Providing more for older adults: older adults are discovering a new health resource--their local parks.

The health value of local parks to older adults is increasingly being recognized. Those outside our field are quickly identifying parks as a strategic resource in the war against physical inactivity. While parks contribute to public health in numerous ways, such as stress reduction, it is their role in getting people moving that is capturing the imagination of those concerned with older adults' health.

The management of local parks will increasingly be planned, programmed and managed in ways that increase physical activity among those age 50 and older. Consider the following dramatic and interrelated trends:

* The percentage of older adults in the U.S. population will increase dramatically. In less than five years, the majority of the U.S. population will be age 45 or older. Twenty percent of the population will be 65 or older in less than 25 years. In less than 15 years, one out of five workers will be 55 and older. Public spending for health care of older adults is dramatically higher than for the population as a whole--from seven to 10 times higher.

* Sedentary lifestyles are increasing. People move their bodies less at work, doing housework and personal care and during their leisure. Only two percent of workers, for example, travel to and from work by walking. It has been estimated that more people die each year from being sedentary (lack of regular physical activity) than from alcohol, gun, motor vehicle, illicit drug and sexually transmitted disease causes combined.

* Older adults are likely to use local parks frequently more than younger residents and the vast majority of older Americans have a park within walking distance of their home. Medicare is already running at a deficit and will require huge sources of revenue that most economists believe can't be raised to remain solvent at current spending levels. Older adults will have more responsibility for their own health care returned to them.

Given these considerations, leisure is being recognized as the part of life in which physical activity can be increased. Studies have begun to demonstrate that physical activity during leisure is positively related to health, while physical activity during work is often negatively related to health. Also, being physically active outdoors appears to be more beneficial than physical activity done indoors. Some of these benefits include:

* Relieves tension and stress

* Provides enjoyment and fun

* Stimulates the mind

* Helps maintain stable weight, and controls appetite

* Improves muscle tone, strength and flexibility

* Lowers blood pressure

* Relieves insomnia 

* Improves self-esteem and confidence

* Increases "good" (HDL) cholesterol

In response to these trends, many changes are taking place in how local parks are being used to increase physical activity among older adults. One exciting new concept is for parks to create a series of physical activity stations placed on trails or walking paths. Since walking is the most common form of physical activity among older adults, it makes sense to add additional exercise value and fun to trails for older adults.

The stations of a fitness trail can be spread out on a walking path or trail, clustered in groups at various points or grouped at one end of the trail. Stations can include: welcome, lower body warm-up, bench stepper, torso stability, upper body warm-up, standing pushup, forearm rolls, upper body stretch and strengthen, lower body stretch and balance. With most manufacturers of these stations, the equipment can be used at two levels of exertion and many allow the user to customize.

Additional Research

In addition to practical advances in recreation for older adults, research about this age group is needed to increase funding for them within communities. Active Living Research (ALR) is a program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that started in 2001, and is investigating policies and environments to support active communities.

"Active living" is a way of life that integrates physical activity into daily routines. The goal is to accumulate at least 30 minutes of activity each day. Individuals may do this in a variety of ways, such as walking or bicycling for transportation, exercise or pleasure; playing in the park; working in the yard; taking the stairs; and using recreation facilities. A major goal of ALR is to identify the policies and characteristics of environments that are related to active living, then communicate those results to policy makers.

This research on neighborhoods, transportation systems, buildings, parks, trails and open space requires the development of new concepts, measures and methods that can only be achieved by transdisciplinary collaboration.

Parks and recreation and leisure studies professionals have been among the core disciplines engaged in ALR activities and funded projects. Understanding how recreation environments are related to active living in diverse populations is a central research question, and relevant studies have been funded in every round of applications.

The first round focused on development and evaluation of measures, with two projects dealing with park assessment and one dealing with trail assessment that were funded. The second round focused on correlational studies of environments and active living, with three studies of trails and two studies of parks or playgrounds that were funded. The third round focused on similar correlational studies in diverse and understudied populations. Out of those studies, three specifically studied parks or playgrounds, others included examination of recreational environments and several targeted older adults. Of the 12 studies dealing primarily with recreational settings, two have principal investigators from the leisure studies field, and almost all of the others included investigators from related fields. Current and future calls for proposals will continue to prioritize research on the contribution of recreational environments to active living.

New Active Green Environments (New AGE)

The New AGE concept is another innovative intervention for older adults, combining the attractive and inviting natural setting of a park or recreation area with opportunities to improve cardiovascular performance and increase muscle strength and flexibility. The Retirement Research Foundation provided funding to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to develop a New AGE concept, and assess its effectiveness as an intervention to increase physical activity levels among adults age 60 and older.

The design, building and testing of the New AGE plan requires a multidisciplinary approach, using the expertise of horticulturists, landscape architects, environmental engineers and kinesiologists. In November 2003, 20 experts from a variety of academic disciplines, including parks and recreation, participated in a workshop to discuss the feasibility of a New AGE prototype and make development recommendations.

The participants suggested that the New AGE facility should be located within existing centers or locales already serving the aging network, such as senior centers, community centers or area agencies on aging. There was a general consensus that it would be best to locate the New AGE facility in a central community area where older adults already congregate.

A diverse menu of physical activity options should be available to the participants at the New AGE facility, and managers should ensure that opportunities are provided for cardiovascular, strength, balance and flexibility activities. Options should be available for healthy, independently living seniors as well as for more frail people and for individuals with disabilities. Although the primary goal of the New AGE facility is to provide opportunities for physical activity, there should be non-action options available for individuals who also want to visit the facility to relax, read a book, meditate or socialize with others. Essential to the success of New AGE is to make the facility welcoming, and interesting to all older adults.

It is important that the New AGE facility not be perceived by older adults to be an "exercise program," rather it is necessary to create an environment that provides opportunities to add activity into everyday life. For example, incorporating old-fashioned hand-operated water pumps in the facility could be used to provide strength-training opportunities. Similarly, cardiovascular health could be enhanced by integrating a variety of staircases, inclines and variable-surface walkways into the facility design. The ability to capture the concept of "stealth exercise" is central to the success.

In order to succeed, the New AGE facility will need to build multiple partnerships throughout the community. Both traditional (senior centers, park and recreation departments, fitness clubs) as well as non-traditional partnerships (animal shelters, kindergartens, meals on wheels) should be considered on a case-by-case basis. The New AGE project is actively recruiting additional partners who will assist in developing and sustaining the New AGE concept.

Among the partnerships involved in the development of the New AGE facility include representatives of a variety of professional organizations, including NRPA. Many of the principles associated with the development of the New AGE project are highly consistent with NRPA approaches to the promotion of active leisure and recreation choices for older Americans.

Although the initial New AGE demonstration site is likely to be located at a senior residential facility, the New AGE team envisions that, in the future, additional sites may be located in public parks or gardens and look forward to exploring how best to address these opportunities through a collaboration with colleagues in these respective fields.

The New AGE principal investigators have identified three potential demonstration project sites, including a Chicago Housing Authority location, Bethel New Life in Chicago and Clark-Lindsey Village in Urbana, Ill. Industrial art designers are currently creating physical activity options that will be incorporated into the facility. A New AGE prototype will be constructed and evaluated in the third year of the project.

Parks are being re-conceptualized in terms of what may be the biggest health challenge an aging America will face in the coming decades--sedentary lifestyles. With health care costs for older adults absorbing a larger portion of government spending, parks and recreation is re-positioning into the role of health provider and maintainer. Those in the health community, and the public, are recognizing this role.