But, claiming it would be impossible to enforce an \u201celders only\u201d policy, Lake Oswego officials named the park \u201cFIT Spot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bennett blames ageism. \u201cI am so sorry the word ‘elder’ is not in the name,\u201d she said. \u201cBut that is how things go in a culture as terrified of aging as ours is. Nobody wants to say there are old people here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bennett\u2019s experience may help explain why elder playgrounds are taking off much more slowly in the United States than in other parts of the world. While interest is growing, only a handful of dedicated \u201celder playgrounds\u201d have been installed in the United States. Convincing communities to give money and space to parks that are for elders only is proving to be a hard sell.<\/p>\n
Roots in China<\/strong><\/p>\n Elder playgrounds have been around for about 20 years in other countries. In 1995, with the adoption of the “Physical Health Law of the People’s Republic of China” along with an “Outline of Nationwide Physical Fitness Program,” China began building outdoor fitness centers geared to all ages. In 2003, the University of Lapland in Finland, partnering with manufacturer Lappset, designed and built a playground for elders for research. Around the same time, Japan began repurposing children\u2019s playgrounds as \u201cNursing Home Prevention Parks,\u201d with specialized workout stations and classes, in response to the nation\u2019s aging demographics. The concept quickly spread to Germany, England, Spain and Canada.<\/p>\n Elder playgrounds typically feature low-impact exercise equipment designed for the specific fitness priorities of older adults, such as building balance, coordination and flexibility. Equipment is lower to the ground and equipped with seats or grips geared to people who might have limited mobility or strength.<\/p>\n Regular use of an elder playground can boost older adults\u2019 physical fitness and help prevent illness. One study found improvements in balance, coordination and speed after just three months.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Some elder playgrounds have been built in the United States, and there are hopeful signs that more are on the way. Colin Milner, founder and CEO of the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA), notes that many manufacturers of outdoor playground and fitness equipment have added or expanded lines of equipment specifically for older adults in recent years.<\/p>\n \u201cThese companies don\u2019t jump on board unless they feel there is a significant opportunity,\u201d Milner said.<\/p>\n While ICAA hasn\u2019t tracked elder playgrounds specifically, its 2015 survey of health clubs, senior centers, retirement communities and continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) found that 21 percent planned to purchase outdoor exercise equipment by 2017. At the time of the survey, some 41 percent planned to add game courts by 2017, 38 percent intended to create outdoor fitness or exercise trails and 57 percent aimed to install walking trails or paths.<\/p>\n From Kids to Elders<\/strong><\/p>\n Michael Cohen, a veteran designer of children\u2019s playgrounds, first became intrigued with spaces devoted exclusively to older adults when he saw a Good Morning America<\/em> report on a \u201cpensioners\u2019 playground\u201d in Manchester, England. That led him to found Must Have Play, an Ithaca, NY-based design group exclusively focused on innovative playgrounds for older adults. He has designed several elder playgrounds for parks in US cities, but so far none have actually been built.<\/p>\n Cohen envisions elder playgrounds as places that offer more than a good workout. He\u2019d like to see elder playgrounds promote play in forms suited for older adults\u2019 abilities, with courts or equipment for sports like pickleball, paddle ball, bankshot basketball or bocce ball, and loaded with features like water elements, walking paths and game tables.<\/p>\n \u201cIdeally, an elder playground is not just a place to exercise,\u201d Cohen said. \u201cIt\u2019s an inviting space where you\u2019d want to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n In the United States, playgrounds that cater to multiple generations are catching on more quickly than those designed exclusively for older adults.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n That\u2019s what happened at Carbide Park, in Galveston County, TX, which added an elder playground in 2014. The park has become a favorite destination for field trips from three local senior centers. On days when the weather is not too hot, busloads of older adults arrive to enjoy the park, according to Julie Diaz, director of parks and cultural services for Galveston County.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they want to go outside, they know they can come here to exercise, to swing or just to sit and talk with other seniors,\u201d Diaz said. \u201cThe elder playground provides the type of exercise they need, and it\u2019s very specific to them.\u201d<\/p>\n Some elder playgrounds have arisen as outdoor extensions of local senior centers, such as the fitness park at the Rockville (MD) Senior Center. Cohen says that\u2019s a big plus\u2014proximity to a senior center or a senior residence gives visitors access to clean bathrooms and a place to go for help in the event of emergency.<\/p>\n The Rockville park features equipment developed especially for the needs of older adults, according to Chris Klopfer, the center\u2019s senior sports and fitness supervisor.<\/p>\n \u201cThe playground encourages functional training, which incorporates more than one muscle group at a time, and that helps them with their day-to-day function, so that they can stay healthy and strong and age in place,\u201d Klopfer said. \u201cIn today\u2019s society we rely on medication for different ailments. I think we need to continue to push in the direction of physical exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n The Rockville playground\u2019s equipment has hand grips on everything, so that older exercisers can stabilize themselves. If they do fall, a non-slip surface made from rubberized tires makes injuries less likely.<\/p>\n One local trainer regularly brings older adult clients to the park for workouts when the weather is good. One of the trainer\u2019s clients, Ellie Rouff, 72, adjusted her workout schedule to allow for more sessions at the park.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m still working in an office and sit at a desk five days a week, so if I can be outside, I love it,\u201d Rouff said. She likes the fact that the equipment has usage instructions and allows her to do exercises she couldn\u2019t otherwise. She can no longer do push-ups on the floor but can perform them on one of the machines.<\/p>\n Boosting Fitness<\/strong><\/p>\n Research suggests that regular use of an elder playground can boost older adults\u2019 physical fitness and help prevent illness. The University of Lapland studied one group of 40 people, ages 65 to 81, and found significant improvements in balance, speed and coordination<\/a> after just three months of guided exercise (90 minute, once-a-week sessions) on an elder playground.<\/p>\n
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