Free exercise programmes in the neighbourhood
Senior citizens and volunteers wanted for tandems in the Hutholz district
We are now looking for interested senior citizens and volunteers who would like to use or lead exercise programmes in the Hutholz district and the surrounding area. Under the motto "Chemnitz gets moving", the municipal health promotion programme of Chemnitz University of Technology and the City of Chemnitz Health Department is focusing on forming so-called exercise tandems in the living environments of senior citizens.
These exercise tandems consist of pre-trained mentors and a maximum of four senior citizens. Their aim is to bring exercise into the Chemnitz neighbourhood. The programme will later be supplemented by monthly group exercise sessions led by trained exercise instructors. The project will begin in the Hutholz neighbourhood and the surrounding area, followed by implementation in other districts of Chemnitz.
We are looking for senior citizens aged 75 and over from the Hutholz district and the surrounding area who are interested in a free exercise programme in parks and green spaces close to their homes. The participants have not previously been physically active on a regular basis (e.g. in sports clubs), but want to improve their physical and mental activity.
We are also looking for volunteer mentors who would like to lead exercise programmes in the senior citizens' immediate surroundings and thus make an active contribution to promoting health in Chemnitz. An honorary allowance can be paid.
The aim of the project is to promote the adoption and maintenance of an active, healthy lifestyle in the living environments of older residents in Chemnitz. According to project manager Dr Katrin Müller, current research shows that physical activity can counteract the development of chronic illnesses and reduce physical and mental complaints. 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. Interested parties are asked to provide their full contact details (name, telephone number) and the times when 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.