The county is trying to help improve the health of Kaua‘i’s kupuna with a fitness program launched last week at the Koloa and Waimea neighborhood centers. Called EnhanceFitness, the program includes low impact, aerobic and strength training exercises, along with
The county is trying to help improve the health of Kaua‘i’s kupuna with a fitness program launched last week at the Koloa and Waimea neighborhood centers.
Called EnhanceFitness, the program includes low impact, aerobic and strength training exercises, along with stretching.
The classes are held three days a week:
• Koloa Neighborhood Center, Monday, Thursday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. — April Raymond, instructor.
• Waimea Neighborhood Center, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. — Patricia Pacanas, instructor.
Interest in the program has been tremendous, said Naomi Sugihara with the Agency on Elderly Affairs, in a press release.
“We’re still taking sign-ups for classes at the Koloa site, but Waimea is already filled to capacity,” Sugihara said in the release, noting that seniors 60 years and older are eligible for the EnhanceFitness program.
“We are very pleased to offer a program that has been scientifically proven to enhance the health status of older adults,” said Kealoha Takahashi, head of the Kaua‘i County Agency on Elderly Affairs, in the release.
She explained that the EnhanceFitness program, which was designed by Seattle-based Senior Services, has been successfully implemented in many communities across the country.
Hawai‘i is one of 16 states that received a grant from the U.S. Administration on Aging to develop programs that empower older adults to take control of their health. The statewide initiative is called Healthy Aging Partnership n Empowering Elders.
On Kaua‘i, the EnhanceFitness program is being offered by the Agency on Elderly Affairs in collaboration with several organizations including: the state Executive Office on Aging, Department of Health, Kaua‘i County Department of Parks & Recreation, Kaua‘i Economic Opportunity, and 50+ Lifelong Fitness.
KEO has been contracted by the county to run the Enhance-Fitness program for the first year.
For more information, call Sugihara at 241-4475 or Maureen Rapozo, KEO program coordinator, 245-4077, ext. 244.
