Next to a children’s park in Manchester, England, you’ll find a different kind of playground: a playground for seniors. The Older People’s Play Area is outfitted with equipment to provide fun, gentle exercise that serves to “strengthen hips, tone legs and train the upper body.” For example, The Massage offers upper body exercise, the Skate trains leg muscles, the Ski works the hips, and the Press tones the stomach and legs. Some of the stations are also wheelchair accessible.

According to the article, local seniors are having fun and learning that exercise doesn’t have to be boring — and even a little regular exercise can make a difference.

However, research has shown that seniors are avoiding the playgrounds because they find it embarrassing to exercise in front of younger people:

  • 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 when children were not present.
  • In places where the elderly feel their privacy is being respected, the researchers discovered that exercise machines are being used regularly.

As with most situations, it’s difficult to meet everyone’s needs at the same time. But the senior playgrounds look like a lot of fun to me, though I think it’s important to provide a variety of exercise opportunities that are accessible and affordable, two important factors in keeping seniors active.

– Elizabeth Thielke