Free Wellness Programs for Older Adults

Project Budget:  $40,000
City of Los Angeles, Department of Recreation and Parks
www.laparks.org

The Department of Recreation and Parks goal of adding free wellness classes is to reach out to the older adult population within lower socio-economic areas of the City.

As we age, we are more inclined to experience arthritis, diabetes, and obesity. Watching what we eat and including physical exercise is complementary, if not vital to living a healthy life. Recreation and Parks wants to play a role in getting older adults out of the house and into an active and social environment. Social activity is also very important as isolation and depression are very common among older adults.

Participating in our Wellness Program, older adults can get active while making new friends and having those important social interactions. These free wellness classes will be offered at recreation centers in low income communities in South East Los Angeles, where older adults aged 50+ on fixed incomes cannot afford to pay for quality classes geared for their demographics. The older adult population is rising, and to keep them healthy and active, we offer healthy lifestyle opportunities at local recreation centers.

There will be three classes offered at each site for each 8-week session, including two physical classes and one life skills class.