Media Release | Nov. 10, 1998
UBC health promotion program geared at keeping seniors fit
Sixty-two-year-old Ed Greathed credits a new UBC health promotion
program with giving him his life back.
After slipping and suffering a serious leg fracture while hiking
in 1996 Greathed underwent surgery and was fitted with a hip-to-toe
cast. Almost completely immobilized, he spent 10 weeks convalescing
in hospital and then 10 months in physiotherapy.
"I was in danger of losing my independence. That is what you worry
about most as you get older," he says.
Instead Greathed became one of the first members of Changing Aging,
a fitness program for older adults offered by UBC's Campus Recreation
and Fitness.
"The participants come to UBC to become students of their own physical
health," says Sonya Lumholst-Smith, co-ordinator of Campus Recreation
and Fitness.
An instructor-led, machine-based exercise system, Changing Aging
is taught by carefully selected UBC students who have received specialized
training from experts in exercise physiology for older adults.
Now in its second year of operation, the program has expanded dramatically
from 17 participants to 150 members in 19 different classes.
They range in age from 60 to 84 and attend classes on campus three
times a week in a specially-designed fitness facility.
Medically approved exercise machines mean load settings can be
electronically adjusted without interruption and, more importantly,
without heavy lifting or awkward movements that can be difficult
for older adults. Some of the machines, such as the recumbent bikes,
are designed to minimize strain to the lower back, an important
feature for those with impaired mobility or osteoporosis.
Each program has three components: aerobic exercise, strength training
and stretching.
The social aspect is also important, says Lumholst-Smith. Fear
of isolation and loneliness is a motivating factor for many participants,
all of whom wear nametags to encourage interaction with one another
and the student trainers.
Individual attention ensures that the workouts are sufficiently
demanding.
"The kids really put their hearts into it," says Greathed. "They
teach us and we teach things back to them."
For more information or to register for Changing Aging, call 604.822.1677.
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