USA: Class to teach senior citizens how to live well

FLORENCE, South Carolina (SCNow.com), August 16, 2008: By Jamie Durant Morning News Health/Environmental Reporter The Senior Citizen’s Association in Florence will hold a class in September to teach seniors how to live well in their golden years. “The actual name of the program is Living Well South Carolina,” said Rebecca Whittle, the program’s organizer and community outreach coordinator for the Leatherman Senior Center. “It is funded through a grant awarded to the Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control by the U.S. Administration on Aging.” Whittle said the class is for people older than 65 who have one or more chronic illnesses or are living with someone who has chronic illnesses. “That could be anything ranging from arthritis and diabetes to heart disease,” she said. “It encompasses anything that is an ongoing illness.” Subjects in classes include how to deal with frustration, fatigue and pain, what is considered to be appropriate exercises for maintaining strength, flexibility and endurance, and making informed treatment decisions. Fannie Kennedy, a social worker at the center and one of the organizers for the program, said the program is about putting the decisions into the hands of seniors. “It helps them manage a disease and not let a disease manage them,” she said. “It gives them tools and skills to use in managing a disease.” The program’s main goal is to help seniors take back control of their health, Kennedy said. One senior who took part in previous Living Wells programs at the Leatherman Senior Center, 72-year-old Shirley Anderson, said she appreciated the support system she discovered while taking the classes. “I don’t know how to explain it other than it was helpful, nice and very appreciated,” she said. On the first day, Anderson said, each member had to give up something unhealthy or add something healthy to their life. “I’m a chocoholic, a real chocolate fiend, so I told them I was going to give up chocolate for a whole week,” she said. Anderson said her classmates laughed at first, but were amazed when she actually stuck to her goal. “It was doing one thing at a time, something that was good for you,” she said. “My breathing is better, the pain is better, everything seems to work better. It helps to have people you can confide in and rag on, and who will rag on you if you mess up. It’s all in fun, though.” Each class member will be provided a book and a CD. A $5 donation toward the cost of materials is requested, but not required and the class is free. © 2008 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC.