Published on May 4, 2026 at 5:52 pm To allow residents who wish to engage in physical activity within their nursing homes, stationary bike sessions have been offered since September 2025 in about ten establishments in Vendée. The Ephad in Noirmoutier-en-l’Ile is one of them.
At the Noirmoutier-en-l’Ile nursing home, two groups of five residents take turns twice a week for a 45-minute to 1-hour session led by professional animator Josèpha Catudal. The bikes are provided by the Vendée cycling committee. The activity program consists of 24 sessions spread over 3 to 4 months. The first introductory session allowed residents to familiarize themselves with the equipment.
Individual physical tests are recorded in a follow-up booklet at the beginning and end of each session. The sessions always start with a warm-up. “The exercises on the bikes help work on balance, mobility, leg strength, as well as arm and hand strength, and memory,” says Josèpha Catudal, who completed the Coach Vélo Santé training.
“The music revives their memories. It’s cycling for pleasure,” notes the coach. Each session is tailored to each participant and allows for individualized monitoring, especially regarding the sensations experienced during each session. During a session, each athlete covers 3 to 6 km.
The last session will focus on muscular physical tests at the end of the course and collecting feedback from residents. “There are still two sessions left, but residents pedal much better and faster than at the beginning,” remarks the coach, who regularly offers water to everyone. The sessions end with a snack.
A health itinerary in the hospital park The operation is financed in part by the Commission des financeurs de la prévention et de la perte d’autonomie (CFPPA), presided over by the Department of Vendée, the Sodexo Foundation, the Fund for the development of associative life (FDVA), the National Sports Agency and the Commission des financeurs de la prévention de la perte d’autonomie Vendée.
“The aim of these sessions is to promote the mobility of residents. We obviously want to extend the experience by possibly acquiring bicycles. Our wish is to promote physical activities within the facility. Last year, the Siel Bleu association intervened to offer adapted physical activities, and we organized an Olympiad, in the spirit of a sports competition. An outing was organized with the association Grandir Ensemble for three residents on a handbike and two on an adapted bike. We have the idea of creating a health trail in the hospital park (we are awaiting funding). And we will soon offer a body language / conscious movement workshop,” said the facility’s director, Pierre-Hugues Glardon.
