Cycling can make seniors healthier and more independent − here’s how to design bikes and networks that meet their needs
Seniors are increasingly interested in cycling. Research identifies senior-friendly bike designs and infrastructure improvement needs to enhance physical activity and independence among older adults.
Most senior citizens get around in their daily lives by driving, walking or using public buses and subways. But many people in their 60s and 70s could potentially be interested in other options, such as cycling. At a time when cycling is growing in the U.S. and the overall population is aging, seniors’ preferences for bike designs and bike networks are very relevant.
Some seniors live in assisted living complexes or memory care facilities that have roads, sidewalks and paths for residents pushing walkers. However, these complexes don’t usually have bike storage rooms, bike loops or safe bike pathways to local parks and stores.
I am a researcher in architecture – with a focus on environment and behavior – and a senior, and I have studied bikes and bike networks for over 43 years. In my latest project, I worked with Seth Gale, a behavioral neurologist; Linda Mazie, a health and wellness coach who works with seniors; and Heidi Savage, a fitness director who also works with seniors, to learn from older people what kinds of bicycles and bike networks would help them stay active and independent through cycling. https://www.youtube.com/embed/vrrzFnzYUXI?wmode=transparent&start=0 In the Netherlands, where many people of all ages routinely ride bikes, local officials take a tour with older riders to identify spots that seniors find particularly unsafe on their route.
We found that a majority of the seniors whom we surveyed and who test-rode three bikes preferred a three-wheeled adult tricycle or a two-seat model that lets riders sit side by side. For infrastructure, their key requirements included bike loops, separation from cars and nearby bathrooms.
Benefits of biking for seniors
Many older people in the U.S. don’t get enough physical activity for healthy aging. A 2016 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that more than one-fourth of all adults over 50 did not engage in any physical activity outside of work. This share increased with age and was higher among people with chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and depression. Inactivity was significantly higher among women than men, and among Black and Hispanic seniors compared with white seniors.
Biking provides many health benefits, including cardiovascular exercise, stronger muscles, better coordination and lower stress levels. It also offers benefits that are particularly relevant for seniors. For example, one study found that cycling for at least one hour per week significantly improved older people’s balance, potentially making them less vulnerable to falls.
For our study, we distributed surveys with pictures of senior-friendly bikes and questions about bike networks to 178 seniors in four senior communities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Participants ranked the pictures according to how well they liked the various bike designs and offered more comments while seeing the pictures on a large screen.
We also borrowed three senior-friendly bikes made by Van Raam, a Dutch company that designs bikes for a wide range of special needs. These models included:
A three-wheeled bike for side-by-side riders who each have handlebars and who can pedal together while one steers.
An adult tricycle with a back rest and low center of gravity.
A two-wheeled bike with a low center bar that makes it easy to step through when getting on or off.
Fifty seniors at RiverWoods-Exeter, a senior living complex in New Hampshire, and Fox Hill Village, an independent living community for seniors in Westwood, Massachusetts, were invited to test-ride the three models and complete a survey about their experiences.
Designing bike networks for older riders
Based on photos, participants were most enthusiastic about the adult tricycle and also were interested in the two-seat three-wheeler. Adult tricycles are harder to pedal than bikes with two wheels, and rounding corners involves turning the handlebars without leaning, so these models have a learning curve. However, they offer stability, which clearly was important to the people in our study.
Among seniors who did test rides, the most popular model was the single-seat three-wheeled bike. Unlike a low recumbent bicycle, this bike’s seat is about as high as a chair, and unlike an adult tricycle, it has a back rest.
Participants’ second choice was the three-wheeled two-seater bike, which has seats with backs, arm rests and seat belts. Fewer participants were willing to test-ride the two-wheeled regular bike with a low center bar; those who tried it were already comfortable riding two-wheeled bikes.
Comments were enthusiastic, especially for the two-seater bike. Seniors wrote, “I like the social aspect and teamwork”; “I see this as an asset to our community”; and, simply, “Awesome!!!”
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Linda Mazie gives directions to a senior test-riding an adult tricycle. A two-seater bike sits ready for other test riders. Anne Lusk, CC BY-ND
Some noted that the two-seater could work for seniors who were caregivers for their spouses. One husband wrote, “This would be great to ride with my wife, who hasn’t ridden a bike for 50 years.”
In response to survey questions about the most important features of a senior-friendly bike network, participants said they wanted to be able to bike for 30 minutes at a stretch, ride twice a week and have a bathroom available.
For a network added to their assisted living complexes, they wanted a cycling loop on-site; a route to a destination outside the complex; a smooth, flat riding surface with grass shoulders; and picnic tables and water nearby. Participants felt that cars traveled too fast in their residential complexes, so they wanted to ride on separated paths rather than on existing roads.
Our findings echo other studies that have shown that senior cyclists want to ride in protected bike lanes or separate paved paths, rather than in street traffic. Because many seniors have limited vision, another feature that can make bike paths safer for them is light-colored demarcation strips at the edges of the path to help older riders avoid veering off the main cycle path, especially at night.
Pedaling ahead
Here are the key steps that I believe would be required to develop findings like ours into scalable bicycling programs for seniors in the U.S.
Some seniors might appreciate having classes to relearn how to ride a two-wheeled bike, or to ride with another person on a two-seater model. Assisted living complexes could install bike storage sheds and buy several senior-friendly bikes for residents to ride.
Protected bike lanes could be made more senior-friendly by building them level with the adjoining sidewalk, so that a third wheel could rest on the edge of the parallel sidewalk. Lanes optimized for senior riders would be continuous and have bicycle traffic signals, raised crosswalks and nearby public bathrooms with signs leading to them.
Routes could run from residential neighborhoods to destinations such as coffee shops, post offices, grocery and drugstores, and parks. Destinations could provide space to park and lock the bikes while riders shopped or had coffee.
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The U.S. has an aging population, and seniors’ health is an important concern for seniors themselves, their caregivers and taxpayers. There is strong evidence that increased bicycle use by seniors could help many people live healthier and more independent lives well into their golden years.
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3 Unforgettable Mother’s Day Meals That Will Make Her Heart (and Taste Buds) Sing
Create an unforgettable Mother’s Day with a home-cooked meal featuring three easy yet impressive recipes: Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, Mediterranean Brunch Board, and Herb-Crusted Salmon, paired with wines to enhance flavors and create lasting memories.
A beautifully arranged table set with plates, silverware, and candles. Perfect for formal dining or special occasions.
Want to make this Mother’s Day extra special? Skip the crowded restaurants and show Mom your love through a home-cooked meal she’ll never forget. We’ve crafted three foolproof recipes that even kitchen novices can master – because nothing says “I love you” quite like a meal made from the heart.
1. Heavenly Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Berry Compote
Picture golden, cloud-like pancakes that practically float off the plate, their edges delicately crispy while their centers remain pillowy-soft and tender. The rich, creamy ricotta creates pockets of moisture that melt in your mouth, while bright lemon zest cuts through with citrusy sparkle. The warm berry compote cascades over the stack, its jewel-toned fruits bursting with sweet-tart juice that mingles perfectly with pure maple syrup.
A feast for both eyes and palate, this stunning spread features eggs with golden yolks that ooze luxuriously when broken, their richness enhanced by aromatic dukkah’s nutty crunch. Creamy, house-made hummus swirled with extra virgin olive oil sits alongside prosciutto roses that fold like silk. Fresh figs, split to reveal their honey-sweet crimson centers, nestle against wedges of artisanal cheese that range from buttery-soft to crystalline-sharp. Every bite tells a story of Mediterranean sunshine.
A masterpiece of textures and flavors: the salmon’s herb crust offers a satisfying crackle before revealing the perfectly cooked, rose-pink flesh beneath that flakes at the mere touch of a fork. The champagne cream sauce, velvety and sophisticated, pools elegantly around the fish, its subtle bubbles lending an air of celebration. Bright green asparagus spears provide the perfect crisp-tender contrast, while the wild mushroom risotto, infused with earthy aromatics and finished with a generous shower of Parmesan, creates a bed of creamy comfort that ties the whole dish together.
Why These Recipes Work:
Each recipe can be partially prepped in advance
Ingredients are easily found in most supermarkets
They’re impressive without being overly complicated
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Perfect balance of flavors and textures
Suitable for various dietary preferences
Each bite is carefully crafted to create not just a meal, but a memorable experience that shows Mom just how special she is. The interplay of textures and flavors in each dish creates a symphony of tastes that will linger in her memory long after the last bite.
