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You are here: Home Health & Fitness Well-Being Elderly exercise: Why a German initiative to build...

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09/02/2009Elderly exercise: Why a German initiative to build playgrounds that cater to senior citizens isn’t working

Elderly exercise: Why a German initiative to build playgrounds that cater to senior citizens isn’t working While there has recently been a boom in seniors-oriented playgrounds, a new study finds that the elderly do not want to exercise in public.

Staying fit and healthy as one ages is a tough task.

Gyms, full of active younger people, may not be the most welcoming environment. Equally, many people are not up to joining a local sports team. For a while, a German initiative to build playgrounds with exercise machines that are directed towards children, as well as the elderly, seemed like a perfect solution.  

Franz Simon, a senior citizen from Frankfurt, enjoys using his local playground every day.

When going for a stroll, the 80-year-old likes to use a foot rocker in a forest playground for children and elderly people that has been a public amenity since 2007.

"I immediately fell in love with the foot rocker because old and young people can use it together," said Simon of the "cross generational exercise machine."

But hardly anyone else in Simon's age group shares his opinion, according to a new study by Wiesbaden Polytechnic in western Germany.

The results contradict the current trend in Germany for building playgrounds designed with the elderly in mind.

Playground for the over-60s


The study found that many senior citizens find it embarrassing to exercise in the presence of younger people and are afraid of humiliating themselves.

Exercise machines designed with the goal of bringing old and young together are failing to fulfill that task, the study found.

The researchers discovered that children love to test their balancing skills with the foot rocker while senior citizens, on the other hand, are terrified of any wobbly movement.

Simon confirms that if you are not hale, hearty and sprightly, you are unlikely to use the foot rocker.

The result is that the majority of elderly people avoid the machine, thus decreasing the chances of cross-generational play.

But in the course of their study, the researchers also discovered that the elderly are not afraid of exercising under the right circumstances.

The researchers looked at six senior citizen playgrounds in Germany and surveyed 180 elderly people in Frankfurt. One third of respondents said they liked to exercise.

Half of them said they could imagine occasionally using the playgrounds -- but only when children are not present.

In places where the elderly feel their privacy is being respected, the researchers discovered, exercise machines are used regularly.

A representative of Frankfurt's municipal authority, Manuela Rottmann, is in charge of the city's senior citizen playgrounds.

What appeared to be a good idea at first glance is in fact proving unrealistic, she said.

Professor Grit Hottentraeger led the study. Municipal authorities must take several aspects into consideration before deciding to build an over-60s playground, she pointed out.

"You have to closely examine the playground's location and the machines it will have," she said.

Frankfurt’s municipal authority commissioned the study and its results have been published as 11 local advisory councils call for exercise machines tailored to suit senior citizens' needs.

The makers of exercise machines are promoting over-60s playgrounds in Germany as western societies age faster. They also hope to reach new target groups.

However, the study shows that most elderly people are not interested in the latest trends in wellness exercise. They seem to prefer old classics like mini golf, gravel beds to massage feet and Kneipp Cures -- a form of hydrotherapy developed in Germany.

Mini golf gives the generations an opportunity to interact, Hottentrager noted.

The elderly also prefer safe pathways, neat parks and flower beds -- an "unexciting environment" -- she added.

It has only been a year since Rottmann celebrated the opening of the forest playground, but in the meantime she has gained a few insights.

"The trendsetting exercises in an aging society will be mini golf or the Kneipp Cure," she said.

Frank van Bebber/DPA/Expatica


3 reactions to this article

Steve Dickson posted: 2010-02-13 21:10:51

Seniors should definitely have playgrounds...I propose that every city worldwide should build a facility for us to meet and have fun...Some places have 'Elderhostels'....My proposal would be called 'Elderbrothels'...Fun for all!

judith charlette posted: 2011-02-05 21:25:20

"Have some fun" you bet. But some of us have "outgrown" brothels and
have moved on...or back.
What about swings (not Swingers) for oldsters, hanging bars and a slide? Fun stuff that causes joy...and a little exercise.
Brothels, by the way, don't discriminate. You are "free" to use them too. Playgrounds do, for those over 16
You are free to use them too.

joseph rettig posted: 2012-02-01 11:09:37

yes right seniors should have payground and also special gym for their elderly exercise.

Thanks
______________________________
http://exerciseseniorcitizens.com/

Add a comment

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3 reactions to this article

Steve Dickson posted: 2010-02-13 21:10:51

Seniors should definitely have playgrounds...I propose that every city worldwide should build a facility for us to meet and have fun...Some places have 'Elderhostels'....My proposal would be called 'Elderbrothels'...Fun for all!

judith charlette posted: 2011-02-05 21:25:20

"Have some fun" you bet. But some of us have "outgrown" brothels and
have moved on...or back.
What about swings (not Swingers) for oldsters, hanging bars and a slide? Fun stuff that causes joy...and a little exercise.
Brothels, by the way, don't discriminate. You are "free" to use them too. Playgrounds do, for those over 16
You are free to use them too.

joseph rettig posted: 2012-02-01 11:09:37

yes right seniors should have payground and also special gym for their elderly exercise.

Thanks
______________________________
http://exerciseseniorcitizens.com/

Add a comment
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