The recent editor’s letter entitled Designing for Dementia (HCM Sept 15, p5) raised some interesting points – I was pleased to finally see an article that touched on exercise for older people.
The health suite I operate is based in a retirement village in Malvern. We’ve been open since June 2014 and have done over 400 inductions, mostly for people over 50.
However, the phrase ‘fitness for over-50s’ is something that interests me. Although we have a lot of interest from those aged over 50, I don’t actually believe the fitness industry should create gyms specifically for the over-50s. ‘Over 50’ isn’t old, nor should that age group be segregated. However I do have vast interest from people over the age of 50 who find a quieter club more appealing; I believe that, by keeping clubs small and non-intimidating, you’re more likely to encourage an older user, be they 50, 60, 70, 80 or 90 years old.
In addition, although we see high usage levels among the over-50s, our members are not limited to that age group. Clubs such as ours encourage social interaction across all age groups, which is particularly important as people reach later life.
With the chains still focusing predominantly on younger people, I believe we’ll see the continued growth of smaller, private clubs with values often overlooked by the larger chains: values such as cleanliness, friendly fitness staff, fully operational and easy to use equipment, and a welcoming atmosphere. Clubs with these key values, which also promote wellbeing and social inclusion, will see constant growth and engagement with the majority of the older market, while also delivering outstanding membership retention figures.