Facility caters to older population
It`s no secret staying active can lead to a healthy more productive life, but as the stages of life progress and years start to take a toll on the body, where is there to go? With many gyms targeting the younger demographic to become members, the senior population is left to nd facilities that can cater to their needs.
Kedgy Larson, owner of Fitness Lady in Bossier City, has dedicated her life to health and tness and takes special consideration to her senior club members.
“I have such a love of the senior population,” Larson said. “And you can call them ‘seniors,’ ‘veterans,’ ‘boomers,’ it’s not what you call them, what you need to realize is they’re still productive individuals and human beings. They want to contribute and feel like they have a purpose. And they can do it better when they have health.”
Larson said because people are living longer because of research and medicine, it’s important to make that longer life a viable, vibrant and full one. She said because of how we view the aging population, we can make mistakes trying to care for them.
“When people retire, their children may think they’re [getting older] and need to take it easy, and they’ll have someone come in to do their lawn, or clean their house,” she said. “We basically enable them to get older faster.”
“The more you sit, the more deconditioned the muscles get, the weaker they get,” she said. “Sitting is not good for retirement. It’s not good for the elderly, and it’s proving to be very disruptive to even the working population now.”
A crucial aspect in keeping seniors active is realizing they have some of the same needs as anyone else.
“The young people need to move more, so does the older population,” Larson said. “The young people need to build on their muscle control, so does the older population. The young people need to have variety of activities and social interaction and especially so do the older people.”
“The independence and quality of life that my members have at Fitness Lady is my responsibility; that’s how personal I take it,” Larson said. “We provide love; when they come in, I know their names and they get hugs. It’s a little thing, but sometimes [that’s just what they needed].”
Something Larson focuses on at her tness club is injury prevention and how to live a quality life.
She stresses the importance of stretching and deep breathing and encourages her members to use their swimming or whirlpool to aid in their exercises or rehabilitation.
“Our doctors need to realize that [the seniors] don’t always need another prescription,” she said.
“They need to come to a tness center where they can have social interaction and more movement. They need a prescription to come to Fitness Lady and get in our whirlpool and do some stretching. Instead of another medication that’s just going to dull your senses.”
“We forget that our seniors are just like us, they have stress and they need someone to talk to, laugh with and to share with,” she said. “Sometimes they just need to be encouraged and know that they have accomplished a lot in life and they’re still going strong.”
The biggest difference, however, is that they can require extra attention in their tness, especially when everyday chores can sometimes be a painful experience.
“The simple things we do in life, try to do them when you’ve got arthritis in your body or when you’ve had a double knee replacement and aren’t able to bend over,” Larson said.
Larson offers classes that cater to “ages above 50” and never fails to mention the bene ts of getting in the pool to work on muscle movement. It is her members, however, that really say it all.
A popular program aimed at remaining active in one’s senior years is Silver Sneakers, which is typically offered through Medicare. Several local gyms in the Shreveport-Bossier City area are participating facilities.
– Katie Ho
SEE MORE
For a full list of participating locations, visit www.silversneakers.com, and for more information on the Fitness Lady and their class schedule, visit their website www. fitnessladyonline.com.
