Enter the activities room at the Rogerson
Communities adult day center in Roslindale, MA, and you're almost
certain to note what's absent: television sets.
Roslindale is one of four facilities in the Greater
Boston area offering Fitness FIRST, which is an innovative training
program designed for Rogerson's residential and day programs. Fitness
FIRST gives participants the opportunity to work with an exercise
physiologist in a workout program designed especially for seniors.
Implemented in September of 2004, the program has
already helped countless elders increase their strength, balance, and
vitality. And as research has shown, such improvements often lead to
numerous health benefits, including: increased balance, better
protection against the onset of certain types of dementia, and the
ability to better activities of daily living.
And as for those TV sets? Well, folks at the Roslindale facility hardly miss them.
“This program can make everyday life for a senior
more manageable,” said David Bolduc, manager of the Fitness FIRST
program. “It helps bring back a person's independence. But, most
important of all, it can make seniors feel better about themselves,
both physically and mentally.”
Just 60 minutes a week
All those health benefits? Fitness FIRST must be quite the rigorous exercise program, no?
Not at all. Those who participate in Fitness FIRST
do so for just 60 minutes a week (30 minutes on two separate
occasions). The program begins with numerous stretching exercises,
before each participant meets with an ACE certified specialist to go
over the individual's workout routine – a routine that is created after
the specialist has met with both the individual and the individual's
primary care physician.
The elder then rides the exercise bike, works with
exercise balls, or spends time on Nautilus machines specially designed
for the program (for example, the weights increase in increments of one
pound, rather than five or 10). The ACE specialist watches close by,
making certain the participants don't exert themselves.
“We have many people who have never exercised in
their lives,” said Jamie Seagle, president of Rogerson Communities.
“Many see the program as 'work' and don't want to participate now that
they've finally retired. What this program involves is prevention and
let's be honest: Prevention isn't always sexy. But what we've noticed
is, once people see the results, it's hard for them to continue saying
no.”
Initial, 12-week evaluations of Fitness FIRST
clients revealed a 159 percent increase in lower back strength and a 99
percent increase in leg strength. Participants also saw similar
increases in arm and chest strength.
However, David Bolduc, manager of the Fitness FIRST
program, preferred to talk of the individual success stories.
“I had an 87-year-old woman who traveled down to
Mexico to see the Mayan temples,” Bolduc recalled. “When she returned,
she told me she was able to climb all the steps on her own – something
she would not have been able to do before Fitness FIRST. Those are
results you love to hear about.”
According to Bolduc, Fitness FIRST participants
benefit in other ways, too. There's a social element to the program, as
participants exercise within small groups; this can improve a senior's
mental well-being.
“It was important to have this program conducted in
a group atmosphere,” Bolduc said. “It gives participants a real chance
to build relationships with others. And that's crucial since many
people, as they get older, do lose family members and friends close to
them.”
Keeping elders at home longer
Those associated with Fitness FIRST feel the program
can have a profound effect on Massachusetts' heavily burdened long-term
care system. (According to recent numbers, 5.8 percent of Bay State
residents over 65 are in nursing homes, compared to the national number
of 4.2).
By helping to restore one's strength, balance, and
vitality, Fitness FIRST is making it possible for elders to remain at
home longer. The increased independence also means an elder's home
caregiver, which is often a family member, will be less burdened.
“There's so much talk today about keeping seniors in
their homes as long as possible, and away from long-term care and
assisted living facilities,” Bolduc said. “This program can do that.
It's giving elders a better quality of life.”
Fitness FIRST programs is currently available at four of Rogerson's 15
properties: the Adult Day Center in Roslindale; the Adult Day Center
Dementia Program in Roslindale; the Adult Day Health Program in
Brookline, MA; and the Community Day Program in Jamaica Plain, MA. For
more information, visit www.rogerson.org.
