Playgrounds for Senior Citizens

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know if there are any playgrounds with equipment that cater to senior citizens in the DC area? I have tried searching, but, so far, haven’t come up with anything. I also plan to reach out to KABOOM! which constructs playgrounds for children.

[Anonymous]

Where is there one anywhere?

[Anonymous]

There are exercise stations at RFK that senior citizens often use. Not exactly playgrounds and not aimed at seniors, but outdoor workout equipment aimed at adults, so close.

[Anonymous]

In this country very few municipalities want that liability. As you age your sense of balance isn’t as good, your bones become more brittle, etc. So of course there will be some falls.

In other countries no one is suing of a senior falls AND they move along unhoused people who are in parks by and in playgrounds. Seniors often go to the bathroom more frequently so it would be great if we had public bathrooms with attendants were you pay a nominal fee to use like in Europe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where is there one anywhere?

There are some in several European countries, and the article that I’ve linked lists several US cities that have them at the bottom of the article.


https://seniorplanet.org/playgrounds-for-seniors/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are exercise stations at RFK that senior citizens often use. Not exactly playgrounds and not aimed at seniors, but outdoor workout equipment aimed at adults, so close.

Thanks! I’ll check that out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In this country very few municipalities want that liability. As you age your sense of balance isn’t as good, your bones become more brittle, etc. So of course there will be some falls.

In other countries no one is suing of a senior falls AND they move along unhoused people who are in parks by and in playgrounds. Seniors often go to the bathroom more frequently so it would be great if we had public bathrooms with attendants were you pay a nominal fee to use like in Europe.

One of the best ways to prevent falls is to stay active, and do it with a variety of surfaces under your feet and in different environments. Balance is not a single process. Proprioceptive balance can’t be supported without a variety of environments. OP is super smart to be asking this. It’s unfortunate we don’t have many specifically designed spaces to help in the US but PTs often know good places.

[Anonymous]

Does not exactly meet what you are looking for, but Clemyjontri playground has many adaptive features. It is probably less busy during the week.

[Anonymous]

A lot of seniors walk at indoor malls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does not exactly meet what you are looking for, but Clemyjontri playground has many adaptive features. It is probably less busy during the week.

This looks wonderful! I’ll look into the appropriateness of the activities for older adults.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of seniors walk at indoor malls.

I’m hoping to find something with a bit more variety than that — without the structure of a more traditional gym.