Areas that are easy to move around are more likely to encourage the elderly to stay mobile, according to newly published research, which might make elderly-friendly social club furniture an especially good investment in locations that are easy to walk to.
It's natural for social clubs to be in locations where they are easy to reach by all of their members - and the research published in the journal Social Science & Medicine shows how ease of accessibility helps to boost the number of visits made by elderly residents to all kinds of venues.
The researchers surveyed elderly residents of Vancouver, whose downtown area is known to be very easy to walk around, and focused their research on those who are relatively active, and leave their house several times each week.
Less than a quarter of these trips (22.4%) were made by car, with over-60s getting out on their bikes just over 3% of the time, and walking to their destination 62.8% of the time - meaning roughly two thirds of all excursions are made by a mode of transport that involves exercise.
Grocery stores accounted for the highest share of trips at 13.6%, while malls took a 5.5% share, but social outings also scored well, with 5.4% of trips made to visit friends and family, and 7.2% of outings to restaurants.
The findings show how restaurant furniture and social club furniture that can accommodate the elderly in comfort - and bearing in mind that they may have walked to the venue - can help to support not only this day-to-day exercise, but also the health of the wider community.
"Older adults living in highly walkable neighbourhoods were very mobile and frequently used active transportation," the researchers write. "Travel destinations signify the importance of nearby commercial and social opportunities, even in a highly walkable environment.
"The high rates of active travel and physical activity in a walkable neighbourhood suggest that when provided [with] compelling destinations, community-dwelling older adults walk more and may achieve health benefits through daily travel."
'Compelling destinations' may mean a departure from more traditional club and restaurant furniture - and perhaps more consideration of padded leather armchairs and sofas as comfortable seating for the end of a walk.