Page 5 - Spring 2015

Like Brannon, Bob McKenzie of Brighton also teaches and found fulfillment from helping others achieve wellness. At age 72, McKenzie continues to work as a family law attorney on a part-time basis. Sandwiched between work, marriage, children and grandchildren, McKenzie carves out time to teach EnhanceFitness classes. “I’ve found it a rewarding experience. When you’re in a trial practice banging heads, the environment can be very isolating. EnhancedFitness classes serve as a healthy social outlet for seniors,” he said.
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At the end of each session, participants decide what they are going to do for that week to incorporate fresh ideas into their life. This becomes their action plan. It might be about healthy eating, difficult emotions or exercise, etc. Brannon emphasized, “Now, Vicki and I take time every weekend to do an action plan for the upcoming week and this has become an integral part of our lives.”
Brannon was so impressed with the PATH program he decided to become a facilitator and trained to become certified in January of 2012. To date, he’s taught seventeen PATH courses. “Teaching the program reinforces everything I learned. The whole process has had such a profound effect on me. It’s given me a new passion and purpose in life.”
Brannon decided to continue with additional training to become a certified Diabetes PATH instructor. This course has the same framework as PATH but is focused on the day-to-day techniques and skills needed to manage type II diabetes. “There’s an activity where we go around the room and together we’ll plan a breakfast, lunch and dinner that’s within dietary guidelines,” he said and mentioned that learning how to read food labels and exercise are some of the many topics covered. Brannon said, “During the last class, each person creates an action plan that covers three to six months in advance. It might be, I’ll lose twenty pounds within the next year.” Then each person comes up with details as to how they will meet this goal. Even if you’ve been to a diabetes education class, Brannon noted, “People come to the Diabetes Path class and they end up having a blast.”
Brannon was named the 2013 State of Michigan Outstanding PATH Leader of the Year by Michigan Partners on the PATH, a conglomerate of more than 40 agencies statewide. “I think the people I teach can relate to me. I can’t hide the fact that I have a disability so it’s easy for participants to see the benefits.”
He continued, “This entire PATH process has had a profound effect on me. I’ve embraced healthy eating and exercise. I’m better at managing my pain and my relationship with Vicki is to the point that she says she’s gained back the man she married.”
“I guess what convinced me about EnhanceFitness is that it’s an evidence-based program. Exercises were proven to help people increase their strength, flexibility and mobility so they can remain active in their senior years. It wasn’t just someone saying, ‘These things work.’ There is actual research done at the university level and that appealed to me because the approach makes sense,” said McKenzie.
Classes are an hour long,
two to three times per week.
“Everyone has a chair for balance
or support and all movements can
be modified,” he said. “We start
slowly with some easy stretching
and then build up the pace with
arms and legs.” While the first
20-25 minutes involve aerobics to
get the heart rate up, participants are encouraged to move at their own pace. “The level of energy goes up from the start of class to theend and that’s what keeps people coming back. They feel much better from the experience,” McKenzie said.
And attaining that feeling of wellness is the ultimate goal in order to age successfully. For Oakland county residents Roger and Jessica Moore getting started on that path to wellness meant making some changes. Bad habits developed in earlier years would need to be examined and replaced with healthier behaviors. The Moores attended A Matter of Balance course offered at Crittenton Hospital in Rochester. They learned of the program through a friend who picked up a flyer and encouraged them to attend.
The Moores, both 72, had experienced a fall prior to taking the class. Jessica fell last spring and broke the humerus on her right arm while slipping off a shovel as she was digging in the garden. The Moores live off a main
street and
Jessica
happened to
Bob McKenzie, instructing an EnhanceFitness class, said, “In this encouraging environment, we're all a work in progress.”
Roger, on the other hand, began noticing that he was occasionally unsteady on his feet. “I fell at work when I was with Detroit Edison. In the plant, the floors would be a half step up or down. I have a tendency to focus on what I’m doing and not where I’m going. I stepped off of one of those floors, stumbled and fell,” he said. Fortunately, this wakeup call for the Moores resulted in positive changes.
According to Jessica, “In A Matter of Balance
we learned about many simple things we could do
to prevent any kind of a fall. Like for example, I’d get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom (which is about six steps from the bed) and I wouldn’t bother to turn on the light. But in the dark, you’re nearly asleep. You could slip on something; get your foot tangled on clothing that wasn’t picked up from the floor; walk into a door jamb; or trip over an animal.” Roger added, “We have four cats and one of them is black.” So the couple now has nightlights and flash- lights not only bedside, but also in designated areas on each floor.
The course is designed to prevent falls, reduce the fear of falling, and increase physical activity through engaging group and individual activities. It’s divided into eight-two hour sessions that are facilitated by a ratio of one to two trained coaches to 10-16 participants.
“One of the best things I got from the program
is to know that it’s okay to ask someone for help,” said Jessica. Roger mentioned the exercise segment. “A physical therapist hosted the exercise class and demonstrated how to get up from a fall,” he said. The session gave Jessica an opportunity to reenact her fall as she got down on the floor into different positions and roll played how she’d get to her feet.
“I think I have more confidence now,” Jessica stated.
Roger said, “We were so impressed with the program that we approached our pastor and told him about the value of the course. So this spring, A Matter of Balance will be offered at Oakland Woods Baptist Church in Clarkston for anyone who wants to attend.”
If you’d like more information about PATH, Diabetes PATH, EnhanceFitness, A Matter of Balance or other wellness programs designed for adults age 60+, call 800-852-7795 to speak with an Area Agency on Aging 1-B resource specialist, or visit online at www.aaa1b.com.
A lifelong avid runner, McKenzie had
surgery at age 70 to repair a herniated
disc. Following his recovery, McKenzie
moved off the open roads and into the
gym, using low impact machines and
strengthening his core with Pilates. It
wasn’t until he discovered EnhanceFitness,
an exercise program intended to help older adults
at all levels of fitness become more active, energized and empowered; that McKenzie decided to become a certified instructor.
Roger and Jessica Moore practice techniques that they learned through Matter of Balance.“Our instructor encouraged us to do simple exercises at home using a chair and objects found in your home, like canned goodsforweights,”saidJessica.
fall into the driveway and not onto the road. She also had her cell phone on hand and Roger was home to help out. But the scenario haunted her. What if I hit my head? What if I fell in the road? What if I didn’t have my phone with me?