Seniors In Motion: The Fountains of Melbourne, Kisco Senior Living (Melbourne, FL)

The Fountains of Melbourne is a retirement community in Melbourne, Florida which focuses on the six dimensions of wellness: emotional, physical, intellectual, spiritual, social and vocational. Their wellness program, “Healthy Strides,” was instituted to address the quality of life commitment contained in their vision, principles, values, and beliefs statement. The Healthy Strides wellness center includes an outdoor pool, exercise room and locker rooms. The staff consists of a full-time Healthy Strides Director and several Healthy Strides assistants.

Results

• In an effort to quantify results, Kisco Senior Living contracts with a service to conduct resident, family and associate satisfaction surveys. The most recent scores in all surveys indicate the wellness programming is above the industry average in all areas and provides The Fountains with a competitive advantage is this arena.
• 70% of residents participate in the wellness program
• No added fees for any of the programming
• Based on resident demand, classes are added or modified to ensure participation
• 70-80% of staff participate in the wellness program

Strengths

• All staff members are encouraged to participate in the wellness program and to live by the wellness philosophy.
• As part of their benefits package, the staff has access to the Fitness Center, the pool and the two on staff Personal Trainers all free of charge.
• The Healthy Strides staff is enhanced by everyone’s contribution to the wellness philosophy.
• The program prides itself on its ability to listen to residents’ needs and concerns, and then program accordingly. Residents’ positive feedback provides continued proof that Healthy Strides is on the right track.
• Programs are designed specifically for seniors and include several exercise options so that all residents can participate
• The exercise room consists of 10 pieces of Keiser equipment, 3 pieces of NuStep equipment and 3 Treadmills, as well as a Stretching Station.
• Aquatic exercises take place in the 40×60 foot pool.

Innovative Ideas

• A unique part of the program is the computer lab, or “brain gym.” Keeping with their commitment to the six dimensions of wellness, Healthy Strides’ brain gym includes exercises for memory, alertness, and understanding skills.
• The costs involved six Dell computer stations and the monthly contractual fee with Posit Science. There is no additional computer software.
• Monthly Healthy Strides newsletter filled with wellness articles and healthy recipes as well as reminders about wellness classes.
• A “Progressive Marathon” allowed residents and staff to complete the required 26.2 miles of a marathon in a period of 6 weeks. Each participant was awarded a certificate of completion and a gold medal. 80 residents and 40 staff members successfully completed the event.
• Weight loss competition similar to the “Biggest Loser.”

Everyone weighed in on April 1st and will be weighed in again on August 31st. The property with the biggest percentage of weight lost wins the title and prizes for all participants.

Lessons Learned
Healthy Strides staff members stress the importance of changing exercise routines in order to meet the needs of residents. At the beginning of a new program, it may be necessary to lead participants in exercises which they may not be used to or able to do. This process is “trial and error” and forces any exercise program to change and continuously meet the expectations of participants.

Implementation Steps
In 2002, Kisco Senior Living made a corporate-wide decision to implement a whole person wellness philosophy in each of its communities. In many communities, this required significant construction, materials costs, and additional staff hiring.

Fortunately for The Fountains of Melbourne, the community already had an outdoor pool. The largest costs included exercise equipment and the wellness staff. Since the development of the program, The Fountains of Melbourne encourages all staff members and residents to contribute to the program’s continued success by participating in the wellness programs.

Contact Information
Healthy Strides Director
1200 Earhart Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
(321) 984-1494, Ext. 21
Email: hash@kiscosl.com