Fitness Equipment Configuration Guide for the Elderly

The core principles for the configuration of fitness equipment for the elderly are "safety first, adaptation to needs, hierarchical product selection, and dynamic adjustment" - there is no need to blindly pursue a full range of categories, high prices, and new functions. As long as it can match the physical conditions and daily activity habits of the users, minimize the risk of sports injuries, and at the same time truly make everyone willing to use it, it is a qualified configuration solution.

Last month, I went to the machine tool factory dormitory in the old city with Sister Zhang, who is in charge of culture and sports, to inspect the newly equipped fitness equipment. As soon as I walked to the equipment area, I bumped into 72-year-old Uncle Li, holding on to the horizontal bar and shaking his feet off the ground. When he came down, his knees were so weak that he almost sat on the ground. We both broke out in cold sweats. When I asked about it, I found out that when the community submitted the purchase list, they directly copied the plan of the new commercial housing community next door. It has horizontal bars, parallel bars, and abdominal wheels. It did not take into account that 80% of the residents in this community are retired employees over 65 years old, and there are more than 20 elderly people who have undergone optical joint replacement. These difficult equipment have been placed for three months. Except for a few old men who are not convinced, no one else dares to touch it.

When it comes to how to equip the elderly with fitness equipment, there are actually two different schools of thought in the industry: One group insists that "no power, low threshold" is the kingly approach. They believe that the elderly have poor balance ability and muscle strength. They only need to equip some Tai Chi massage machines and walking machines that do not require effort and are not easy to fall. At most, they can add equipment for massaging the lower back. Nothing else can be used for fear of being held responsible for problems.； The other group has also been very vocal in recent years, saying that according to the survey data of the China Senior Citizens Association, people over 60 years old will naturally lose 1%-2% of their muscle mass every year. Insufficient muscle strength is the primary cause of falls for the elderly. Proper use of some low-load resistance training equipment can help the elderly build muscles and prevent falls, which is much more effective than rocking a walking machine every day.

Don't tell me, I saw a pretty good compromise plan in the aging-friendly pilot community in Jing'an District, Shanghai last year. They are also equipped with resistance equipment such as seated shoulder presses and leg presses, but they are all specially designed for the elderly: the resistance is adjustable starting from 0.5kg, and the heaviest is only 5kg. There are safety belts next to the seats, the armrests are made of non-slip soft bags, and even the corners are rounded by more than 3cm. What’s even more considerate is that there is a small QR code posted next to each piece of equipment. Scan it and you will see a 1-minute real-person demonstration tutorial. The community has also arranged for volunteers to be on duty in the equipment area every Wednesday and Saturday morning, and teach the elderly who don’t know how to use it on the spot. The elderly in the area have been practicing for more than half a year. Last year, the fall rate in the community dropped by more than 30% year-on-year, and there was no single injury.

If you are equipping the elderly at home with equipment, you have to pay more attention to it. Don’t believe the “must-buy fitness lists for the elderly” on the Internet. I have stepped into the pitfalls myself. Last year, my mother's knees degenerated, and the doctor asked her to practice more quadriceps. I followed the trend and bought an Internet-famous resistance band. She either pulled too hard and her legs were bruised, or her movements were wrong and her waist hurt more. Later, she changed to a small sitting pedal that cost a hundred yuan and placed it in front of the sofa. She put her feet on it and pedaled for 10 minutes every day while watching TV. Oh, by the way, don’t just buy those massage chairs and fat-removing machines that cost thousands of dollars. In the previous consultations I received, at least five elderly people suffered from recurrence of herniated discs due to the shock of using the fat-removing machine. Some elderly people had bone spurs in their lumbar spine. The strength of the massage chair was not adjusted well and the pressure was painful. It is really not as practical as buying a non-slip yoga mat and a height-adjustable walking frame.

There is also an interesting disagreement here: Many smart hardware manufacturers believe that the elderly should be equipped with smart fitness mirrors and treadmills that monitor heart rate and correct movements, saying that they can monitor body data in real time and are safer.； However, many people who provide elderly care services feel that most elderly people cannot even adjust their smart TVs. These complex smart devices are just a waste of dust when they are bought back, and are not as reliable as purely mechanical ones that can be used right away. In fact, both of these statements are correct. If the elderly at home usually watch short videos and play WeChat, and are highly receptive to new things, it would be good to have a device with monitoring functions. ； If the elderly can't even connect to wifi, there is really no need to spend such unnecessary money.

If you want to distribute it to a nursing home, you must first meet the requirements of the national standard GB/T 34286. Don't buy cheap and off-brand products. I used to consult with a private elderly care institution in the suburbs. They initially bought a batch of equipment from Pinduoduo for cheap. After half a year of use, the handrails were shaking and some of the welds were cracked. Later, they were all replaced with products that met national standards. Each equipment has an emergency stop button. The parts that come into contact with the skin are all soft bags. The ground is also covered with 5cm thick rubber mats, so even if it falls, nothing will happen.

There is another little detail that I particularly like about their home: all the equipment is labeled with different colors. The green ones can be used by ordinary elderly people, the yellow ones can only be used when accompanied by a caregiver, and the red ones can only be used under the guidance of a rehabilitation therapist. The elderly do not need to remember complicated instructions. They can tell whether they can touch it by looking at the color, which saves a lot of trouble.

There are also some details that many people never think of when arranging equipment: Do not place the equipment in direct sunlight or where it can be exposed to rain. In the past, the equipment in a community was exposed to more than 60 degrees in the summer and could not be touched. No one used it for half a year.； It is also necessary to check at least once every quarter whether the screws of the equipment are loose and whether the welding joints are cracked. In many places, the equipment is installed and left alone. In the end, if the equipment is broken and no one repairs it, it becomes a safety hazard.

In fact, to put it bluntly, there is no universal standard answer to the configuration of fitness equipment for the elderly. If you are not sure, just go to the place where the equipment is equipped and squat for three days to see how old the elderly people are, what basic diseases they have, and what kind of exercises they usually like to do. It is much more effective than blindly buying from an online list. Oh, by the way, don’t forget to ask the elderly for their opinions before assigning them. The community I went to last week originally planned to provide chess and card tables for the elderly. As a result, everyone voted that they wanted a croquet court, and finally the croquet facilities were changed. Now they are packed every afternoon. After all, the equipment is for the elderly. They like it and use it safely, which is the most important thing.