Silver Sneakers YMCA Events Keep Seniors On Their Toes

On any given day of the week, the activity calendar at the YMCA of Woodbridge is chock-full of events for its senior adults. There are Wii games on Monday, matinee movies on Tuesdays, knitting and jewelry making on Wednesdays, computer lab and dancing on Thursdays, and Scrabble club every Friday. The schedule is aimed at keeping the township's older adult members active and artful.

Among the most popular and frequented classes, however, is the Silver Sneakers Fitness Program and "Stepping Out With Paula." It was only fitting that dance was incorporated into the Y's annual Valentine's Day celebration. To ring in the day of lovers, the YMCA on Main Street held its annual Sweetheart Dance for the area’s seniors.

Over 50 seniors from the Woodbridge and Evergreen YMCA gathered to cut a rug and celebrate: not only the holiday, but more importantly, each other. Cynthia Ruzich, the Senior and Community Services Director at the Woodbridge Y says there are over 200 active members in the Silver Sneakers Program. The classes average 50 to 60 attendees per meeting and are free for seniors who already have YMCA membership.

For Woodbridge residents the cost to join is $176 a year, including a one-time $35 sign-up fee. For non-Woodbridge residents, the fee is slightly higher.

“Many members pay with their insurance - Medicair, Humana, AARP, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, etc. either partially or in full. And for those that do pay entirely out of pocket, considering all of the benefits of the membership, it’s really not a lot of money.” Ruzich explained.

The benefits Ruzich referred to include access to all of the weekly events and classes. The only additional costs members incur are for special trips or outings scheduled by the Y that they choose to attend.

"Stepping Out With Paula", a popular dance class, is led by 77 - year old Paula Lehman-Pazet. A YMCA member herself, Paula enjoys sharing her talent with her fellow Y members as the lead dance instructor. She teaches dance moves and routines and helps members improve their technique.

For many seniors, the Y is a home away from home. They take full opportunity of events like the Sweetheart Dance to solidify existing friendships and forge new ones.

For Teresa Romita, it was her first event. She joined the Evergreen Y to meet new people and to get a better grip of the computer and internet. Her daughter generously gave her the membership as a gift.

All of the YMCA programs serve multiple purposes. For starters, it fills the obvious void left in the schedules of the many retired seniors. It also helps to keep its members in motion and entertained. For some members, like Ivan, staying in good health is a necessity. He underwent bypass heart surgery  last year and was attracted to the workout facility and opportunities available at the Y. He re-joined to stay healthy and active.

Similarly, Marcy, a Woodbridge YMCA member said she was attending physical therapy through her health insurance following a serious accident she had last year. However,even before its scheduled end, she chose to forego her assigned rehabilitation and instead use the Y facilities. Marcy said though her insurance eventually dropped their coverage of her membership, she continued to pay for it and has no intention of leaving.

Lucy and Bill Comerford, loyal members of the Y were forced to take a hiatus last year after Bill took ill. However when they recently re-joined it was as if they had never left. Lucy blushed, “When we returned it was like meeting old friends again. Everyone was so happy to see us. Wherever you go, the seniors reach out and everyone is friendly. It’s really like a family.”

Lucy and Bill shared several dances and romantic moments during the Sweetheart Dance. Throughout the event, members took part in several line dances including the Cha Cha Slide, Electric Slide and square dances to Country songs. There was also the standard Waltz and Latin/Caribbean-inspired music like the Lambada. The event opened with a blowout performance by Paula's dance team, to Michael Jackson's "Thriller." The routine was developed and taught by Paula.

Every member seemed to feel like Rita who said, “This is a wonderful program they have for the seniors.” Lenny Preiss agreed.

“It’s really a good social club too and you can’t beat the price, provided your insurance covers it. And even if it doesn’t - it’s still a great deal," he said.