Spain is a typical example of a country where the population is ageing quickly and the problems associated with this development are already beginning to show.
-"Spain has a population of around 45 million people of whom just under 17 percent are aged 65 or over. We have almost 2 million people who are over 80 years old. We have calculated that by 2050, almost 31 percent of our population will be over 65-year-olds," says Miguel Carmona, Managing Director of Lappset España.
Ageing is a popular topic in the Spanish media and even the highest levels of decision-makers are increasingly beginning to grasp the needs of senior citizens in terms of physical exercise. The 0–100 concept has landed Lappset right in the middle of a lively national debate. Miguel Carmona along with Albert Fontanilles, Marketing Manager, and Elisabeth Schönhöfer, Sales Manager, have worked hard to make local and regional governments assume an active role. As attitudes have changed, tangible actions have been started.
The "magic" of the 0–100 concept lies in making the equipment for the elderly in such a way that it helps them to develop balance, coordination and the ability to negotiate different kinds of surfaces. Thanks to these exercises, the elderly find an improvement in their ability to carry out everyday tasks such as bathing, climbing stairs, sitting down and getting up again. The exercises also stimulate memory, observation and visual coordination. Their ability to cope independently increases and self-confidence grows every time the elderly take their exercise. The effects even extend to psychological wellbeing. For elderly people who live alone these environments have become natural — and often daily — settings for getting together with friends, family and grandchildren.
Launching the 0–100 concept has been a rewarding process. Elisabeth Schönhöfer, Lappset's Sales Manager, has had a front-row seat for observing how the elderly get on with their exercises. |
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