Keeping the old groove going
Combining health and strengthening disciplines proves a hit for retirement village residents. The Malvina Major Retirement Village in Broadmeadows and Shona McFarlane Retirement Village in Lower Hutt run a Triple-A (Ageless, Active & Aware) programme that incorporates Nintendo Wii with Tai Chi. Nicki Brown is the recreation manager for both villages and says the programme is great at stopping falls and keeping residents sharp both mentally and physically ?Our programme is tried and true at the moment, we have had people doing only Tai Chi before, but our programme of combining everything has proved much more popular,? says Mrs Brown. Incorporating new technology into the programme, like the Nintendo Wii that allows for virtual indoor tennis, takes time because new methods need to be proven as effective and become evidence based. ?Residents have had a lot of fun with the Wii, but it is limited in the number of people who can play at one time. ?The exercise programme can target everyone and residents absolutely love them,? she says. The Triple-A programme ?caters for all levels? and uses ?a combo of all workouts? to deliver a comprehensive training scheme that includes a social factor many residents can?t resist. ?There are thousands of residents nationwide on this programme. ?The social side is huge, the exercise falls by the wayside as far as they are concerned.? One trick that makes the programme so popular is the use of ?classic old songs? that get participants in the groove. The Triple-A plan involves various schemes such as inviting speakers to homes and taking residents to high schools and other places of interest. ?It works across a broad range of needs, one of which is building more awareness of elders in the community,? says Mrs Brown.
