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Grant
to boost fitness center for seniors
the
Kentucky Post,
November 10, 2003
When Pat Dressman looked at the assortment of
services that were available for senior citizens in Northern
Kentucky
, she came to a disturbing conclusion: "We aren't keeping them
healthy enough."
Dressman's friend, Jan Montague, had at least a partial
solution. Why not establish a wellness and fitness center at the
Campbell
County
Senior
Center
?
Thus was born what organizers say will be the first
facility of its kind in
Northern Kentucky
, and probably in all of Greater Cincinnati.
The wellness and fitness facility at the
Campbell
County
Senior
Center
on Alexandria Pike in
Highland
Heights
will take a major step toward reality today when Gov. Paul Patton delivers
a check for $429,000 from a block grant that will finance the majority of
work on the venture.
Highland
Heights
applied for the grant in partnership with
Campbell County Fiscal Court
.
The center will have 2,000 square feet, half of it for
flexibility activities like tai chi and yoga. The other half will be
filled with fitness equipment specifically approved for older users.
Example: a recumbent bike easily accessible to people from wheelchairs.
The center will be open to all comers 60 or older in
eight
Northern Kentucky
counties.
"There are a couple of Y's, I think, in
Cincinnati
, that have senior areas, but you have to pay a lot of money for
those," said Dressman, director of the Campbell County Human Services
Department. "This is free. There's nothing else like this around
here."
"Energize Your Life," a program that will
operate out of the Wellness and
Fitness
Center
, has already started at
Northern
Kentucky
University
. There, students doing internships serve as trainers to seniors, working
with groups of four and five.
Montague, whose
Highland
Heights
firm, Montague, Eippert & Associates, deals with wellness and fitness
issues, helped to get the partnership with NKU going. The Northern
Kentucky Independent Health District contributed a $40,000 match for the
program and the Greater Cincinnati Health Foundation awarded the venture
$14,000 for equipment.
"Studies show that poor health among seniors is
often a reversible condition with lifestyle changes," said Josh Wice,
an administrative analyst for
Campbell County Fiscal Court
. "We hope this is a step toward achieving that."
Dressman expects the senior wellness and fitness center
to go out for bids in January and hopes construction can start April 1.
Target date for completion is December 2004.
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