Aging and play - More excitement, less isolation, courage

"We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw

Thirty-seven percent of people aged over 75 live alone. Their independence suffers from deteriorating coordination and balance, and moving becomes a slower and slower process. As much as 41 percent of elderly people deliberately avoid moving for fear of taking a fall. The resulting isolation and loneliness can lead to severe depression and even suicide. A number of studies have shown that daily stimulating “play”, such as filling in crossword puzzles or playing chess, reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Lappset has enrolled the help of several academic institutions to study the possibilities of playgrounds designed for elderly people. The findings are encouraging: the elderly people who sampled the playground (In Finnish leikkialue) reported improvement in their balance – which is a key element of the physical fitness of elderly people – agility, mood and courage to leave the house on their own. Being able to spend time with their grandchildren at the same time is an added bonus. Regular physical activity promotes health amongst the elderly, which in turn benefits the national economy and public health.

Did you know that...

Richard Faull, professor at Auckland University, studies Huntington’s disease. He believes that playing encourages the brain to produce new cells and to repair itself.

In industrial countries, playing is seen as the work of children.

In industrial countries, children are allowed and encouraged to play. Play is seen as a vital part of their lives for their development and for becoming responsible adults. But as they reach the age of being an adult, they and we might laugh aloud when seeing playgrounds (in Finnish, leikkialue)

“The opposite of play is not work. It’s depression.” – Brian Sutton-Smith

The question “what are the benefits of play?” is actually a very typical example of how adults think. The world of adults is all about performance, scoring, and setting targets. Play can offer an alternative where adults can express themselves and relax.

The Terman studies, which have been in progress in the United States since the 1920s, aim at finding gifted children. The studies have shown a link between long life and habitual participation in playing and games throughout the individual’s life. Playful properties are also believed to have significance for choosing a partner. Both women and men unconsciously reason that a playful spouse will not present a threat to them or their children.

For adults, play represents:

Enjoyable quality time with their children

A chance to give their brains a breather and to prevent them from becoming set in their ways

Exercise

Creativity

Did you know that...

Our ancestors dedicated a lot more energy to play. According to anthropologist Marshall Sahlins, communities of hunter-gatherers spent around four hours a day on work. The remainder was dedicated to playing and games.

Playgrounds for seniors

I recently became aware of an innovation from the Finnish playground manufacturer Lappset: the playgrounds (in Finnish, leikkialue) for senior citizens. First I was not sure should I was going to laugh or what, but then I decided to take it as a reflection of today’s culture.

Lets face the facts: the population of industrialized countries is getting older. The big generations born after the World Wars are just about at the age of retirement, and, due to different lifestyles, contraceptives and the independence of women, younger generations are not so large in numbers anymore. This makes the balance between old and young population totally different relation to what it has traditionally been: traditionally, children were the majority generation of the population, and elders the dying one, not figuratively speaking.

The way of life has changed drastically over the last few decades. Whereas more or less hundred years ago it was typical that three generations, from grandparents to toddlers, live under the same roof, nowadays the idea of nuclear family, parent or parents and children, is the main solution for living style. Grandparents are living in their own apartments, or when enough old, in retirement homes.

But is Lappset innovative in their thinking, or are they just reflecting the changing world? A hundred years ago, it might have been fun idea to have special playgrounds with special playground equipments for children even in industrialized countries. Children were, at least in some parts of the nation, considered as the source of labor. It was a challenge even getting them to school, and still special holidays had to be given for school children when they were needed for helping their parents with harvest duties. No playgrounds for them at those times.

Nowadays senior citizens are living older, and many of them are living alone. Is it really a stupid idea to provide them places to have some outdoor activities and meet others? Any outdoor activity is more stimulating than bingo; and this kind of specific area, maybe even with playground attendant, make safe place to do exercise. The senior citizen playground in the park of retirement home makes a great hang-around place for seniors living there, and with good city planning, this kind of playground could be the meeting place for children and elders alike.

The interactive playground

Although children tend to play the same games throughout the ages with minor updates, technology has allowed the playground (in Finnish: leikkialue) to take a quantum leap into the modern era much to the delight of the creative and active. An innovation just like this is SmartUs from Lappset, the Finnish developer of outdoor fitness (in Finnish: ulkoliikunta) equipment.

SmartUs is an internationally recognized playful learning and activity concept for today's children and families. Combining modern technology with play equipment, SmartUs offers a wide range of possibilities for playful activities and learning. The concept was developed by Lappset with the help of experts from the fitness, education, design and technology sectors.

The product line offers a wide range of opportunities for playful activities and learning by combining traditional playground equipment and modern technology, and by joining individual playgrounds to form networks. The network of SmartUs environments forms a foundation for new kinds of sporty games and tournaments, a range of different learning experiences and possibilities for online gaming.

New SmartUs outdoor gyms (in Finnish: ulkoliikuntapaikka) have been emerging all over Europe since 2006. SmartUs environments can already be found in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Romania, Spain, Portugal and Finland, for example. And the community is growing all the time.

Joy of play for senior citizens

While surfing meaninglessly on theInternet, I encountered a video demonstrating the senior citizens playground (in Finnish, leikkialue). This video is a demo video from the Finnish playground manufacturer Lappset, demonstrating their new series of playground equipments of older persons.

