Whether you’re undergoing treatment, working through rehabilitation or moving into later life, the importance of keeping active cannot be understated.
That’s why care homes and healthcare facilities such as Worthington Lake Care Home are taking a fresh look at the ways they can encourage older adults to take up exercise.
The Sunshine Gym team recently supplied and installed three pieces of equipment at Worthington Lake. Together, this equipment will target several of the most important aspects of fitness for older adults.
Flexibility & Cognition
Poor mobility often acts as a barrier to physical activity. Therefore, flexibility is central to all-round fitness. Another way to remove such obstacles is to boost mental agility through exercises which involve the use of coordination skills.
As a martial art and a form of musculoskeletal exercise, Tai Chi is known to improve cognition thanks to its links with meditation.
Now residents can complete self-guided mindfulness exercises whilst rotating their new Tai Chi Discs to improve upper body flexibility.
Strength & Interval Training
A study by international non-profit, Mayo Clinic, found that interval training reversed some age-related deterioration of muscle cells in their over-65 test group. This is great news as muscle strength is vital to the prevention of falls; older adults may be able to reduce their risk, even if their strength has deteriorated.
However, interval training needn’t be extreme. With a Health Walker, users at Worthington Lake Care Home can perform low-impact exercise without jolting their joints.
What’s more, this equipment offers residents full speed control without the use of buttons, screens or programming – interval training has never been this simple!
Fitness for Social Wellbeing
Approximately 22% of men and 28% of women aged over 65 have depression. Furthermore, at least 37% of people with severe symptoms of mental ill health also have a long-term physical condition. Therefore it’s clear that there is a need for mood-boosting activities in residential care services.
Care facilities for older adults can use sociable exercise to tackle both isolation (a common cause of depression) and poor motivation (a symptom of low mood).
That’s why Worthington Lake Care Home’s Double Slalom Skier was such a great choice; it’s a piece of cardio equipment which also encourages social interaction.
Exercise Equipment for Older Adults: Our Recommendations…
If you’re looking for ways to help older adults enhance or maintain long-term fitness and wellbeing, visit our Health and Social Care page to see what other exercise equipment we recommend.
To book your free consultation visit, simply fill in a contact form or call 01952 580520 to speak to a member of the Sunshine Gym team.
Year Completed:
2019
Project Value:
£4,000
Location:
Scunthorpe, South Humberside
Products in this case study:
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