to cope.