Retirement village wins fitness award

The value of keeping fit and active throughout life was underlined recently when Ryman Healthcare won a Fitness Industry Award recognising its contribution to retirement village residents’ fitness and wellbeing.

The Triple A exercise class was joint winner of the Community Award in the 2011 Fitness Industry Awards, announced last December. The other winner in this category was Pettigrew Green Arena of Napier. The award is given to New Zealand’s top health and well-being programme in the community for the year.

Residents of Ryman’s Evelyn Page Retirement Village in Orewa have embraced the classes. Village manager Paul Sutton says around 100 take part each week.

“The exercise classes are designed so that everyone can participate, from the most independent and active through to the residents in our care centre,” he says. “The classes have become one of the major social events of the week.”

Triple A stands for ‘Ageless, Active and Aware’. The group exercise classes were launched in 2007 and the classes are enjoyed free of charge by around 2000 residents at 24 villages each week.

Ryman Triple A started as an initiative to encourage residents to preserve their independence, reduce the risk of falls and to enhance their quality of life. The classes are designed specifically for older people and focus on improving strength, balance and flexibility, as well as cardio fitness. 

The average resident attending the classes is over 80 years of age.

Fitness Industry judges described the programme as “a substantial and commendable investment made by Ryman Healthcare into the wellbeing of older adults in the retirement village setting, which has paid dividends in terms of enhancing their quality of life.”

Judges also noted that Ryman contracts fitness professionals to deliver the programme, providing an effective partnership between the fitness industry and healthcare providers.

Ryman Triple A Programme Coordinator Nicki Brown, says the programme has exceeded all expectations and that residents continue to notice significant gains in their overall health and wellbeing.

Image: Evelyn Page residents are pictured taking part in Functional Fitness – a programme of seated exercises for less mobile residents that is part of Triple A.