Newton YMCA wants seniors active and informed

Newton YMCA CEO Lucas Hughes said the more active and more aware a senior population is, the better off they’ll be. Well, in just a two-hour window on any given Monday, the facility will see more than 90 or so senior citizens walking through the doors and participating in a variety of activities.

Already, it is clear YMCA plays a large part in bolstering healthy senior lifestyles.

Even more so by the time the annual Senior Health and Fitness Fair, sponsored by Park Centre, arrives on the last Wednesday of the month. From 8:15 to 10 a.m. May 29, the YMCA will not only host fun activities like chair aerobics and cardio drumming, but also presentations designed specifically for seniors.

Presentations include “Scams 101″ lessons from Jeff Holschuh of Advantage Credit Union, lectures from MercyOne Newton physical therapists about getting on and off the ground and discussions about the importance of powers of attorney and code status from WesleyLife, all done twice in 15-minute blocks.

Hughes said the presentations provide a completely different approach to the fair this year by directly educating folks with vendors, whose booths will still be open.

“We’re just trying to throw something different out there this year that makes sense to the seniors that we’re trying to invite in,” Hughes said. “Something to give them a better perspective of what’s going on out there … We want to make sure we’re a beacon of information when it comes to health and wellness.”

Vendor booths will also be available for individuals to learn about assisted living arrangements, health insurance packages or anything else anyone wants to know about senior lifestyles. Hughes said resources like these are important when less than one-quarter of Newton’s population is over the age of 60.

Another pertinent data point is that one-third of YMCA’s membership is made up of seniors, which equates to about 1,000 people. Those figures alone are enough reason for the YMCA to hold the health and fitness fair this month. But the facility is not just catering to one set of the population one day a year.

Additional specialized equipment, senior-focused classes and physical therapy style cardio routines have all been adopted by the local YMCA for some time.

“Most seniors that are coming in here are working off of rehab, so we’re just trying to curate the environment to fit what they need,” Hughes said, noting others just use the YMCA to stay active. “…And on Mondays we have three different classes going on and we’ve got pickleball. Where else do you see that?”

National Senior Health & Fitness Day occurs on the last Wednesday in May of each year. The holiday has been celebrated by health and wellness groups all across the country for 31 years. Typically, these groups hold mini-health fairs, exercise demonstrations, health presentations, screenings and fitness walks.

Hughes said the fair is important because sometimes seniors get overlooked. So often the YMCA dedicates its time to the youth and middle age groups both in the community and outside the community. It is important to not only acknowledge the seniors in town but also make sure they are being well taken care of.

“They need to be noticed and they need to know they’re still important to our society,” Hughes said. “We want them to feel that at the YMCA.”