Free exercise programme for senior citizens in the Grüna and Reichenbrand districts
Interested senior citizens aged 75 and over from the Grüna and Reichenbrand districts and the surrounding area can now register for a free exercise programme. The programme is primarily aimed at senior citizens who have not been physically active on a regular basis but would like to improve their physical and mental activity. The programme takes place in parks and green spaces close to home.
Chemnitz University of Technology and the Office for Health and Prevention of the City of Chemnitz have developed the joint health promotion programme "BeTaSen - Bewegungs-Tandems in den Lebenswelten Chemnitzer Seniorinnen und Senioren".
The programme relies on so-called exercise tandems, consisting of pre-trained mentors and a maximum of four senior citizens, to bring exercise into the Chemnitz neighbourhood. In addition to individual neighbourhood exercise sessions, monthly group exercise classes are also offered, which are led by trained exercise instructors. The project has been running in the Hutholz district and surrounding area since August 2022 and in Kaßberg since November 2022. In addition to Grüna/Reichenbrand, the project team is currently looking for other interested senior citizens in various neighbourhoods. In total, the project is to be implemented in at least four districts of Chemnitz.
The aim of the project is to promote an active, healthy lifestyle in the living environments of older residents in Chemnitz. "Current research shows that physical activity can counteract the development of chronic diseases and reduce physical and mental complaints," says project manager Dr Katrin Müller from the Institute of Applied Exercise Science, Chair of Social Science Perspectives of Sport, Exercise and Health Promotion at Chemnitz University of Technology. In the project, exercise programmes are implemented that include age-appropriate exercises to improve strength, balance, endurance, coordination and mobility. Everyday mental functions such as memory are also trained.
Registration is possible directly with the Chemnitz University of Technology project team at the Institute of Applied Human Movement Sciences: by telephone on 0371 531 19938 (answering machine) or by email to: swp_gesundheitsfoerderung(at)hsw.tu-chemnitz.de (swp_gesundheitsfoerderung@hsw.tu-chemnitz.de).
Interested parties are asked to provide their full contact details (name, telephone number) and the times at which they can be reached by telephone. The team will then get back to you.
The project is funded by the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) with funds from the statutory health insurance funds as part of the GKV Alliance for Health.
Further information on the project can be found at
https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/hsw/ab/prof/sozialwissenschaft/forschung/projekte/Betasen.php
(Note: The press release was inadvertently sent out as no. 462).