Senior Center Keeps Residents Healthy, Vibrant and Active
At the South Iredell Senior Center, there’s no shortage of activities for seniors to keep their minds nimble and active. And to ensure their bodies stay strong and agile, there are just as many exercise programs from which to choose. Since opening in the mid-1990s, the center and its sister facility in Statesville have worked to provide area seniors with a one-stop place for mental and physical activity, entertainment and more. There’s no membership fee for Iredell County residents, and the programs have grown to encompass just about anything people ask for.
These days that includes a lot of exercise, with specialized programs designed to ensure that every level of fitness is accommodated.
“We have our exercise room that people can come in and use anytime we’re open, but we also have things like table-tennis classes from advanced to beginners, exercise classes that promote and increase individual strength and flexibility, and a lot more,” says Tina Czarnecki, manager. “We also have our walking club, the Silver Striders, who walk together and individually and count miles to reach certain goals. They have special lunch-and-learn and nutritional programs to encourage them throughout the year.”
There’s also a full range of water-exercise programs, as well as arthritis-friendly classes in aerobics, tai chi and yoga. There also are evidence-based learning classes that last six weeks and one that focuses on chronic disease self-management, called Learn to Live A Healthier Life, that also is six weeks long, Czarnecki says.
Chair-based exercise classes also are available, and special needs remain at the forefront of any planning efforts.
“We have a lot of classes that we gear toward certain disabilities, certain needs, so that everyone can participate,” Czarnecki says. “We’re very accommodating so we can reach everyone.”
As a part of the center’s ongoing exercise-program roster, it also has partnered with area hospitals and care providers to conduct monthly blood pressure, hearing, cholesterol, glucose and other screenings on site. Most of those services are provided at little or no cost and supplement the comprehensive diet and exercise offerings already on tap at the center. “We also have seminars and workshops that provide them with updated information on all kinds of health issues and also have classes for the caregivers so they can learn how to take care of themselves as well as the person they’re caring for,” Czarnecki says. “We want to support those people, as well, so they can continue to provide quality care.”
The center also offers plenty of other ways to get moving, from monthly dances to shuffleboard. “We’re working all the time to be able to offer and provide more, because our people really enjoy them,” Czarnecki says. “We even have doctors tell their patients that they need to come down here and take some of these classes as part of their rehab after surgery, which is a really nice recommendation to get.”
