Covenant Care rolls out new bicycle program in Alberta for seniors
As of Wednesday, Covenant Care is the first organization in Alberta that will be rolling out Cycling Without Age in all of their facilities across the province.
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Cycling Without Age is a global movement offered in 43 countries and across Canada that sends over 250 specialized bikes for care homes.
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'We go into care homes, and we take people with mobility challenges who maybe can't go out on their own and integrate them into the community,' Cycling Without Age founder Jane Hu said.
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Recreation therapists from the eight Covenant Care locations across Alberta underwent training at the Evanspark Manor Covenant Care to integrate the program into their respective facilities.
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'This location has been running it for two years now, and because the program's been so successful, they've decided to incorporate it across the province,' Hu said.
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Hu said the bikes help reduce social isolation that seniors experience by giving them the opportunity to explore the community, alongside several other health benefits.
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'We find that from our seniors' perspectives that they have better eating and sleeping habits, fewer outbursts for those touched with dementia, and we've seen some non-verbal individuals become verbal again,' Hu said. 'There's a lot of great studies that about the benefits of being outdoors and being seen again.'
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Every bike is powered by an electric motor and seats one or two occupants, which can also be converted for wheelchair users and costs approximately $15,000.
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Site administrator for Covenant Care's St. Marguerite Manor Janine Ollenberger said she is grateful to see the addition of four more bikes to their fleet, bringing their total to eight between all of their facilities.
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'It's very much sought after,' Ollenberger said. 'It's really neat because we get to go out into the community, and people in the community get to notice us. It's a great way for Covenant Care to be part of a bigger community.'
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'His dad was an avid cyclist who had dementia, and so he created this bike for his dad to experience a what it felt like to go on a bike ride,' Ollenberger said.
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Edmonton Journal
2 days ago
- Edmonton Journal
Covenant Care rolls out new bicycle program in Alberta for seniors
Article content As of Wednesday, Covenant Care is the first organization in Alberta that will be rolling out Cycling Without Age in all of their facilities across the province. Article content Cycling Without Age is a global movement offered in 43 countries and across Canada that sends over 250 specialized bikes for care homes. Article content Article content 'We go into care homes, and we take people with mobility challenges who maybe can't go out on their own and integrate them into the community,' Cycling Without Age founder Jane Hu said. Article content Recreation therapists from the eight Covenant Care locations across Alberta underwent training at the Evanspark Manor Covenant Care to integrate the program into their respective facilities. Article content Article content 'This location has been running it for two years now, and because the program's been so successful, they've decided to incorporate it across the province,' Hu said. Article content Hu said the bikes help reduce social isolation that seniors experience by giving them the opportunity to explore the community, alongside several other health benefits. Article content 'We find that from our seniors' perspectives that they have better eating and sleeping habits, fewer outbursts for those touched with dementia, and we've seen some non-verbal individuals become verbal again,' Hu said. 'There's a lot of great studies that about the benefits of being outdoors and being seen again.' Article content Article content Every bike is powered by an electric motor and seats one or two occupants, which can also be converted for wheelchair users and costs approximately $15,000. Article content Site administrator for Covenant Care's St. Marguerite Manor Janine Ollenberger said she is grateful to see the addition of four more bikes to their fleet, bringing their total to eight between all of their facilities. Article content 'It's very much sought after,' Ollenberger said. 'It's really neat because we get to go out into the community, and people in the community get to notice us. It's a great way for Covenant Care to be part of a bigger community.' Article content 'His dad was an avid cyclist who had dementia, and so he created this bike for his dad to experience a what it felt like to go on a bike ride,' Ollenberger said.
Calgary Herald
2 days ago
- Calgary Herald
Covenant Care rolls out new bicycle program in Alberta for seniors
Article content As of Wednesday, Covenant Care is the first organization in Alberta that will be rolling out Cycling Without Age in all of their facilities across the province. Article content Cycling Without Age is a global movement offered in 43 countries and across Canada that sends over 250 specialized bikes for care homes. Article content Article content 'We go into care homes, and we take people with mobility challenges who maybe can't go out on their own and integrate them into the community,' Cycling Without Age founder Janet Hu said. Article content Article content Recreation therapists from the eight Covenant Care locations across Alberta underwent training at the Evanspark Manor Covenant Care to integrate the program into their respective facilities. Article content Article content 'This location has been running it for two years now, and because the program's been so successful, they've decided to incorporate it across the province,' Hu said. Article content Hu said the bikes help reduce social isolation that seniors experience by giving them the opportunity to explore the community, alongside several other health benefits. Article content 'We find that from our seniors' perspectives that they have better eating and sleeping habits, fewer outbursts for those touched with dementia, and we've seen some non-verbal individuals become verbal again,' Hu said. 'There's a lot of great studies that about the benefits of being outdoors and being seen again.' Article content Article content Every bike is powered by an electric motor and seats one or two occupants, which can also be converted for wheelchair users and costs approximately $15,000. Article content Site administrator for Covenant Care's St. Marguerite Manor Janine Ollenberger said she is grateful to see the addition of four more bikes to their fleet, bringing their total to eight between all of their facilities. Article content 'It's very much sought after,' Ollenberger said. 'It's really neat because we get to go out into the community, and people in the community get to notice us. It's a great way for Covenant Care to be part of a bigger community.'
CTV News
05-06-2025
- CTV News
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