Schottland Family YMCA’s active older adult coordinator says members join not just for fitness and wellness but also for friendship, camaraderie and sense of community
By Mike Costanza
The YMCA of Greater Rochester offers a host of benefits to its members at 11 branch locations and neighborhood centers.
They can hoist barbells in weight training rooms, practice yoga, learn computer skills, gather together to socialize or participate in many other activities. Parents can even drop off their children at Child Watch centers while they work up a sweat. With a current budget of about $60 million and a staff of approximately 2,200, the YMCA of Rochester serves over 101,000 members, more than 28,000 of whom are 55 years old or older. Such members are called “active older adults” (AOA).
In Good Health spoke to Janet Paris, active older adult coordinator at the Schottland Family YMCA, about the services that its parent organization, the YMCA of Greater Rochester, provides for older adults. At 140,000 square feet, the Schottland branch is the second largest in the US.
Q. What brings older adults to the YMCA of Greater Rochester?
A. These are our health seekers. They’re not only just looking for fitness, they’re looking for an overall sense of community and belonging to an organization.
Q. Can you tell us of some of the fitness activities AOAs can engage in at the YMCA of Greater Rochester?
A. We offer a wide array of them. We have complete fitness centers in our branch locations. They can come and use our strength equipment, and we also have something called an “electronic gym” at several of our facilities. They [members] are set up with one of our wellness coaches and programmed on each piece of equipment, so they can have it suited to their needs. They’ll feel accomplished when they’re able to perform the exercises correctly. There’s also several pieces of cardio [equipment] in our wellness centers, like bikes and treadmills and ellipticals and rowers. Several of our branches have indoor tracks, so they can escape the elements of the cold or the rain and still keep up with their walking.
Q. Some AOAs might not be up to jump into an exercise routine right off the bat. How does the YMCA of Greater Rochester help them start working their way to greater fitness?
A. We give them an array of classes that give them an ability to progress as their strength develops and their cardiovascular system improves. It could be things like a gentle yoga class on the floor, a qigong, a tai chi, a Zumba class. We also have many things in our pool. We have silver splash, aquafit and silver sneakers classes. We like to give them those options so that they can feel accomplished.
Q. Does the YMCA of Greater Rochester provide other activities for its AOAs?
A. We like to give them a blend of fitness, health and wellness, education, social (activities) and arts. They’ll come in for a fitness class, or time in our wellness center, but then they’ll stay on. It might be for mahjong or card games. It may be for a lecture. We have a partnership with the University of Rochester, so there’ll be different programs that will come in and speak on maintaining a healthy mind and body. At the Schottland Family YMCA, we offer arts and humanities programs. Twice a month, I actually have an instructor that does open art [classes] for active older adults. He will teach watercolors or sculpting or origami.
Q. You mentioned that some branches have STEAM (science, technology, engineering and math) labs that are used for instruction in technical subjects. What goes on in them?
A. We’ll bring in a technology expert. There’ll be all kinds of topics that folks are learning from when our technology expert comes in. It could be on navigating the internet, virus protection, how to use Microsoft Office, the basics of the iPhone.
Q. In what other ways might membership in the YMCA of Greater Rochester benefit an older adult?
A. It really is a place for them to feel a sense of community and make friendships and form a bond with people. Many meet daily to attend class together, walk on the track, chat over a cup of coffee, and enjoy time in our community rooms. We offer a monthly AOA calendar with many opportunities to learn. Some of our most popular activities include a monthly book club, weekly mahjong and bridge games, cooking demonstrations, watercolor classes, jewelry making, presentations from community organizations, and holiday socials.
The YMCA of Greater Rochester also offers eight day and overnight camps and one retreat center, The Y at Watson Woods.
For more information on all of its programs, go to: https://rochesterymca.org