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 Hear the Story
Adults over 60 who want to stay in shape have a new workout partner in Towson University. With a contract from the Baltimore County Department of Aging, TU's College of Health Professions is making fitness a way of life for the over-60 set at senior fitness centers around the county.
TU received a five-year, renewable contract in 2005 to operate the county's popular fitness facilities at five senior centers, including Towson, Cockeysville, Randallstown, Dundalk and Catonsville. The program is expected to expand to add fitness centers in eight to 10 of the county's 18 senior centers.
T he nationally accredited senior centers serve as community focal points for county residents, offering a variety of interesting (and mostly free) health and fitness, social, recreational and educational programs.
These fitness centers are a way to extend TU's successful Wellness Center programs to an appreciative off-campus audience. "It's a logical extension of what we're already doing," says Wellness Center director Bill Forbes, Ph.D. "We're offering screening, fitness testing, exercise prescriptions and protocols at the centers. Students and faculty in the College of Health Professions are developing and conducting educational programs too."
The fitness centers also provide a clinical setting for students in the College of Health Professions to complete practicum and internship experiences, Forbes adds. "For example, exercise science students are already practicing and improving their clinical skills working with seniors at the centers."
The over-60 set is a demographic force to be reckoned with, says Forbes. "In terms of the percentage of senior citizens, Baltimore County ranks second only to Dade County, Fla.," he says. "And the numbers will really take off as baby boomers begin entering their 60s."
Forbes describes the undertaking as being rewarding on a number of levels. "The senior centers serve a variety of needs,” he says. “They give people a reason to go out, meet others and socialize. With the expansion of the fitness programming, I think we're also in a position to address some very important quality-of-life issues for Baltimore County seniors."
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