At the age of 97 to the “Senior Olympics”
Sports
The residents of the St. Nikolaus retirement home in Neumarkt am Wallersee (Flachgau) prove that you can still take part in the Senior Olympics at almost 97 years of age.
For three months, the participants prepared for the “Senior Olympics” under the guidance of a sports doctor. And the results surprised even the experts, said sports physician Thomas Sinnißbichler: “Yes, I’m thrilled that it worked so well and we want to do this Olympics once a year. I hope that other retirement homes will of course jump on this project and organize it themselves. I think it’s very important to bring people back their quality of life in this way.”
Senior Olympics
“With a walker or without?”
The residents were divided into two groups – one group with a walker and one without. The concept will continue to be implemented in Neumarkt because the training pays off several times over, according to the sports doctor: “Endurance, strength, mobility, coordination – these are the things we try to train. For example, when climbing stairs, people have had improvements of up to 150 percent.”
The sporty seniors not only won trophies and medals, but also a lot of self-confidence and the certainty that every step pays off, said Manfred Mayrhofer, manager of the St. Nikolaus senior citizens’ home in Neumarkt: “We will hang up the certificates in December so that family members see that they have Olympians in the family.”