“Going out more relaxed than when you went in”: Nathalie Jelinek-Fink (left) with her sports group in the Anlagenring nursing home Photo: Michael Braunschädel
Some people in older age hardly move at all. Offers in nursing homes are intended to mobilize residents and reduce their fear of falling – but it’s about much more.
For the first time there is silence, only the second hand of the wall clock penetrates the room in the basement of the nursing home. There are walkers, wheelchairs and potted plants in front of the wall bars. It smells like rubber and leather. The eight nursing home residents are here for a different kind of sports lesson: they shouldn’t sweat, but should be able to relax. Because the weekly exercise course at the Anlagenring nursing home in Frankfurt is primarily about relaxation – and safety. The 45 minutes in a circle of chairs should make this possible.
All eight have one hand on their stomach and one on their chest. “Breathe in and out so that your stomach goes back and forth,” says Nathalie Jelinek-Fink, instructor of the sports lesson. You could also close your eyes to pay close attention to your breathing. And to relax. The residents of the home were just standing behind their chairs, holding on to the backrest and stretching forward in the sun salutation posture.
