Leisure centre bosses say they intend to change the colour of some floors so those living with dementia feel more welcome.
Gedling Borough Council has teamed up with charities Alzheimer’s UK and the Pocklington Trust to review centre design.
The Pocklington Trust is a charity dedicated to empowering blind and partially sighted people to live independently.
The council’s wellbeing leads say they plan to update flooring, lighting and signage to make centres easier to navigate in line with charity advice.
Redhill Leisure Centre in Arnold will be the first to implement these changes in May.
Fitness promotions officer Johann Polak said floor colourings can make the difference between people with dementia even entering a room.
He said: “For people with dementia, if they see a black floor, they see a black hole.”
Health activator Dan Warriner said: “If they [people with dementia] see blue floors they think it’s water and they will completely avoid that area because they think they’re going to walk into a hole or puddle.
“Having vibrant colours like greens and reds on the floor makes it a brighter and more inviting place to be.”
These partnerships are ongoing and Johann recently completed dementia training with Alzheimer’s UK.
In line with the Pocklington Trust’s advice, contrasting colours are also being used to support visually impaired individuals.
The partnerships form part of a broader push to integrate leisure with healthcare, shifting towards prevention, rehabilitation and early intervention in line with NHS priorities.
These facilities are expected to support people with long-term health conditions who may never have considered using a gym before.
Dan added: “The centres now cater for everything from cardiovascular disease and post-cardiac surgery to musculoskeletal problems, diabetes, obesity, asthma, arthritis and rheumatism.”
Dan is a part of the health referral pathway scheme which supports patients sent by GPs into rehabilitation programmes.
Eighty people have completed the programme, and 22.5% took out a leisure centre membership afterwards.
Jessica Cooke, 34, from Arnold, joined Gedling Leisure after a doctor’s referral, aiming to improve her health as her blood sugar levels and liver function worsened. Anxiety also made exercise feel overwhelming.
With Dan’s support, Jessica transformed her routine in just six weeks – exercising regularly and reducing her body fat and BMI.
Jessica said: “This scheme has helped me make positive changes that are going to last.”
