Inspiring people to exercise into older age is the aim of a groundbreaking programme implemented by retirement village operator, Audley Group

Retirement villages across the country continue to play a significant role in promoting the physiological, social and psychological benefits of an active lifestyle to the UK’s increasing older population.

The Audley Group, provider of luxury retirement villages, sees retirement very differently from many providers. Its first site was built in 2003 in Kent and the company has grown steadily to the point where it now has a portfolio of 19 villages across the country.

Properties include houses, cottages and apartments and with each property purchase, owners living in these communities have access to an Audley Club, which has a range of health and beauty facilities, encouraging them to follow an independent and healthy lifestyle which includes exercise.

The company commissioned Life Fitness to design accessible and engaging gyms at each location, as part of its ongoing commitment to promoting active living among its residents.

Robert Diaper, general manager at Audley St George’s Place in Edgbaston, says: “We’re focused on raising the awareness of active ageing among people living in our communities and we believe that encouraging the use of the gym forms a huge part of this.”

TRAINED STAFF
Owners who live at Audley Group properties are supported by a team of health and leisure staff who are trained at the Life Fitness Academy – the Life Fitness training and education arm – to deliver exercise which is appropriate for their age and state of health.

Training workshops at the Academy are devised and led by educators who provide staff with knowledge and understanding of how to incorporate each exercise into bespoke workouts, while also creating positive experiences for older users, who have different needs.

Tom Fulwell, leisure club manager at Audley St George’s Place, who has undertaken the course says, “The training gave me new perspectives on how to engage with and encourage more of our owners to use the facilities.

“It also gave me the skills and confidence to target owners who might not have considered using the facilities before and to get them involved.”

THE FITNESS PROGRAMME
Each Audley Group property has a gym with a wide range of equipment, as well as the latest in digital technology, which enables users to stream video and audio, and to follow exercise programmes which are designed by the Audley team, boosting engagement and enhancing the fitness experience among populations who, in some cases, do not have a background which includes exercise.

In specifying the gym, the team selected products from Scifit – specialists in accessible fitness equipment for rehabilitation and active ageing. This forms the core of the set-up across all the Audley sites: “We’ve seen some huge advantages for our users with the Scifit equipment,” says Diaper.

Found in many of the Audley Club fitness suites for the provision of overall strength and cv workouts is the Seated Upper Body PRO1000, which was chosen for its accessibility and low starting resistance, making it easy to use with limited adjustments.

Alongside this, a Rex Total Body Recumbent Elliptical helps with mobility; its natural knee movement replicates stair climbing and proves useful for those Audley home owners suffering with problematic knee joints or mobility problems and wanting to build leg strength.

For the more physically able, a Scifit elliptical trainer delivers a movement that creates a true-to-life, natural walking motion with footbeds that improve foot and ankle circulation.

Also in use across the Audley sites is equipment from Life Fitness and Cybex such as treadmills, upright exercise bikes, rowers and functional training equipment.

AN INDUSTRY TREND
As the population ages, active ageing has become an increasing area of focus for operators and suppliers in the industry.

Examples such as Audley show how vital it is for older people to have access to equipment which meets their physical needs, as well as to safe instruction and encouragement from fitness professionals who have been trained in delivering interventions to older people.

“Combining equipment, education and digital solutions has created environments that makes their owners comfortable and encourages a healthier, active community,” says Life’s Craig Cocking, UK sales director.