What Movement Spaces Say About Our Beliefs In Others

In the fitness room of the senior living community where I teach, I often see the same setup: rows of 2- to 5-pound hand weights and, of course, chairs. The local senior center looks similar with racks of small dumbbells.

What message does this environment send to the people who walk through the door?

Intentionally or not, it seems to say, “We believe you’re only capable of using light weights and need the support of a chair.”  For some, that may be true in the beginning. With proper guidance and training, most older adults are capable of so much more.

When I introduced my parkour-based fall resiliency class at the senior center, I brought along precision trainers made from 2x4’s to help people practice balance and moving with control. I demonstrated a few ways to step on them and gave participants the option to use the nearby countertop to ‘crawl’ over the trainers if they didn’t want to step on them.

Every single person chose to walk across the trainers.

One woman even pushed aside her walker to give it a try.

When we create opportunities that challenge and inspire, people will rise to meet them.

How often do the spaces we design unintentionally reflect how much we underestimate older adults?

There are coaches taking people with Parkinson’s to rock climbing gyms, and those guiding older adults through local playgrounds using parkour skills. These environments communicate “You are welcome here and I believe you are capable.”

We know the loss of independence and quality of life that comes with frailty caused by a lack of movement and challenge so we must stop underestimating older adults by placing them in environments that limit their potential.

We can create spaces that inspire possibility and equip people with the tools and skills to challenge themselves, and show older adults that we see their strength, their potential, and their capacity to rise to a challenge.