Seniors Get Their Groove On
Overweight, obesity and lack of physical activity
Many seniors don’t like to attend exercise class. The very word “exercise” brings up images of sweating and breathlessness. But Brookfield seniors are flocking to a local exercise class. What’s the secret?
“We focus on the results of exercise,” said Sandie Gerosa, OT/instructor and Operations Manager of Rehabilitation at Franciscan Woods. “Exercise isn’t very interesting – but balance, flexibility, mobility and strength training are very appealing. The result of these activities is maintaining independence – and who doesn’t want to be independent?”
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 two 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 a typical “exercise” class – it’s a flexibility/balance/strength training/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.
The classes concentrate on fitness techniques, and seniors attend them regularly because of the impact they have on quality of life issues. Mobility, stamina, continence, flexibility – the class helps participants with all these things. In addition, the instructors try to keep the class fun and interesting, weaving in different activities and emphasizing the real-life benefits as they count repetitions.
The class brings results. One woman confided to Sandie that her husband, who has Parkinson’s, has improved since they began attending the class. She feels the activities have improved her husband’s balance and stability, offsetting the Parkinson’s symptoms a bit. Another participant claims the classes are keeping him young, allowing him to keep doing all the things he loves most
Sandie and her fellow instructors have taken the standard exercise class and focused it to keep seniors healthy, active and independent. Based on the comments they are receiving, it’s working!