EXERCISE & AGEING
Older people need more guidance at the gym
centres and 15,000 members. Fourteen clubs were opened in 2012 with more planned for next year. There’s also talk of the brand expanding internationally. During his years of medical practice, Zinberg noticed many diseases came about through the deterioration of activity. So, as head of CareMore Medical Group in the late 90s, he started taking older adults to a local health club twice a week. “We saw dramatic improvements and a drop in health costs,” he says – all of which motivated him to launch the fi rst Nifty After Fifty club. Nifty After Fifty uses Keiser’s pneumatic system, as Zinberg noticed that seniors had diffi culty with weight stack machines. Zinberg also put together a tailored workout to address the specifi c health issues faced by older people. This combines high velocity concentric muscle training with slow eccentric muscle training; Zinberg believes this combination of slow and fast muscle training, over a period of several repetitions, helps develop strength, endurance and power. Between sets, members wear headphones and respond to a series of problem-solving questions. “What affects seniors most is cognitive decline,” says Zinberg, who has incorporated these mental exercises into workouts to ensure the brain is fi ring on all cylinders. Now nearing 80, and himself still a
regular exerciser, Zinberg is perhaps the best advert for his chain. He is actively seeking funding and researchers to further test his theories.
CARE HOME GAMES The Care Home Games have become an annual event on the Sheffi eld sporting
It’s essential for an instructor to know
what exercise is suitable for elderly clients, to reduce the risk of long-term damage
calendar. The fi fth successful Games were held in July and they will remain an annual fi xture providing funding can be secured – they cost £1,200 to run. Held at Don Valley Stadium, they are run by Activity Sheffi eld in conjunction with Sheffi eld PCT/teaching hospitals. Funding is provided by Sheffi eld City Council, Sheffi eld PCT, The British Heart Foundation National Centre, Unison and the care homes. The event aims to promote activity
for older people living in care homes, to support positive relationships between residents and carers and promote links between care homes in the city. The event was inspired by a similar initiative that had previously run in Plymouth, UK. Competitors warm up with ‘chairobics’ (seated aerobics) before taking part in bowling, skittles, mini golf, target throwing (throwing bean bags at a target), dominoes and a general knowledge quiz. After a refreshment break, there is always a dance before the winners’ presentations. Activities have all been selected based on the specifi c needs and abilities of those taking part. Twenty care homes across Sheffi eld
currently take place, each sending three residents and three carers. According to event organiser Kelly Riley, it brings the
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spark back to older people: “Afterwards they say things like: ‘It made me feel as if I am still in the world’.”
YATES COURT A care scheme for the elderly in Evesham, Worcestershire, UK, now uses a Power Plate to keep residents active and mobile after one of the nurses witnessed how vibration training aided her daughter’s rehabilitation after an accident. One-third of residents at Yates
Court – owned by Extracare Charitable Trust – now use the Power Plate pro5 on a regular basis. Some are able to use it independently, while others need assistance. In the two years since it was installed, there have been many successes, including one resident who was confi ned to a wheelchair who is now able to walk short distances after regular sessions. Yates Court gym instructor, Charlene Dillon-Cambridge, explains that every user has an individual programme that involves the Power Plate as well as exercises on CV equipment. For example, the lady in the wheelchair comes fi ve days a week to the gym, spending 15 minutes on a bike and then undertaking three sets of four minutes on the Power Plate: a set of bicep curls with straps, one set of toe tapping and one relaxing. ●
November/December © cybertrek 2012
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