It’s no secret that as we age, our bodies begin to lose their virility and strength. It’s also true that the older one gets, the likelihood of losing similarly aged friends and loved ones increases due to natural causes; leading to a more isolated and less socially active existence. What if, though, through a means of providing a physically activating and socially inclusive outdoor recreation space, could communities begin to address these issues and provide senior citizens an outlet to maintain their physical abilities, while also establishing regular periods of socialization and interaction? These are the points that the ENJOY project identified and sought to address through their study, conducted in 2021.
Conducted in Australia by Associate Professor Pazit Levinger from the National Ageing Research Institute of Australia with her team Maya Panisset, Jeremy Dunn, Terry Haines, Briony Dow, Frances Batchelor, Stuart Biddle, Gustavo Duque and Keith D Hill., the Exercise interveNtion outdoor proJect in the cOmmunitY for older people (the ENJOY project) studied the impact of increased physical activity amongst seniors. Utilizing Lappset’s Senior Sport product line, participants (all of whom were all 60 years of age or older) followed a 12-week, structured and supervised physical activity program. Following the 12-week program, participants were monitored during a 6-month maintenance phase; intended to evaluate and determine the benefits the physical activity program provided to participants in regards to physical and mental health well-being. Surveys were conducted at the end of each phase to ascertain the effectivity of the project, according to the participants’ responses. Participants’ access to the equipment was monitored electronically, as a means to validate responses following the 6-month maintenance phase.
See the seniors exercising according to the program on YouTube