Patricia Hagey delights in being able to stand without reaching for something to help herself up. Three months ago, she couldn't do that. Few 83-year-old women with arthritis can. But now Hagey is a gym rat, spending three or four days a week, about 45 minutes at a time, at the South Bay Family YMCA near her. She started going in November.
At first she thought the exercises were "pretty Twinkie, not much. But then I felt muscles that I didn't know I still had. Now I'm doing things I didn't think I could do," she says. Balance had been a problem. She even had an MRI because she had felt so unsteady, and the doctor couldn't find a source for her problem. Thanks to her workouts, she has confidence walking around her home again.
"I'm feeling safer living alone," she says. "I have more control of my body. I was beginning to lose that the last few years. With all the talk of people getting older and needing more care, I don't want that. If I'm going to keep on living, I want to stay in charge."
She admits the only reason she started lifting barbells and using a stretch rope was because the Y membership became free for her through her Medicare health maintenance organization (HMO). Last August, PacifiCare/SecureHorizons began an exclusive relationship with a program for seniors called SilverSneakers. SecureHorizons members with the Standard Plan or Value Plan are able to join selected Ys and some gyms at no cost, plus participate in specially designed classes for them.
"I didn't have the money to go to a gym," Hagey says. "This really is a winner for me."
The SilverSneakers program has been a boon to the participating YMCAs and gyms, according to directors for older adult programs at the sites.
"We've had 800 new senior members since August," says Lorry Sterling with the Mottino Family YMCA in Oceanside. "They say, 'Something for free? Where's the fine print?' And there isn't any. This is a wonderful program. A lot of these folks have never exercised or been to a gym or they're getting back into exercising. It's a challenge for them and some have had a lot of health issues. People come out of here after a month and they say, 'When I get down on the floor, I can get up again, or I couldn't reach for something and now I can.' That's significant."
The sites have a basic SilverSneakers class for beginners. Then these new members venture into other classes at the facility, says Sandy McMillan with the South Bay Family YMCA. "We have an active older adult program with all kinds of fitness classes, plus yoga, tai chi, a lot of mind/body classes, water classes. And there are social activities and trips."
To locate a SilverSneakers programs, SecureHorizons members can call (800) 228-2144, or visit www.silversneakers.com.
Seniors who don't have SecureHorizons can still find free or low-cost exercise classes throughout the county. Check with your local community college, senior center or extended studies program.
There are also free Feeling Fit Clubs at 25 locations in the county for seniors. The main component of the program is an hour-long functional fitness class that focuses on flexibility, strength and balance training.
To locate a Feeling Fit Club site near you, call Aging & Independence Services at (800) 510-2020.
For those who prefer to exercise in their homes, County Television Network (CTN) airs five versions of the Feeling Fit Club at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. each weekday on Cox 19 (north) and 24 (south); Time Warner 22; and Adelphia 66.
If you are a caregiver who needs to exercise, consider one of the walking groups through the Caregiver-to-Caregiver Network with Southern Caregiver Resource Center.
One group meets from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of each month at the Mission Bay Information Center. The "Early Bird" group meets from 8 to 9 a.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month at the Lake Murray concession stand. A third group meets from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at the Encinitas Swamis Park picnic table. For more information or to arrange respite so you can join, contact Maggie Marshall at (800) 827-1008, or e-mail mmarshall@caregivercenter.org.
Mark your calendar for the next Vital Aging Conference, the County's biennial event that promotes healthy living for older adults, which is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 9 at the Town & Country Resort Hotel, 500 Hotel Circle North in Mission Valley. This conference will pay special attention to the needs of caregivers, plus there will be talks on exercise and fall prevention, and medication management. Cost is $5 cost, plus $3 for parking. Sponsors and exhibitors for the event are being sought; contact Katie Judd at (858) 495-5998.
