Senior’s playground – preparing for an ageing population

When most Australians think of recreation and sport, we think of Aussie Rules Football, Cricket, Rugby, Soccer, Tennis, Swimming, and much more. Australia is widely regarded as a “Sporting Nation”

So when State and Local Authorities plan for recreation facilities, they will normally consider population patterns and trends, overall growth and typically the current and future recreation needs for children and young adults – like sporting grounds, recreation centres and the like.

But with Australia’s ageing population and the massive Baby Boomer generation soon to embrace retirement (and of course some already have….), are the needs of the older citizens being adequately catered-for?

Overseas, there’s been a recent trend (especially in the US and Europe) towards development of playgrounds for seniors. It’s well known that people of all ages, but especially seniors, need to be active to maintain overall health and well-being. “Use it or lose it” is often the term used – in other words, maintain a level of physical activity or face a potential decline in fitness, muscle mass and overall physical ability.

The new playground opened this week in La Marque, Texas, is designed to assist seniors to not only maintain their fitness, but also to build balance, promote social networks and of course, have fun!

Read more about the new playground (including a short video) here.

To learn more about the age profile of your city or area and how it’s changing over time, find your community profile in the .id demographic resource centre. If you can’t find it, maybe your Council doesn’t subscribe – so please talk to us if you would like to learn more. Also, we can deliver a 25-year population forecast for your area so you can plan ahead for population changes in your area – by age, household type and more.