NuStep, Inc. Presents The Fountains of Melbourne Healthy Strides Program with the 2002 NuStep Pinnacle Award
ANN ARBOR, Mich., December 12, 2002 – The Healthy Strides Wellness program at The Fountains of Melbourne is the winner of the 2002 NuStep Pinnacle award, a national award presented to organizations that provide outstanding wellness programs for older adults.
The Healthy Strides Wellness Program, which was established in 2001, addresses the six dimensions of wellness – emotional, physical, intellectual, spiritual, social and vocational – to help older adults live longer with a higher quality of life and greater independence.
The NuStep Pinnacle Award was established in 1999 to publicize the importance of actively managing fitness and wellness as we age, and to highlight outstanding programs throughout the United States that are developed specifically for seniors. The winners are chosen by third-party judges from applications received from across the country.
“The Fountains of Melbourne’s Healthy Strides Wellness Program is a model that is helping older adults become more physically fit in a supportive environment,” said Steve Sarns, vice president of NuStep, who helped develop the NuStep TRS 4000 recumbent cross trainer. “The program succeeds because it has the full commitment and support of the Kisco Senior Living Community. The staff is well trained, energetic, creative and caring. These are important elements to the success of wellness programs. It is our hope that more programs like it will open across the country, making life better for people as they age.”
The Fountains of Melbourne Senior Living Community has 300 residents. Since opening fourteen years ago it has always had a fitness center. In 2000, the Kisco-owned community reinvigorated the center by creating the Healthy Strides Wellness Program, adding trained staff and investing in new exercise equipment. When the program was first established only 10 percent of residents participated, but as the staff communicated with residents and created programs that met their needs and interests, the program has become very popular. More than 50 percent of residents participate in the Physical Dimension of Wellness, and with programming like lectures and special events, the program touches the lives of nearly 90 percent of residents on a regular basis.
The program is designed to help residents achieve the six dimensions of wellness -- emotional, physical, intellectual, spiritual, social and vocational. The physical dimension is addressed with a wide variety of exercise programs including aquatics. Classes and a well-equipped exercise room help residents strengthen muscles and get cardiovascular exercise.
One resident, a 91 year-old woman named Betty Jane Holbrook, made a strong commitment to exercise and improving her health even after her family joked that she would never go into the Fitness Center. Overweight and out of condition, Ms. Holbrook set a personal goal to get healthier, and started by exercising on the NuStep TRS 4000 for seven minutes. She gradually increased the number of steps she took each session.
Later, she added strength training. Now, she has lost 35 pounds, and can leg-press 180 pounds. After a 13-month period, Ms. Holbrook increased her strength in her arms, and on a two-minute endurance test, she increased her score by 25 percent. More importantly, she made significant functional gains. For example, she is now able to climb and descend the stairs of the Fountain’s 15-passenger van and use the stairs at relative’s homes when she visits. These are activities she could not perform before she began her exercise program. Also, she is able to rise from a chair without using her hands, another activity of daily living that she was unable to perform before her exercise program began. Due to the overall improvement in her wellness, Ms. Holbrook was able to donate blood for the first time. She passed the blood bank’s screenings, allowing her to donate a pint of blood and become Brevard County’s oldest blood donor.
The intellectual dimension of wellness is addressed through lecture programs, including visits by local political leaders who discuss the key issues of the day. Social needs are supported through special activities and programs like “Adopt-a-Road,” where residents volunteer to maintain a one-mile stretch of road in their community.
“Fitness is for everyone, not just the young,” said Christine Schnitzer, Director of the Healthy Strides Wellness Program. “We are very excited to win the NuStep Pinnacle Award and we hope this will help us raise awareness about the importance of addressing the many dimensions of wellness as we age. Through the Healthy Strides Wellness Program, I have seen older adults transform their lives with regular exercise and a focus on other dimensions of wellness, including their social and spiritual needs.”
As the winner of the Nustep Pinnacle Award, The Fountains of Melbourne receives a NuStep TRS 4000 recumbent cross trainer (valued at $3,200) for their center and a Pinnacle Award to display.
NuStep, Inc., with headquarters in Ann Arbor, Mich., is the maker of exercise equipment that promotes health and well being among people of all ages. Founded in 1987 by Richard and Norma Sarns, the company’s products are in use at fitness, wellness and rehabilitation centers across the country, including The Mayo Clinic, the University of Michigan, the Cleveland Clinic and the Duke Center for Living. For more information, call 1-800-322-2209 or log onto the web site at www.nustep.com for more information.
