The purchase of a cargo bike at Rest Haven Nursing Home in Steinbach has some residents remembering what life was like years ago.

The cargo bike was purchased from Holland. It has a platform in the front which is big enough to hold a wheelchair, thus allowing family or a staff member to wheel the individual through the neighbourhood.

This bike brings back memories for Peter Warkentine who remembers pedaling along Highway 75 from Morris to St.Jean. He says the cargo bike offers a nice ride and it's a little different from the bike he used way back when.

"Bikes have gears," explains Warkentine. "(You) shift gears, pedal slower and more speed."

Warkentine says what he liked most about biking as a kid was the great exercise it provided.

Resident Dan Giesbrecht has also had the opportunity to test out the bike. He says he enjoys it very much, noting it feels quite safe. Giesbrecht too says it brings back memories.

"I always liked to bike," he recalls. "When I was a youngster, I had two older sisters and they got a bike and they drove for awhile. And then whenever I got hold of it, boy I enjoyed that."

Giesbrecht calls it very encouraging to have Rest Haven provide them with this sort of opportunity.

Dave Thiessen is Daily Life Coordinator at Rest Haven. He says residents are continuously losing pieces of their independence. This bike is a way to add value to their day. He says being in a nursing home can feel quite confining and this provides an opportunity to get people outdoors, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells.

As mentioned, the cargo bike is wide enough to hold a wheelchair and Thiessen says that is the direction most residents are going. He notes thirty years ago maybe 10 percent of residents used a wheelchair, while today probably 90 percent do.

The total cost of the bike was approximately $8,000. Thiessen says they used a variety of fundraisers to pay this off.

Photos: Dave Thiessen wheels Peter Warkentine and Dan Giesbrecht (Photo credit: Rest Haven)