Wellness is good business.
The epicentre of seniors wellness in Australia is Adelaide. Retirement village and aged care operators have been developing gymnasium-based village and community outreach programs for some years.
Southern Cross Care (SA, NT & VIC) has just opened its fifth Wellness Centre (including Darwin). ACH Group has three locations and ECH has four centres. Over in New Zealand, Arvida with 35 villages, has introduced Arvida Good Friends Community Gym at its Christchurch village. It now has 500 fee-paying members from the local community as well as its village residents.
At the center of each of these locations is the Finnish HUR gym equipment, designed specifically for seniors. They now have over 10,000 HUR equipped gyms worldwide.
Uniting NSW.ACT, BaptistCare NSW & ACT and Aveo have all invested in the European-designed machines for their new-build villages.
Photo courtesy of Finncare.
Marketing & sales tool
The attraction? A well-equipped gym tells prospective customers you take wellness seriously, and that the residents who reside with you are maintaining or even improving their health, and have a superior quality of life.
Arvida has repositioned itself as the ‘Living a life of soul’ provider, with an emphasis on the physical, mental and spiritual life.
For many in the Baby Boomer generation, the concentration on self has high appeal. A well-used gym also builds loyalty and means a word-of-mouth recommendation is far more likely.
Photo courtesy of UQ Healthy Living.
Air, not metal weights
HUR gym equipment is the only gym equipment designed specifically for use by older people and for rehabilitation.
Developed to be both safe and motivating, HUR equipment uses air resistance against the body’s natural movements to build strength.
Resistance can be moved up or down in increments as small as 100g, and with starting loads as low as 100g, exercise programs can be tailored to an individual’s needs and gains can be made gradually and carefully – and tracked.
Air resistance ensures smooth and consistent movements, reducing stress on the body and minimising the risk of accidents.
A gym with HUR equipment also makes good business sense because with no weights and only age-appropriate cardio machines, there is lower risk of injuries or accidents to residents. And the machines are not intimidating.
The equipment allows operators to deliver a cost-effective gym product with low staff numbers and long equipment life cycles.
Reduced risk of falls
Weight and balance training can reduce falls by 55%, according to Dr Jenny Hewett’s Sunbeam Strength and Balance Exercise in Aged Care study, which was conducted on HUR equipment.
Around one third (30-35%) of older Australians (over 65) experience a fall each year – for aged care residents, the figure is 60-63%. Falls are the leading cause of death in residential aged care.
Low operating cost
Ari Kallinen, Managing Director of HUR.
HUR recommends the gym maintains a connection with an allied health professional (or personal trainer) to develop an initial exercise program, but from then on the user can operate the equipment with very little to no assistance.
The ability to begin residents on very low loads and then increase in small increments is also beneficial. “You just can’t do that with weights,” says Ari Kallinen, Managing Director of HUR (pictured).
Case study: The Henley on Broadwater
Private village operator Patrick Smith installed an HUR gym in his single village, The Henley On Broadwater at Southport (QLD).
“I think the fact that 111 of our 132 residents are members of The Henley Health Club and actively use our gym facilities, screams from the rafters that they are willing to maintain their activity and health,” he said.
Left to right: Henley on Broadwater Fitness Consultant Liz Webster, resident Blair Bryant, Managing Director Patrick Smith, resident Norma Clarke.
“As operators, we have a wonderful opportunity to support them to do that, and by extension create a product that has a much higher value.
“People can’t enjoy life unless they’re fit and able,” stresses Patrick. “On any one day, we will have in excess of 40 unique residents use the gym per day. There are also a number of dance programs, yoga and balance classes and water programs that are well utilised, so it becomes a real social hub too.”
“The HUR equipment simply stood out. Without a weight plate to be seen, it looked more like a lounge than gym and served to break down any barriers of use,” said Fitness Consultant Liz Webster.
“The decision we struggled over was to commit to the higher spend for the digital smart touch (ST) version of the equipment, however, it has turned out to be seminal to our success.”
Case study: Palm Lake Group
Family-owned Palm Lake Group operates 28 over-50s lifestyle communities on Australia’s East Coast, and has recently installed HUR gyms in its Beachmere, Toowoomba, and the recently opened Caloundra locations.
Palm Lake Care Beachmere Service Manager Ram Korla
Palm Lake Care Beachmere Service Manager Ram Korla, said, “The best part about the HUR system is that it accommodates the exercise requirements of every single one of our residents – from mild to more intensive training.
“The HUR equipment is a great asset to our community.” The gyms are open 24/7.
Palm Lake Care Beachmere physiotherapist Mohamed Samir noted that HUR’s online system allows him to track residents’ training regime and progress, even when he’s not on site.
He added HUR’s equipment has helped Palm Lake Care Beachmere improve its falls statistics by improving residents’ coordination and balance.