4/7/2009
Meadowood Residents Feeling Fit
Senior adults have become increasingly aware that attention to fitness means they can live longer and feel better. Meadowood, a continuing care retirement community in Worcester, Montgomery County, provides a wide variety of fitness opportunities, and the residents have responded enthusiastically.
The Fitness and Wellness Program at Meadowood currently offers 10 fitness options and 21 classes, reports Jim Mangol of Hatfield, the fitness coordinator since 2006 and a graduate of Temple University with a degree in kinesiology.
“I did not anticipate the widespread enthusiasm and participation in fitness,” says Mangol. “What I was amazed about when I first starting working here was the number of people we would get to attend the classes.
“On any given day with my classes and the residents that I work with individually and the residents I work with at the pool, I could run into 40, 45 different residents. And that’s a neat thing because that means they’re using the equipment and they’re involved in the Fitness and Wellness Program. The program not only gives them a means of getting the physical exercise they need, but it’s also a great social opportunity.”
Another surprise to Mangol was the number of Meadowood residents – 128 – who signed up to participate in a national test to measure the fitness of older adults. “I would never have expected to have that many people out,” he says, “and our results were outstanding.”
The 21-class lineup means there’s virtually something for everyone. “If one time isn’t right for an individual or a class isn’t their cup of tea, they can do something else,” Mangol notes. “I’m really proud of the variety of exercises we have to offer.”
Classes emphasize fitness, cardiovascular health and strength training, working with the entire body.
The classes include water aerobics, chair aerobics, body recall, abdominal and back exercises, balance and gait, Parkinson’s exercises and Tai Chi. As a result of a monthly meeting with a residents’ committee, Mangol added a class in Yoga. The Meadowood fitness calendar is crammed with classes from early morning until late afternoon. Monthly wellness walks also are a part of the program as residents travel by bus to parks and walking trails.
Betty Mattox, a Meadowood resident since the community opened, is credited with spearheading the start of fitness activities. “When we came, I asked about exercising,” she recalls, “and they said we were too old. Things have certainly changed.”
Through the years, part-time instructors led to a full-time staff member, a porch was enclosed for use by fitness classes, and equipment improved.
“It’s very popular,” she says, “and the residents coming in now all seem to be taking some kind of exercise.”
Lynn Bartholomew, formerly of Lansdale, is a newcomer to Meadowood but an enthusiastic participant in the exercise programs, working out regularly five days a week.
“We have a nice atmosphere, we have good equipment, and everybody’s very jolly while they’re there,” she notes. “It keeps me healthy. You’ve got to keep the heart and keep the muscles in tone. It’s wonderful for balance. It’s just an overall good healthy program that we all need to do and our doctors tell us to do it.”
All the fitness activity fits precisely into Meadowood’s concentration on six dimensions of health and wellness: spiritual, intellectual, physical, social, vocational and emotional. The community’s philosophy focuses on “quality of life and maintaining the highest level of independence for each individual.”
At a Health and Wellness Fair on April 24, Meadowood will broaden its emphasis on fitness with a day of programs open to the public.
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