Before moving to The Quarry Senior Living last fall, Penny Arnold described herself as “a hater of exercise.” Nowadays, though, you’ll find her at one of the facility’s many fitness classes once a day – if not more often.
“It has made a great difference in how I feel about myself,” the 76-year-old said. “I’m sleeping better, I have better balance, my mind is sharper. There’s just an overall feeling of wellness that just does a lot for you.”
Both The Quarry and their sister facility Glenwood Place Senior Living, which are locally owned by Vancouver residents Gary and Christine Rood, are dedicated to the health of their residents. One of the ways they show this is through their robust fitness programs, which include a long list of group fitness classes, one-on-one training sessions, a pool for swimming and water aerobics and a thoughtfully designed social wellness program.
The fitness classes include circuit training, yoga and tai chi as well as a class that focuses on seated exercises and another on improving balance. There is a class specifically designed for residents with Parkinson’s disease. And one of the most popular classes is called Golden Steppers, which teaches dance steps to residents’ favorite songs.
“These classes are really designed to cover a broad spectrum of exercises that most, if not all, our residents can do,” said Austin Karn, Director of Health and Fitness at The Quarry.
In his one-on-one training sessions, Karn said he’s able to do a fitness assessment in order to get to know the residents better and help them accomplish their fitness goals.
“This is a great time to work on and narrow down, strength, endurance, flexibility and mobility goals especially if there are movements they’re struggling with during classes,” he said. “I want our residents to use fitness as a tool to continue doing the things that they love for a long time. Whether that’s going to Camas Meadows and golfing 18 holes, or going to a see friend or family members house being able to walk upstairs or going to garden and plant vegetables without having any restrictions to do so.”
Some of these one-on-one fitness classes are used as a way to continue care for residents in recovery of an illness or ailment.
Glenwood Place Lofts resident Bette Boal, 86, has witnessed the benefit of these classes through her husband, Kenneth Boal, who was hospitalized with pneumonia last year. As part of his recovery, he gets one-on-one training twice per week.
“He has just done marvelously,” said Bette Boal, who will be married to Kenneth for 70 years in November. “His balance is so much better. He can walk with just his cane instead of his walker. He can get up from the chair by himself whereas before I always had to help him.”
Recently, Kenneth Boal has been focusing on parallel bars, leg presses and squats. He recently broke his own record for repetition on a machine that works both his arms and his legs at the same time, completing 900 in one workout.
“He’s always asking, ‘When do I go again?’ He’s anxious to go. He loves it,” Bette Boal said. “I know he’s doing a good job and its good for him. He’s in a good mood. Everything is better.”
Residents at both The Quarry and Glenwood Place are also able to use a warm saltwater pool, which is not only great for the skin but increases buoyancy. Amanda Sweeney-House, a fitness trainer at Glenwood Place, said the pool is really popular among residents.
“I think that swimming is one of those activities that people really like,” she said. “You can get in and splash around without putting too much stress on your joints. It’s really encouraging for people with arthritis, stiff joints, hip or knee issues.”
While Sweeney-House leads group classes and one-on-one training sessions, she also engages with residents who aren’t drawn to gym or pool exercises through social wellness visits. During these visits, she’ll go on a walk with residents or find a bench to sit and chat. She said she will puzzle with residents, accompany them to the library or go get ice cream — whatever sounds good based on the weather and mood of those she’s meeting. Sweeney-House said the social wellness program is especially helpful for new residents.
“We try to get them to come out of their shell and mix with each other,” Sweeney-House said.
“Not everybody has the inclination to get out and go out by themselves, so we’re on hand to help them and be there for them to boost their confidence.”
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