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Sign of the Times: Intergenerational “Playgrounds” Provide Serious Fun in Germany
The southern German city of Nuremberg has hit on a novel idea to make activity more pleasurable for older people. It plans to open “playgrounds” for pensioners. There won't be any swings and merry-go-rounds, but there might be climbing frames, giant chess boards and a place to play petanque, according to the city's deputy mayor and head of sports, Horst Förther. He envisages a mix of “play areas” exclusively for the elderly or in combination with children's playgrounds. This idea of "generational play" was developed in Finland, where research by the University of Lapland showed that older people benefited from joining in activities with children in local parks. Meanwhile, as reported by Germany’s manager magazin business journal, senior fitness parks are all the rage in Spain, where a savvy developer has built many “playgrounds” featuring outdoor training facilities with instructions. The same developer plans to move his venture into France, signaling that the trend could be catching on across Europe. Several German cities, including Hamburg and Munich, have also considered setting up similar “playgrounds” geared towards a more mature city park clientele. The idea is not exactly embryonic – Germany’s first senior “playground” opened in 1999 in the northern town of Schöningen, and Berlin has one too.
Förther was inspired by a visit to Hong Kong, where he noted that the Chinese have a different tradition pertaining to seniors and sports, such as outdoor sessions of Tai Chi or Chi Gong. “So it is also conceivable that we would have fitness trainers with specific backgrounds on hand to lead group exercises at our senior playgrounds,” said Förther.
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 Seniors in Germany
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