The short answer
- Water takes the strain off painful jointsBuoyancy supports most of the body's weight, so someone who cannot manage a walk can often still swim, and arthritic joints move more freely in the water than out of it.
- A warmer, quieter pool matters more than the strokeA pool a few degrees warmer than a competitive one, at a time when it is not crowded, makes the biggest difference to whether a first visit goes well.
- Breaststroke and backstroke are the gentlest starting pointsBoth let the head stay clear of the water or float on the back, so there is no need to master breathing technique before getting started.
- Getting there each week is often the hardest partMany families would like to try swimming, but nobody is free each week to get their parent changed and to the pool and back.
Figures on this page are what carers on PrimeCarers charge, £18 to £25 an hour with our fee included, against £28 to £35 an hour through most agencies.
Why it helps
Why swimming suits a body that struggles on land
Swimming is often the one form of exercise still open to somebody who has given up on the rest, because the water is doing part of the work that tired muscles and painful joints would otherwise have to do alone.
Weight comes off the joints
Especially useful for arthritis
A workout for the heart and lungs
Whole body, low impact
Strength and balance, without weights
Resistance from the water itself
Company and a lift in mood
Group sessions especially
Swimming does not replace advice from a GP about a specific heart or lung condition, and anyone recovering from surgery or a recent hospital stay should check before getting back in the pool. For most people managing ordinary aches, stiffness or a general decline in fitness, it is one of the safest ways to stay active. What type of exercise is best for the elderly sets swimming alongside the other options if the water is not realistic for your parent.
Choosing a pool
What to check before booking a session
Most of what makes a first swim go well or badly happens before anyone gets in the water: the right temperature, the right time of day, and knowing what to bring. None of it takes long to check by phone.
Worth asking or checking before you go
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The pool itself
The water
Strokes to try
Which stroke to start with, and what to watch for
Almost every older swimmer settles on one of three strokes, because each one avoids a particular strain that comes with age. Knowing what each is doing to the body helps you or your parent pick the right one to start with, rather than defaulting to whatever was learned decades ago.
Breaststroke
A circular pull with both arms together and a frog-shaped kick, done at a pace the swimmer sets themselves.
Suits
The one most older swimmers start with. The head can stay above water throughout, so there is no need to put the face in or time a breath.
Watch for
A wide, snapping kick can strain the knees, a problem serious enough that physiotherapists have a name for it, breaststroker's knee. A smaller, gentler kick avoids it, and is worth asking a swimming teacher to check after a hip or knee replacement.
Backstroke
Floating on the back with alternating arm strokes and a steady flutter kick.
Suits
Takes the weight off the spine rather than the joints, so it often suits someone with back pain or a stoop that makes face-down swimming uncomfortable. Breathing is never restricted, since the face is never in the water.
Watch for
It is harder to see where the pool ends or who else is in the lane, so it usually needs a quieter session or a lane rope to follow. Worth a quiet word with the lifeguard first time.
Sidestroke
A scissor kick with a sweeping arm movement, swimming on one side.
Suits
Often the easiest for balance and coordination while confidence is building, and a natural stroke to fall back on between lengths of something more demanding.
Watch for
Fewer pools teach it as standard, so it is worth asking an instructor to show it directly rather than assuming it will come up in a group class.
Breathing is simpler than it sounds. The underlying technique, sometimes called diaphragmatic breathing, is a slow breath in through the nose and a full breath out rather than short, shallow gasps, and it is the same principle a physiotherapist would teach for any other exercise. The timing differs by stroke: in breaststroke, most swimmers breathe in as the head clears the water at the top of the stroke and breathe out again once the face is back under, while in backstroke there is nothing to time, since the face never goes under, so the priority is simply not to hold the breath, which brings on dizziness faster than most people expect. A swimming teacher can check this in a few minutes and it is worth asking for, even for someone who swam confidently forty years ago, since technique that once came naturally can need a small correction after a long break.
Fear and limitations
Getting past a fear of water or a physical limitation
A fear of water, sometimes called aquaphobia, is common in later life, especially in somebody who has had a fall, a health scare, or simply not swum in decades. It is not a reason to rule swimming out. Neither is a physical limitation that makes the strokes above hard to do.
