Residents at a Tasmanian aged care facility are embarking on virtual cycling adventures around the globe, building strength and fitness from the comfort of their lounge rooms.
OneCare’s Barossa Park Lodge in Glenorchy is trialling two Motiview bikes, which combine adaptable indoor bikes with a video library of cities worldwide.
“The bikes themselves allow residents to travel all across the world and to enjoy those experiences that perhaps they haven’t been to for a long time or never visited,” OneCare CEO Pete Williams said.
“Exercise is so important as we age, and we know there’s so much evidence that supports healthy ageing and function.”
“The bikes themselves enable people to improve that functionality, but the social aspect is really what we get the most benefit from.”
The bikes are available to residents every day of the week, with the facility hoping to expand the program with more bikes in the future.
“We’re especially excited about the option to include videos of Tasmanian towns, so residents can revisit their old neighbourhoods and take a trip down memory lane,” Williams said.
93-year-old Joan Jordan has been taking part in the program since the start of the year and says it has helped her physically and mentally.
“I used to be called Speedy Gonzales. I want to be that again,” she laughed.
She has been riding through Sydney, the place that she grew up, and says it has been fantastic reconnecting with her city in the comfort of her Hobart home.
“I might be biased, but there’s no place like Sydney. It was beautiful, the way they did it. They covered a lot of area … we’re astounded by this.”
Jordan is also excited by the prospect of competing with other residents around the world.
“We don’t get puffed on this bike, so that has its advantages,” she said.
“I’m a person who needs to have a goal. I can’t just sit around. And so this sort of woke me up and it really made a difference. And everybody says, oh, you look so much better.”
OneCare plans to install the bikes in each of its five facilities statewide.