Here are some Wine Pairings to make these dishes perfect:
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Perfect Pairing: Prosecco or Moscato d’Asti
Why it works: The light bubbles and subtle sweetness complement the citrus notes while cutting through the richness of the ricotta.
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Mediterranean Brunch Board
Perfect Pairing: Rosé or Albariño
Why it works: A crisp, dry rosé enhances the salty prosciutto and creamy cheeses, while Albariño’s mineral notes complement the Mediterranean flavors.
Herb-Crusted Salmon
Perfect Pairing: Chardonnay or Pinot Noir
Why it works: A lightly oaked Chardonnay matches the richness of the champagne sauce, while a light-bodied Pinot Noir works beautifully with the herb crust.
Plating Instructions:
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Lemon Ricotta Pancakes:
Stack 3-4 pancakes slightly off-center on a warm, white plate
Drizzle berry compote in an artistic swoosh from 2 o’clock to 7 o’clock
Garnish with fresh mint leaves and a light dusting of powdered sugar
Pro tip: Use a wide, flat plate to let the colors pop against the white background
Mediterranean Brunch Board:
Start with a large wooden board or slate platter
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Create height by placing small bowls of hummus and dips at different points
Arrange prosciutto roses in a cascading pattern
Group cheeses by type, creating a gradient from soft to hard
Fill negative space with fresh herbs and edible flowers
Pro tip: Use small olive wood bowls for dips to add rustic elegance
Herb-Crusted Salmon:
Place the risotto in a shallow bowl using a ring mold
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Position the salmon at a 45-degree angle, slightly overlapping the risotto
Arrange asparagus spears like a fan
Drizzle champagne sauce in an elegant circle around the plate
Garnish with micro herbs and edible flowers
Pro tip: Warm the plates before serving to keep everything at perfect temperature
Remember: The most important ingredient isn’t listed in any recipe – it’s the love and thought you put into making Mom’s day special. These meals aren’t just about the food; they’re about creating precious moments together.
Ready to make Mom’s day unforgettable? Save these recipes now and start planning your Mother’s Day menu. Trust us – seeing her face light up will be worth every minute in the kitchen.
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Here are some related links to further help you make Mother’s Day special:
At our core, we at STM Daily News, strive to keep you informed and inspired with the freshest content on all things food and beverage. From mouthwatering recipes to intriguing articles, we’re here to satisfy your appetite for culinary knowledge.
Visit our Food & Drink section to get the latest on Foodie News and recipes, offering a delightful blend of culinary inspiration and gastronomic trends to elevate your dining experience.
Socially Engaged Design of Nuclear Energy Technologies
What prompted the idea for the course?
The two of us had some experience with participatory design coming into this course, and we had a shared interest in bringing virtual reality into a first-year design class at the University of Michigan.
It seemed like a good fit to help students learn about nuclear technologies, given that hands-on experience can be difficult to provide in that context. We both wanted to teach students about the social and environmental implications of engineering work, too.
Aditi is a nuclear engineer and had been using participatory design in her research, and Katie had been teaching ethics and design to engineering students for many years.
What does the course explore?
Broadly, the course explores engineering design. We introduce our students to the principles of nuclear engineering and energy systems design, and we go through ethical concerns. They also learn communication strategies – like writing for different audiences.
Students learn to design the exterior features of nuclear energy facilities in collaboration with local communities. The course focuses on a different nuclear energy technology each year.
In the first year, the focus was on fusion energy systems. In fall 2024, we looked at locating nuclear microreactors near local communities.
The main project was to collaboratively decide where a microreactor might be sited, what it might look like, and what outcomes the community would like to see versus which would cause concern.
Students also think about designing nuclear systems with both future generations and a shared common good in mind.
The class explores engineering as a sociotechnical practice – meaning that technologies are not neutral. They shape and affect social life, for better and for worse. To us, a sociotechnical engineer is someone who adheres to scientific and engineering fundamentals, communicates ethically and designs in collaboration with the people who are likely to be affected by their work.
In class, we help our students reflect on these challenges and responsibilities.
Why is this course relevant now?
Nuclear energy system design is advancing quickly, allowing engineers to rethink how they approach design. Fusion energy systems and fission microreactors are two areas of rapidly evolving innovation.
Microreactors are smaller than traditional nuclear energy systems, so planners can place them closer to communities. These smaller reactors will likely be safer to run and operate, and may be a good fit for rural communities looking to transition to carbon-neutral energy systems.
But for the needs, concerns and knowledge of local people to shape the design process, local communities need to be involved in these reactor siting and design conversations.
Students in the course explore nuclear facilities in virtual reality.Thomas Barwick/DigitalVision via Getty Images
What materials does the course feature?
We use virtual reality models of both fission and fusion reactors, along with models of energy system facilities. AI image generators are helpful for rapid prototyping – we have used these in class with students and in workshops.
This year, we are also inviting students to do some hands-on prototyping with scrap materials for a project on nuclear energy systems.
What will the course prepare students to do?
Students leave the course understanding that community engagement is an essential – not optional – component of good design. We equip students to approach technology use and development with users’ needs and concerns in mind.
Specifically, they learn how to engage with and observe communities using ethical, respectful methods that align with the university’s engineering research standards.
What’s a critical lesson from the course?
As instructors, we have an opportunity – and probably also an obligation – to learn from students as much as we are teaching them course content. Gen Z students have grown up with environmental and social concerns as centerpieces of their media diets, and we’ve noticed that they tend to be more strongly invested in these topics than previous generations of engineering students.
Aditi Verma, Assistant Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan and Katie Snyder, Lecturer III in Technical Communication, College of Engineering, University of Michigan
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
There is currently no bird flu vaccine for people.
Digicomphoto/ Science Photo Library via Getty ImagesHanna D. Paton, University of Iowa
The flu sickens millions of people in the U.S. every year, and the past year has been particularly tough. Although infections are trending downward, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called the winter of 2024-2025 a “high severity” season with the highest hospitalization rate in 15 years.
Since early 2024, a different kind of flu called bird flu, formally known as avian influenza, has been spreading in birds as well as in cattle. The current bird flu outbreak has infected 70 Americans and caused two deaths as of April 8, 2025. Public health and infectious disease experts say the risk to people is currently low, but they have expressed concern that this strain of the bird flu virus may mutate to spread between people.
As a doctoral candidate in immunology, I study how pathogens that make us sick interact with our immune system. The viruses that cause seasonal flu and bird flu are distinct but still closely related. Understanding their similarities and differences can help people protect themselves and their loved ones.
What is influenza?
The flu has long been a threat to public health. The first recorded influenza pandemic occurred in 1518, but references to illnesses possibly caused by influenza stretch back as as early as 412 B.C., to a treatise called Of the Epidemics by the Greek physician Hippocrates.
Today, the World Health Organization estimates that the flu infects 1 billion people every year. Of these, 3 million to 5 million infections cause severe illness, and hundreds of thousands are fatal.
Influenza is part of a large family of viruses called orthomyxoviruses. This family contains several subtypes of influenza, referred to as A, B, C and D, which differ in their genetic makeup and in the types of infections they cause. Influenza A and B pose the largest threat to humans and can cause severe disease. Influenza C causes mild disease, and influenza D is not known to infect people. Since the turn of the 20th century, influenza A has caused four pandemics. Influenza B has never caused a pandemic.
A notice from Oct. 18, 1918, during the Spanish flu pandemic, about protecting yourself from infection.Illustrated Current News/National Library of Medicine, CC BY
An influenza A strain called H1N1 caused the famous 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, which killed about 50 million people worldwide. A related H1N1 virus was responsible for the most recent influenza A pandemic in 2009, commonly referred to as the swine flu pandemic. In that case, scientists believe multiple different types of influenza A virus mixed their genetic information to produce a new and especially virulent strain of the virus that infected more than 60 million people in the U.S. from April 12, 2009, to April 10, 2010, and caused huge losses to the agriculture and travel industries.
Both swine and avian influenza are strains of influenza A. Just as swine flu strains tend to infect pigs, avian flu strains tend to infect birds. But the potential for influenza A viruses that typically infect animals to cause pandemics in humans like the swine flu pandemic is why experts are concerned about the current avian influenza outbreak.
Seasonal flu versus bird flu
Different strains of influenza A and influenza B emerge each year from about October to May as seasonal flu. The CDC collects and analyzes data from public health and clinical labs to determine which strains are circulating through the population and in what proportions. For example, recent data shows that H1N1 and H3N2, both influenza A viruses, were responsible for the vast majority of cases this season. Standard tests for influenza generally determine whether illness is caused by an A or B strain, but not which strain specifically.
Officials at the Food and Drug Administration use this information to make strain recommendations for the following season’s influenza vaccine. Although the meeting at which FDA advisers were to decide the makeup of the 2026 flu vaccine was unexpectedly canceled in late February, the FDA still released its strain recommendations to manufacturers.
The recommendations do not include H5N1, the influenza A strain that causes avian flu. The number of strains that can be added into seasonal influenza vaccines is limited. Because cases of people infected with H5N1 are minimal, population-level vaccination is not currently necessary. As such, seasonal flu vaccines are not designed to protect against avian influenza. No commercially available human vaccines currently exist for avian influenza viruses.
How do people get bird flu?
Although H5N1 mainly infects birds, it occasionally infects people, too. Human cases, first reported in 1997 in Hong Kong, have primarily occurred in poultry farm workers or others who have interacted closely with infected birds.
Initially identified in China in 1996, the first major outbreak of H5 family avian flu occurred in North America in 2014-2015. This 2014 outbreak was caused by the H5N8 strain, a close relative of H5N1. The first H5N1 outbreak in North America began in 2021 when infected birds carried the virus across the ocean. It then ripped through poultry farms across the continent.
The H5N1 strain of influenza A generally infects birds but has infected people, too.NIAID and CDC/flickr, CC BY
In March 2024, epidemiologists identified H5N1 infections in cows on dairy farms. This is the first time that bird flu was reported to infect cows. Then, on April 1, 2024, health officials in Texas reported the first case of a person catching bird flu from infected cattle. This was the first time transmission of bird flu between mammals was documented.
As of March 21, 2025, there have been 988 human cases of H5N1 worldwide since 1997, about half of which resulted in death. The current outbreak in the U.S. accounts for 70 of those infections and one death. Importantly, there have been no reports of H5N1 spreading directly from one person to another.
Since avian flu is an influenza A strain, it would show up as positive on a standard rapid flu test. However, there is no evidence so far that avian flu is significantly contributing to current influenza cases. Specific testing is required to confirm that a person has avian flu. This testing is not done unless there is reason to believe the person was exposed to sick birds or other sources of infection.
How might avian flu become more dangerous?
As viruses replicate within the cells of their host, their genetic information can get copied incorrectly. Some of these genetic mutations cause no immediate differences, while others alter some key viral characteristics.
Influenza viruses mutate in a special way called reassortment, which occurs when multiple strains infect the same cell and trade pieces of their genome with one another, potentially creating new, unique strains. This process prolongs the time the virus can inhabit a host before an infection is cleared. Even a slight change in a strain of influenza can result in the immune system’s inability to recognize the virus. As a result, this process forces our immune systems to build new defenses instead of using immunity from previous infections.
Reassortment can also change how harmful strains are to their host and can even enable a strain to infect a different species of host. For example, strains that typically infect pigs or birds may acquire the ability to infect people. Influenza A can infect many different types of animals, including cattle, birds, pigs and horses. This means there are many strains that can intermingle to create novel strains that people’s immune systems have not encountered before – and are therefore not primed to fight.
It is possible for this type of transformation to also occur in H5N1. The CDC monitors which strains of flu are circulating in order prepare for that possibility. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has a surveillance system for monitoring potential threats for spillover from birds and other animals, although this capacity may be at risk due to staff cuts in the department.
These systems are critical to ensure that public health officials have the most up-to-date information on the threat that H5N1 poses to public health and can take action as early as possible when a threat is evident.Hanna D. Paton, PhD Candidate in Immunology, University of Iowa
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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1. Heavenly Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Berry Compote
2. Mediterranean Brunch Board
3. Herb-Crusted Salmon with Champagne Cream Sauce
