Hebrew SeniorLife and Healthworks Community Fitness collaborate to offer fitness curriculum in senior affordable housing communities

Partnership seeks to promote healthy living among older adults

2025-01-29

(Press-News.org) Hebrew SeniorLife and Healthworks Community Fitness have partnered to offer on-site fitness programs at senior living communities across the Boston metro area.

Hebrew SeniorLife, the largest nonprofit provider of senior services in New England, will offer the services through its Right Care, Right Place, Right Time Initiative (R3), which embeds wellness teams into affordable senior housing communities.

Recently, Healthworks Community Fitness launched a new program called Get Movin’, an 8 – 12 week fitness program delivered on-site to senior living communities across the Boston area. Get Movin’ expands the mission of Healthworks Community Fitness by facilitating more access to high-quality fitness resources and preventative health programs in underserved Boston neighborhoods.

"This collaboration allows us to expand our outreach and offer affordable housing developments and senior communities the chance to start their own wellness journey,” said Healthworks Community Fitness Executive Director Gibbs J. Saunders, M.S.

“The partnership between Hebrew SeniorLife and Healthworks Community Fitness was a natural fit, as both nonprofits share the common vision of providing education and support to promote healthy living among older adults,” says R3 Program Director Mimi Lewis, “As Hebrew SeniorLife expands its footprint through the growing R3 program, partnering with Healthworks Community Fitness creates the opportunity for expert fitness instruction to be made available in affordable housing communities.”

The senior-specific exercise curriculum of Get Movin’ teaches senior residents how to improve their health by working on balance, mobility, cardiovascular endurance, and functional training, all while encouraging social connection, infusing fun, and promoting a celebratory spirit around physical movement.

“The fitness classes are highly anticipated by our residents,” says Anya Gorodetskya, R3’s implementation and nursing services manager. “They come early and are eager to participate. Whether it’s weight lifting, chair yoga, or dance movement, all adjusted for age and ability, the older adults join with pleasure. No one can resist the upbeat music and stay still. The classes also create a sense of community and excitement as the residents cheer and encourage each other.”

As part of R3, dedicated nurse care managers and wellness coordinators engage in proactive resident outreach and connect older adult residents with health care services and supports based on individual priorities. The initiative emphasizes health activation and prevention, offering regular health education programs and health clinics. Since its inception in 2017, the R3 program has proven to reduce hospitalizations and ER visits, promote independence, and enhance resident quality of life.

Through its new partnership with Hebrew SeniorLife, Healthworks Community Fitness has recently been offering classes at MLK Towers in Roxbury and Hamilton-Wade Douglas House in Brockton and will begin classes at Fresh Pond Apartments in Cambridge in February.

Both organizations are optimistic about opportunities to collaborate further in 2025 at other affordable housing communities.

About Hebrew Senior Life

Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching, and redefining the possibilities of aging. Hebrew SeniorLife cares for more than 4,500 seniors a day across campuses throughout Greater Boston. Locations include: Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-Boston and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-NewBridge in Dedham; NewBridge on the Charles, Dedham; Orchard Cove, Canton; Simon C. Fireman Community, Randolph; Center Communities of Brookline, Brookline; Jack Satter House, Revere; and Leyland Community, Dorchester. Founded in 1903, Hebrew SeniorLife also conducts influential research into aging at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, which has a portfolio of more than $98 million, making it one of the largest gerontological research facilities in the U.S. in a clinical setting. It also trains more than 500 geriatric care providers each year.

About Healthworks Community Fitness

Healthworks Community Fitness is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing high-quality fitness opportunities and health education for women and their families in Boston neighborhoods in order to prevent and treat chronic diseases, improve health and fitness and promote well-being and empowerment. Healthworks Community Fitness believes all women deserve access to fitness and health. At their flagship center in Dorchester, MA, they have served over 25,000 women in the community since 2002. They were recently featured in the U.S. News and World Report.

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Hebrew SeniorLife and Healthworks Community Fitness collaborate to offer fitness curriculum in senior affordable housing communities

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