Pamela Kokoszka becomes exercised about the need for older people to exercise.
Older people are constantly told that they should exercise. But Active Newham, the leisure trust that manages Newham’s leisure facilities, has recently launched an initiative that might be stopping older people from exercising.
Described on their website as “a better way to pay” Active Newham have recently stopped accepting cash at all their leisure centres.
Instead you need to make sure you either have a monthly membership, or carry a credit card on you to pay for your chosen activity, which does not suit a lot of older people.
I spoke to one lady who told me that after coming happily for seven years she no longer felt confident about attending her exercise class because she knows she will have to find one of the concierge staff to help her use the self-service machines – and this makes her feel helpless and therefore unwilling to go.
At the centre I go to I have noticed older customers coming in for exercise classes being turned away because they don’t have their credit card on them.
I understand that Active Newham is trying to save staffing costs, but this policy seems to be keeping the old away from the exercise they need.
Online Active Newham justifies the changes by saying that admission is now much quicker and easier than it was before. But what about the older people who do not have bank accounts and instead get their pensions in cash through the post office? How are they supposed to pay for this quicker entry?
The member of staff I spoke to said that if someone doesn’t have a bank account, and therefore can’t set up a direct debit for a monthly membership, they could top up their Get Active Card online – as if that is any easier for some old people!
Thankfully it’s free to swim for the over 60s in Newham, but what about all the other activities?
The truth seems to be that Active Newham’s new cashless system is making older people in Newham less active.
