Colonial Heights and Gardens, a senior center in Florence, Kentucky, provides exercise facilities for its residents. Two centers, one located in the “independent living” building and one located in the “personal care” building, each consist of an exercise room and an activity room. Residents are able to join the Wellness Center at no cost. The Wellness Center is a key amenity to Colonial Heights and Gardens, playing an important role in keeping the apartments full, thereby creating profit for the community. The wellness programs are coordinated by a wellness director and/or a wellness educator. A wellness staff is on hand to instruct and guide the residents through different exercises.
Results
Strengths
The Colonial Heights and Gardens’ wellness program was not developed to generate revenue through membership fees. Rather, it was developed to meet the needs of current and future residents. Strengths of the program, therefore, include:
Innovative Ideas
Lessons Learned
The important lesson this facility has learned is the importance of one-on-one counseling with seniors. The trained supervisors insist that this type of counseling is most effective in encouraging a senior to improve his or her health and fitness.
Implementation Steps
The fitness instructors at Colonial Heights and Gardens believe that their program is rather easy for other senior centers to implement. If an exercise facility already exists at a center, the only additional expenses would be a wellness director and optionally, a small staff. Exercise equipment is typically a one-time cost, though maintenance costs may pop up from time to time. Senior centers without any sort of exercise facility must decide whether to build an appropriate center or to modify their exercise program to be workable on the general campus of the senior center. In this case, walking programs or yoga may be most easy to implement.
Contact Information
Manager
Colonial Heights and Gardens
(859) 525-6900
6900 Hopeful Road
Florence, KY 41042