Tends to work
- Starting in the shallow end, standing where the feet can touch, before attempting to swim a length
- A flotation aid such as a pool noodle, a kickboard or a buoyancy belt for the first few sessions, dropped once confidence builds
- One-to-one or small-group lessons aimed at adult beginners, rather than a general class built around children
- Coming back to the same pool and, where possible, the same instructor each time
- Gentle stretching and a few minutes of walking in the shallow end as a warm-up, which loosens stiff joints before swimming properly
Tends to make it harder
- Starting in the deep end, or in a crowded lane, on a first visit
- Swimming alone the first few times, before anyone knows how your parent manages in the water
- Pushing through a strong stroke that is causing pain, particularly in the knees or shoulders
- Skipping the warm-up because the water itself feels like enough of one
If a physical limitation such as a previous stroke, a wheelchair or a significant loss of mobility is the main barrier, ask the leisure centre about a hoist and about instructors experienced with adapted swimming. Most larger pools have both, even where it is not advertised on the website.
Finding a session
Finding a class or session that suits your parent
A phone call to the local leisure centre answers most of what matters faster than searching online, but it helps to know what to ask for.
Most council-run leisure centres offer a mix of open swimming times, aqua aerobics or water-based exercise classes, and sessions aimed specifically at older or less confident swimmers, though what each pool calls them and when they run varies by area, so it is worth asking rather than assuming. Swim England, the national governing body for swimming, lists registered clubs and approved teachers who can advise on adult lessons, and the Royal Life Saving Society UK sets the lifeguard training standard used across public pools, which is worth knowing if you want to check a pool's safety credentials. Age UK can point to local activities for older people, including swimming, through its local branches.
Getting there
When a carer's help gets someone to the pool and back
For a lot of families, the obstacle is not whether swimming would help. It is that getting changed, driven there and back, and settled afterwards takes more time than anyone in the family has free at the same time each week.
- 1
Pick a pool, a time and a stroke to start with
TodayUse the checklist above to choose somewhere with the right temperature and a quiet session, and agree with your parent which stroke to try first. - 2
Look at hourly carers near you
FreeSearch hourly carers by postcode. Every profile shows the carer's rate, experience, reviews and availability, and every carer has interviewed online, and their identity, right to work and enhanced DBS are checked before they appear. - 3
Agree what the visit covers
Before the first tripA carer can help with getting ready, the drive there and back, and waiting poolside, if that is agreed with the carer beforehand. Mileage is only payable if it is agreed in writing in advance, so settle this on the first message rather than after the first visit. - 4
Book the first visit, then settle into a routine
This weekA regular slot, the same day and time each week, is easier to stick to than an open-ended plan to go "when we can." Most families can tell after a few visits whether the routine is working.
Carers on PrimeCarers who help with trips like this charge £18 to £25 an hour with our fee included, against £28 to £35 an hour through most agencies. A carer accompanies, encourages and helps with the practical side of the trip; they do not get in the pool or provide lifeguard supervision, which is the pool's own lifeguard's job. Personal care covers what else this kind of visit usually includes, and if a fall is the reason walking or swimming alone no longer feels safe, how to deal with a fall is worth reading alongside this page.
Questions
Questions families ask about swimming in later life
Usually yes, and it is often recommended precisely because the water takes the weight off the joint. Arthritis UK lists swimming as a good form of exercise for improving fitness and mobility without the strain land-based exercise puts on joints. Anyone within the first few months of a joint replacement should check the timing with their surgeon or physiotherapist first, since advice varies by the type of operation.
Warmer than a competitive pool. Swim England's guidance sets recreational pools at a maximum of around 29°C, rising to about 32°C for pools used by babies, young children or disabled swimmers, and dedicated hydrotherapy pools run warmer still. A pool nearer the top of that range is usually more comfortable for stiff or painful joints.
Begin in the shallow end where the feet can touch the bottom, with a flotation aid such as a pool noodle for the first few sessions, and a quiet time of day with nobody else nearby. A one-to-one lesson with an instructor experienced with adult beginners usually gets further than a family member trying to coach in the water.
Standing, walking and gentle stretching in the shallow end still give real benefit, using the water's resistance and buoyancy without needing to swim a stroke. Many leisure centres run water-based exercise classes built entirely around this, with no swimming required.
Breaststroke is the usual starting point, since the head can stay above the water throughout. Backstroke suits someone with back pain, since floating takes the weight off the spine rather than the joints. Both are covered, with what to watch for, in the section above.
Yes. Carers on PrimeCarers can help with getting ready, the journey there and back, and waiting poolside, if this is agreed with the carer in advance. They charge £18 to £25 an hour with our fee included. Hourly care covers how these visits are booked.
Check with a GP first if there has been a recent fall, a hospital stay, a new diagnosis, or breathlessness on mild effort, the same caution that applies to building up any other form of exercise. Once cleared, swimming is often gentler to restart than walking or a gym class, because the water takes so much of the strain.