Cycling Without Age aims to keep seniors mobile with 3-wheeled trishaw vehicles

Barry Sherwood said he decided to get involved with Cycling Without Age,a social movement that offers free cycling machines to individuals living in senior homes and other long-term care facilities,after witnessing his mother's experiences in a long-term care facility.

Like many seniors living away from their families, Sherwood's mother wasn't spending a lot of time outside.

"That's the kind of thing that we're looking [at] changing," said the head of the Windsor-Essex chapter of Cycling Without Age, whosemain headquarters is located in Denmark and was established in 2012. "Getting the seniors out in the community and increasing the community connections."

Rather than using a bicycle, however, Cycling Without Age's central tool is a three-wheeled, $8,000 tricycle called a trishaw.

"There's a passenger compartment on the front and a very sophisticated cycling capability on the back," said Sherwood, adding that he had to raise funds to cover the cost of the vehicle. "There's a de-railer with nine gears. The trishaw has a hydraulic disc brake all the way around."

According to Sherwood, trishaws are quite easy to pedal, and also offer a battery-powered motor to assist with mobility.

While the trishaw is designed to be driven by one person, it supports up to two passengers; features seatbelts;storage underneath the passenger compartment;and even an insulated cover that can protect passengers when it's windy or raining.

"Recently, I heard of it being used in the summertime for very cool rides in the early morning," said Sherwood. "So it's quite a nice feature to have."

Sherwood said the response to Cycling Without Age's Windsor-Essex has been quite positive, with almost all passengers having nothing but positive things to say.

"Everybody loves it," he said. "They're very happy to get out into the community, into nature."