The future of Senior Centers as we know them...

SB977 is a piece of California legislation that calls for the assessment of the current senior center infrastructure so that we as a society are ready to provide for the aging baby boomers. The demographic studies have been out and by 2025, 1 in 5 Californians will be over the age of 65 and the fastest growing segment of the population (nationwide) are people over the age of 85 (CDC, 2006).  The odds of developing a disabling, chronic disease increases proportionately to chronological age; fifty percent of adults older than 65 are living with some type of disability.   

I'm not talking about deadly disease, I'm talking about impairment that affects one or more major life activities.  Limitations in everyday life.  Unfortunately, we are all aware of the outrageous cost of healthcare and if people don't start living a wellness lifestyle, quality healthcare will not be available.

Enter the cost effective senior center.  The local hub of the community, senior centers are a gathering place that provides more than a hot, nutritious meal.  As the need for consistent exercise among older adults increases, so does the demand for qualified programs and instructors.  Falls among the elderly are a public health concern that require a multifactorial approach to prevention. 

The current system of senior centers is outdated and needs to be assessed to see what programs are working and which are no longer necessary.  The days of bingo and meals of meatloaf and mashed potatoes are gone.  Baby boomers want yoga, internet, support groups and sushi.   Needs are increasing and demands are changing.  

Unless you can see yourself going to the same center your parents went to and using the same equipment they used, it's time for a change.  It's time to reassess the current infrastructure so we as a society are better prepared to meet the needs of the future.

Physical falls can change a person's life instantaneously and  unfortunately, people don't realize the seriousness until it happens to them, or someone they love.  Participating in a consistent exercise routine not only reduces the risk of a fall but also improves the quality of your life.  My Take 5 to Exercise seated exercise routine is something an adult child and her parents can benefit from.  Be a role model for your parents and your children. 

Take 5 to Exercise each day.

The Fall Prevention Lady

Looky, looky: an all-male Senior Center!

    Loyalton, California.  Population 860.  And when you walk into the local Senior Center, the first thing you notice after the mouth-watering aroma of Barbara's home cooked version of the Congregate Meals on Wheels lunch is the fact that all the participants are men!

    As the Fitness Consultant for the Area 4 Agency on Aging in Northern California, I visit various Senior Nutrition Focal points through our 7-county region to demonstrate my Take 5 to Exercise seated Fall Prevention routines.  And in all my visits, I have not seen or worked with more than 8 men, all added together! 

    While the congregate lunch program attracts both men and women, ninety percent of my exercise participants are women.  I'm not sure if that's because women recognize the importance of exercise more than men or if men have too much pride to do "chair exercises" or if women appreciate the socialization of group exercise but whatever the reason,  I mostly see women at my Take 5 to Exercise Presentations.  

    So you can only imagine my shock, and the joy I felt, when I saw five men sitting patiently in the Loyalton Senior Center after an amazing home-cooked congregate meal was served.    I spoke passionately to the men about the importance of flexibility training and was ecstatic when they all participated in the Take 5 to Exercise stretching routine.   Some of the men seemed surprised when they tried to do a hamstring stretch only to find they had to stop at the point of tension and their point of tension was in the middle of their thigh and not the middle of their calf!  YIKES.....

    I want to take the time to encourage and challenge men to Take 5 to Exercise.  The benefits of consistent activity do not discriminate, there is no gender bias, we all benefit equally from movement.  In fact, most of my male clients, both young and old, need to practice flexibility training more so than their female counterparts.   That's why everyone, male and female, will benefit when they make the time to Take 5 to Exercise each day.

Please visit my website, www.take5toexercise.com and order your father, husband, brother, uncle or grandfather his own version of my 5-day seated stretching and strengthening routines and help reduce his risk of a fall.

Love to all my brothers.  

And sisters.

In Christ,

Amen.