In the video an elderly lady (but by no means old, actually a very fit looking one) is moving a ring from one end to another in the equipment called a snake bar. According to the video texts, this movement helps getting dressed, combing hair, washing oneself, and hanging up clothes. For me, this looks like a pretty dull activity, but then again I am not the professional in physiotherapy or geriatrics.

The second part of the video is about grey haired gentleman (he doesn’t look as fit as the first lady) crossing a net that is stretched near the ground. He steps slowly in the holes of the net or on the net; this exercise should help avoid and cross obstacles. Even with a provided hand-rail, this looks like a much more dangerous activity to me, and I’m not sure I would like to see my grandma using this equipment without someone watching over her.

The rest of the exercises on the video are more or less similar to the first two: either looking too complicated or way too simple. There are two of them that catch my attention: the Finger Steps, where you ascend or descend the steps with your fingers (for helping unbuttoning and using a mobile phone), and Spring Stool, where one can do hip rotation when seated (helps finding and maintaining a good sitting position). The Spring Stool I would like to get in my work place – that would be ideal way to relax in the middle of the boring day. Finger Steps could probably serve as the stress tool for most stressed sales managers.

While watching the video I tried to picture an elderly person in very weak physical condition, or on contrary and one of these power seniors running marathons, using these equipments. Some of the exercises might be too challenging for the first person, and for the second, definitely not challenging at all. But what bothers me most is the simplicity of many of these exercises: according the manufacturer, these equipments should inspire the playful mind, and facilitate and enrich the everyday lives of senior citizens. It might be just me, but I feel that at some level, elderly are highly underestimated here.

Playground for senior citizens

I recently came across an article about the Finnish playground manufacturer Lappset, which has developed a series of sport equipments for elderly people. The senior citizens playground (in Finnish, leikkialue) sounded so ridiculous idea that I decided to study the subject more.

Apparently the idea came from a multi-discipline study project Lappset conducted in the start of the 21^st century. The study was about the everyday lives of senior citizens and children in daycare - unfortunately this was all the information I was able to find about the study. However, as an offspring of this study was the idea of a senior playground.

Together with professionals of geriatric physiotherapy, Lappset started to develop the range of playground equipment suitable for older persons. The exercises designed are to improve the capacity of elder persons to cope with everyday tasks like buttoning a shirt, getting dressed, avoiding obstacles, using mobile phones and so on. This, I think, is an important aspect of meaningful senior life, although I do not see any help for these kind of exercises for my senior aged mum doing yoga and going to the gym.

However, there are ideas behind the Lappset Senior Series that I find intriguing. In the end of their web page, Lappset mentions that the equipment range is equally suited for children to play on, and senior playground can thus become a meeting place for different generation. Although this will require much more than just setting up the series of senior playground equipments to some corner of the park (i.e. careful planning in municipal level in which corner of which park), I find this idea of playground for all age groups many ways ideal. It does remind me of the good old ages, when grandmas and grandpas were looking after the kids and teaching them their wisdom at the same time. This playground area suitable for both could be the modern version of that.

The idea of Senior Sport equipments (as they are called) are inspire senior citizens to be playful, exercise and to challenge their bodies and senses. What I’m looking for next is some real life user stories of the subject, written by the target group.

Forget the rocking chair, here comes the senior playground

The population of industrialized countries is aging quickly. The big generation that was born after the World Wars is reaching the age of retirement now. Compared to their ancestors, this generation is more active than ever, but they still cannot beat the effects of aging.

In the start of the 21^st century, Finnish playground manufacturer Lappset conducted a study of the everyday lives of senior citizens. The research generated ideas that lead to the concept of Senior Sport, a series of fitness equipment specifically for the elderly.

The senior playground (playground in Finnish leikkialue), as it is playfully called, is to facilitate and enrich the everyday lives of senior citizens through physical outdoor exercise and the good feeling it produces. This is actually the mission of Lappset: to get people to go outside to play and exercise – regardless of age.

The Lappset Senior Sport equipments have been designed with physiotherapy professionals. Motor skills and muscle tone get weaker with the age, starting from the age 40. These abilities affect to the sense of balance, and it is commonly known that senior citizens are vulnerable to falls. For older persons, broken bones may take a long time to heal and cause long periods of immobility. This is the reason why staying physically active is important for older persons.

The exercises with Senior Sport equipment are to improve balance and coordination of elder persons, and maintain their mobility. These kinds of physical exercise support the capacity to cope with everyday tasks, from buttoning one’s shirt to traveling by the bus.

Senior playgrounds may improve the quality of life in mental way as well. According to the studies, 37 percent of persons aged 75 or over live alone, but the need for social interaction does not disappear as we get older. Senior playground may offer the place to meet other people, and outdoor pursuits done together with others definitely support both mental and physical wellbeing. Even though the Senior Sport equipment range is designed for the elderly, it is equally suited for children to play on. A senior playground can become a meeting place for different generation, offering outdoor fitness (In Finnish ulkoliikunta) activities for all age group.

The secret of long good life is to keep one’s body and mind active. No matter what age, the most enjoyable of exercises is play. The Lappset Senior Sport inspires people to be playful, exercise and to challenge their bodies and senses – no matter what age group they are.