I did my observation at the Brookdale, Spring Creek Gardens Senior Living Solutions. It is in Plano at 6410 Old Orchard Drive. I observed the morning exercises and interviewed the Activities Director, Cheryl Denman. The morning exercises start at 9 a.m. on weekdays. It always starts with some stretching and warm-up movements. The session always ends with a cool-down that includes slow breathing and mental centering for the day. The following is the exercise activities that I observed organized by days 1-5.
Day 1: Hip and Leg exercises, and additional Stretching.
Day 2: Arm Weights
Day 3: Hip and Leg exercises, and additional Stretching
Day 4: Movement Exercises (arms, shoulders, wrists, fingers, and back/spine), Arm Weights
Day 5: Arm …show more content…
Before she came to Brookdale she had a career as a Special Ed teacher in the Richardson School District. Cheryl said that when she first started working there that they had virtually no exercise program in place. Since that time Brookdale had been bought by a larger company and that is when they began to use the B-Fit program. However, she had already begun a very similar exercise routine before that. She said that she noticed positive changes in them immediately, and it doesn’t take that much for them to benefit from physical activity. Cheryl loves working with the residents, and she works 50+ hours a week. Surprisingly, the aspect of her job that she most dislikes is the corporate aspect, especially since Brookdale was purchased. I can understand that. It has now become more about the numbers and profit. Unfortunately, like most of the health care industry the executives try to steer things towards a much less personal level. This is not something that Cheryl is comfortable with, and it has made her unhappy. She advised me not to get into this end of the industry. It has become less fulfilling for her. She has since decided to retire and given Brookdale her resignation. We have become friends and get together to visit over coffee or lunch. I value her view point on the matter. It has led me to the decision that if I do pursue a career in gerontology, I will go into the research and development end of it. However, when I say research I would hope that I would be working with the elderly directly in testing out new ideas and techniques. I do find it extremely interesting. As I have stated before, I think that we all have much to offer for our entire lives. There should not be a cut-off where we just put the elderly out to pasture, so to speak. I strongly believe that everyone has value no matter what their age, and it is shortsighted for us to overlook them. We owe it to the senior
Day 1: Hip and Leg exercises, and additional Stretching.
Day 2: Arm Weights
Day 3: Hip and Leg exercises, and additional Stretching
Day 4: Movement Exercises (arms, shoulders, wrists, fingers, and back/spine), Arm Weights
Day 5: Arm …show more content…
Before she came to Brookdale she had a career as a Special Ed teacher in the Richardson School District. Cheryl said that when she first started working there that they had virtually no exercise program in place. Since that time Brookdale had been bought by a larger company and that is when they began to use the B-Fit program. However, she had already begun a very similar exercise routine before that. She said that she noticed positive changes in them immediately, and it doesn’t take that much for them to benefit from physical activity. Cheryl loves working with the residents, and she works 50+ hours a week. Surprisingly, the aspect of her job that she most dislikes is the corporate aspect, especially since Brookdale was purchased. I can understand that. It has now become more about the numbers and profit. Unfortunately, like most of the health care industry the executives try to steer things towards a much less personal level. This is not something that Cheryl is comfortable with, and it has made her unhappy. She advised me not to get into this end of the industry. It has become less fulfilling for her. She has since decided to retire and given Brookdale her resignation. We have become friends and get together to visit over coffee or lunch. I value her view point on the matter. It has led me to the decision that if I do pursue a career in gerontology, I will go into the research and development end of it. However, when I say research I would hope that I would be working with the elderly directly in testing out new ideas and techniques. I do find it extremely interesting. As I have stated before, I think that we all have much to offer for our entire lives. There should not be a cut-off where we just put the elderly out to pasture, so to speak. I strongly believe that everyone has value no matter what their age, and it is shortsighted for us to overlook them. We owe it to the senior