🔒Fitness programs for older adults growing in CT

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The past several decades have brought a sea change in the way doctors think about exercise for aging adults.

Many physicians used to be reluctant to tell their older patients to exercise, said Dr. George Kuchel, a geriatrician and director of UConn Health's Center on Aging in Farmington who has been practicing since the 1980s.

“We used to say 'You shouldn't focus on exercise in the elderly because it would be harmful,' ” Kuchel said “In a nutshell, the field of exercise has changed tremendously.”

With the help of medical research, more doctors want older patients to remain active. As a result, exercise programs targeted at the elderly have proliferated in retirement homes and gyms across Connecticut and beyond.

That has particular significance in the Nutmeg State, as it's in the top one-third of states with the oldest populations.

A seminal paper in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1994 — that said high-intensity resistance exercise training is effective at counteracting muscle weakness and frailty in the elderly — changed the way the industry approached the subject.

UConn launched its Center on Aging, which caters to those aged 50 and up, soon after the study was published.

Besides the UConn program, other popular exercise plans for the aging include SilverSneakers and Silver&Fit, which are offered through insurance plans, and EnhanceFitness, which is offered at YMCAs in Southington, Naugatuck, Wilton and Cheshire, and is endorsed by the National Council on Aging as “evidence based.” It focuses on endurance, strength, balance and flexibility.

There are also trainers who cater to an older clientele.

Colin Milner, CEO of the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA), an industry association, said that in the last five years there has been a jump in the number of exercise programs cropping up.

“The upswing is because businesses have finally realized the boomer's life course is very different than their parent's life course,” Milner said. “They have a hyper focus on wanting to live better and longer.”

As is the case for almost anyone, the benefits of exercising for the elderly often go beyond the physical. Exercise can help with depression too, said Mary Root, director of exercise and fitness therapy at the Center on Aging's “Powerful Aging” program.

“It's for their mind, body and spirit,” Root said.

While exercise programs for the elderly are seen as a healthy and positive trend that allow older people to remain independent longer, experts say that participants still need to be cautious. No one should jump into an exercise program without checking with a doctor first.

Kuchel said consumers should also be aware that there is no standardized way of certifying exercise trainers, like there is in the medical field.

When seeking out a trainer or program, Kuchel said consumers need to ask: “Do they have expertise working with the elderly?”

“If you have a trainer that is skilled who only works with athletes, their skills may not be good for someone in their 70s, 80s or 90s,” he said.

Kuchel recommends asking for references.

He says the best thing to do is query a trainer “as you would for a roofing contractor, get names of references who you could call and see how things went from the perspective of that individual.”

Waking up with a purpose

At the YMCA in Naugatuck, which offers nearly 30 classes for the elderly, mornings resemble a social hour for retired residents. Many take more than one class.

Karen Lineweber, who is the Y's membership director, had special training in Chicago, becoming certified in the EnhanceFitness exercise program, which originated in Washington in the mid-1990s.

She said many of the gym's older members — who range in age from their 60s to their early 90s — are widows.

“They get up in the morning with a purpose,” Lineweber said.

Naugatuck YMCA member Jeanette Gaudette, of Prospect, said that her EnhanceFitness classes have helped her recover from an operation more quickly than her doctors expected.

“They couldn't believe the energy I had while recuperating,” said Gaudette, who exercised almost daily before her operation.

Meeting demand

The ICAA's Milner said that 20 years ago, retirement communities were very resistant to allowing elderly residents to exercise.

Now, most retirement-home executives realize fitness is healthy. They are also realizing that good fitness programs and facilities are essential to their financial growth.

“Residents who are healthier and independent stay in a community longer, which reduces attrition and adds to the bottom line,” Milner said.

The aging population is just fine with this, of course, preferring to be as healthy and independent as long as possible.

Kuchel said that when elderly patients are asked what is the most important thing they are trying to accomplish with their health, they say they want to stay in their home and avoid the nursing home.