Therapists help seniors improve quality of life with exercise
Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare - Continuing Care & Allied Services/Senior Health
“Now hold that stretch . . . a little longer . . . and slowly drop your arms to your side.”
Typical instruction for an exercise class? Maybe. Typical exercise class? Definitely not!
Twice a week, adults ages 65-94 meet for the Brookfield Senior Exercise Class. The free class is held in the Senior Center at Brookfield City Hall and attracts 60 to 70 participants every Tuesday and Thursday. The class is taught on a rotating basis by three Occupational Therapists from Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare – Franciscan Woods, a transitional rehabilitation facility in Brookfield, and Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare-Elmbrook Memorial. The therapists are “donated” by Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare, and the expertise they bring to this exercise class is greatly appreciated by those in attendance.
Because the class is taught by licensed rehabilitation professionals, it’s not just an exercise class – it’s a flexibility/balance/strength raining/coordination/stretching/breathing class. The instructors use chair exercises, standing techniques, music, resistance bands, and laughter to touch upon all the different fitness concepts necessary to keep seniors active and independent.
While exercises concentrate on fitness techniques, they have an impact on quality of life issues, too. Mobility, stamina, continence, flexibility – the class helps participants with all these things.
One gentleman confided to Sandie Gerosa, OT/instructor and Operations Manager of Rehabilitation at Franciscan Woods, that since he has started attending the class, he no longer has to get up and go to the bathroom at night. Another woman is very pleased, because after going to the classes on a regular basis, she is no longer confined to the main floor of her home since she now has the stamina to climb stairs.
In their roles as rehabilitation therapists at a transitional rehab facility, Sandie and her fellow instructors help seniors stay safely at home for as long as they can. By sharing their expertise with the community, they can help many more individuals can be functional and independent – and attending the Brookfield Senior Exercise Class!