Seniors learn about mobility courses at luncheon

On Friday, Oct. 9, the Patchogue Village Department of Parks and Recreation held a fall luncheon for seniors at their main location on Bay Avenue.

Over two-dozen women attended the event that was catered by Chubs Meats in Ronkonkoma. Dining on baked pasta dishes, Caesar salad, and fresh bread, attendees were delighted with the spread.

Sloan Yoselowitz from NYU Langone spoke at the luncheon about the hospital’s classes on exercise for balance and strengthening and other more advanced physical therapy-type classes for more active seniors. Other resources include aging specialists and safety experts.

Yoselowitz impressed upon the women that many seniors admitted to rehabilitation facilities were injured during a fall. In his experience, Yoselowitz found that seniors who attended at least five of the eight mobility classes all improved walking speed, balance, and strength.

“Falls are preventable, and the more and more you can stay active and do things and be independent, that’s great,” said Yoselowitz.

The classes, held both virtually and in-house at Bay Avenue, are approximately an hour and are typically not conversational, with the sole focus being on improving physical capabilities.

For extremely active seniors, there is a Stay Active and Independent for Life (SAIL) fitness classes that is 10 minutes of stretching, 15 to 20 minutes of aerobics, upper- and lower-body strength training, and a cool down.

Funding for the program comes from New York state.

Patchogue Village trustee Kevin Weeks and mayor Paul Pontieri were also in attendance, along with representatives from the police department, who joked that all the attendees “better not have expired registrations!”