Today I'm going to dedicate the day to a start-up organisation called Cycling Without Age because I think there's nothing cooler than seeing citizens continuing to cycle right through to their senior years. CWA's mission is to extend the cycling life of every senior resident by setting up rickshaw-cycling-tour schemes in nursing homes across Denmark and hopefully abroad too.
It's a pretty simple idea, CWA links each senior resident up with a willing chauffeur from its online platform of volunteers and off they go in their allocated Christania bikes. They can choose to go in small groups or go solo, however, it's up to the passenger to decide which direction to take!
Here's Thorkild and his neighbour on the way to the beach. What better way to enjoy the beautiful weather?
Anyone interested can volunteer and by doing so they can get a bit of exercise whilst putting a smile on someone else's face!
CWA is a great example of health promotion and not just because the volunteers get their fair deal of exercise, it's especially beneficial for the passengers too. Senior residents who usually spend their days indoors are offered a great multi-stimulatory experience just by being exposed to the fresh outdoors and re-engaging in their local communities.
Chilling out by the beach near Charlottelund. CWA's cycling tours are also a great way for senior residents to get out of their homes and meet new people. Volunteers soon transition from being a stranger to someone with a familiar name.
Age really is just a number and shouldn't dictate your social life. CWA's initiative is innovative in that way as it attracts people from a range of ages and all walks of life.
CWA welcomes anyone to cycle along the main tours, particularly senior citizens who are still living independently. Cycling in a group gives them that extra reassurance as well as generally just being a bit more fun!
So who says that cycling should end the day you move into a nursing home? Well, Cycling Without Age certainly doesn't think so.
Over and Out!
K.E.G. x
5 comments:
CWA is one of the most uplifting startup ideas going. Getting seniors out and about, moving through the fresh air, exploring their environ, chauffeured by giving, strong-bodied cyclists...reading about that made my day! Kudos to the brains (and brawn!) behind this inspiration!
What a brilliant idea! I hope it catches on.
It really is a great program! I wish that in every city, everyone including elders could feel safe biking around, but it's sadly not the case in many places. Bicycles offer such freedom and joy, the need of which does not go away when we get older. Good job, CWA!
Fantastic idea!
I was hired as a bike guide for an old men's bike club for four days earlier this year by a tour bus company. I had the pleasure of guiding 20 lads aged between 75 and 79 to an assortment of cultural attractions and shady beergardens. We did about 160 km over four days, heatwave notwithstanding. A few of the lads had mild forms of Parkinson's or hearing difficulties or less than perfect reflexes, but the drivers we encountered (when our greenway was closed for hedge-cutting and we got diverted onto a national primary route) were very calm and courteous. The experience definitely showed me that I still want to be biking when I'm that age.
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