Westminster Village Senior Wellness Powered by NIFS

The Oslo University Hospital in Norway recently studied 5,700 men, age 68-77, who exercised 30 minutes a day, six days a week. The study concluded that, on average, this exercise regimen helped add more than five years to the lives of the participants. Yet, according to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, only about 1/3 of American adults get 150 minutes of exercise per week−and the level of activity typically decreases even more among seniors. By age 75, about one in three men and one in two women engage in no physical activity at all. That’s why, here at Westminster Village Terre Haute, we’re so committed to providing opportunities for residents to get the exercise they need to stay well.

Partners in Fitness

One example of our commitment to senior wellness is our partnership with the National Institute for Fitness and Sport (NIFS). NIFS is a non-profit organization that provides management services, senior fitness programs, and facility layout and design services for the fitness centers of senior living communities all across the country. Our community’s state-of-the-art fitness center, the Westminster Athletic Club, is overseen by a full-time, NIFS-certified fitness manager. NIFS-certified managers are some of the most rigorously trained and vetted professionals in the fitness industry today. Most NIFS managers have earned specialty certifications for personal training, group exercise, and other related areas, and the organization provides numerous opportunities for continuing education through workshops and training, online resources and leadership support.

At Westminster Village, our NIFS fitness manager will work with you to develop a fitness plan that includes suggestions for nutrition, functional movement and exercise and is also available for personalized, one-on-one sessions. Our instructor-led group classes feature a variety of fun and effective activities that meet virtually any level of ability or fitness goals.

A Healthy Lifestyle

By partnering with NIFS and promoting physical exercise, Westminster Village is following through on its mission to create an environment that fosters a vibrant, engaged and healthy senior lifestyle.  According to a report from the U.S. Surgeon General, physical activity helps aging adults maintain the ability to live independently, reduces the risk of falling and fracturing bones, and reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression while fostering improvements in mood and feelings of well-being.

To learn more about our NIFS-powered senior fitness program, contact Westminster Village Terre Haute at (812)-645-7246.

Ivy Tech Community College Terre Haute Agriculture and Precision Agriculture programs began harvesting six acres of sweet corn this week, and donated the corn to several local restaurants to help support our local economy. In keeping with tradition, all six acres of corn will be donated to local organizations, including Catholic Charities Foodbank, Westminster Village, and Master Gardeners. Thanks to the generosity of Westminster Village, Ivy Tech students and faculty have planted sweet corn on the Davis Avenue plot for the past seven years.

“We are proud that the labor of our students and faculty will directly benefit our local community,” said Lea Anne Crooks, Ivy Tech Terre Haute chancellor. “The donation of sweet corn, along with the Ivy Tech Community & College Benefit Series, are a few ways we have been able to offer assistance to industries hit especially hard during the Coronavirus pandemic.”

Ivy Tech sweet corn can be enjoyed in local menus at the Butler’s Pantry, Delish Café, Fifi’s Lunch Box, J. Ford’s Black Angus, Rick’s Smokehouse and The Saratoga.

Chef Kris Kraut from the Butler’s Pantry will use the corn for the first time this week during Ivy Tech’s monthly ‘Cooking with Kris’ virtual event, as part of the Community & College Benefit Series. To learn more or sign up for the next event in September, visit ivytech.edu/ccbenefit.

Westminster Village’s very own Fitness Manager, Lauren Kelsheimer, was featured on Good Day Live!

Westminster Village recently received the results of its resident satisfaction survey and are pleased to announce and overall satisfaction rate among residents of 92%. The survey included a variety of service areas including residents’ thoughts on staff, services, feelings of security and community life.

Ninety-three percent (93%) of residents responded they were “very satisfied with Westminster Village as a place to live,” and 93% stated they “would recommend Westminster Village to friends and family.”

“We are thrilled with the results of the resident satisfaction survey,” says Dan Smith, Executive Director at Westminster Village. “Our team works tirelessly to provide an outstanding senior living experience for residents, and seeing these responses validates the staff’s level of investment and care.”

You can also view some great videos of our residents telling their stories of life at Westminster Village at our brand-new You Tube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCylqBXJPNfTOMSLfnfwW0wQ

The health, safety and well-being of our residents, employees and families is always a priority at our community.  With the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the news and in the minds of many, we want to address actions, which are taking place related to this concern.

Some of the actions we are addressing include:

• Consistent updates and communication to those who live and work at the community.
• Evidence-based precautions that align with guidelines provided by the CDC.
• Reviewing emergency preparedness and response measures in the event that a virus impacts our community or the surrounding area.
• Changes to our travel and visitation guidelines for all employees, partners and guests.

We are closely monitoring local, state and federal health agencies to ensure we can respond quickly and effectively to protect our community and mitigate risks of an outbreak.

We will continue to remain vigilant in our efforts to preserve the health and safety of our community.

If you have questions, concerns or need more information, please contact (812) 242-4600.

Helpful Resources

• Centers for Disease Control

• World Health Organization

• Indiana State Health Department 

The residents and fitness manager of Westminster Village Terre Haute traveled to Indianapolis to participate in the highly anticipated, semi-annual Corn Toss Tournament.  They were joined by the corn toss teams of Greenwood Village South, Marquette and Westminster Village West Lafayette.    Seventeen teams of 2 tossed their hearts out with the hopes of taking home the title.   They broke at noon to enjoy the lovely spring weather and a picnic lunch prepared by the community’s Dining Services team of culinary experts.

Teams were placed in an East vs. West double elimination bracket giving everyone a fighting chance and a complete workout.    “Corn toss is a great physical wellness activity improving one’s balance and core strength.  But it also has tremendous social benefits” says Lauren Kelsheimer, Fitness Manager at Westminster Village Terre Haute.  “I’ve seen so many of our new residents create wonderful friendships through their participation in corn toss.”

The competition is a group effort supported by our friends at NIFS and coordinated by the on-site Fitness Managers: Lauren Kelsheimer of Westminster Village Terre Haute, Lindsay Knox of Marquette, Nate Woodard of Greenwood Village South and Kelsey Vance of Westminster Village West Lafayette.

This year the traveling trophy will go home with “The Holistics” comprised of Jim Hebden and Randy Trowbridge of Marquette (Indianapolis, IN).  Teams will continue to recruit, practice and prepare for the next competition set to take place in the Spring at Greenwood Village South.

Adventurous Westminster Village residents recently scaled the walls at Terre Haute’s newest attraction, The Climbing Café. 

Check out our great video about the experience:

“As the first of our new Active Adventures outings, I think it was a huge hit,”  said Community Life Director, Jan Cockrell.  “Many residents surprised themselves by what they could do.  They also realized the work they’ve been putting into their regular fitness classes really paid off in this experience.” 

The group plans to tackle zip lining, hiking and laser tag in 2020. 

Life Plan community residents tend to experience greater emotional, social, physical, intellectual and vocational wellness than their counterparts in the greater community, according to preliminary first-year results of a study of more than 5,000 residents of 80 such communities in 29 states.

“One of the strongest points coming through is that life plan communities are places where older adults are able to find tremendous opportunity for aging well across multiple dimensions of aging,” Cate O’Brien, Ph.D., assistant vice president and director of the Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging, told McKnight’s Senior Living on Tuesday.

She was speaking of the Age Well Study by Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging and Northwestern University, longitudinal research that is evaluating the effects of living in life plan communities, also known as a continuing care retirement communities, on residents’ health and well-being. The study will measure residents’ self-reported health and wellness through a survey taken annually for five years.

Results are being compared with a demographically similar sample drawn from the Health and Retirement Study conducted by the University of Michigan. Interviews with some residents are helping to interpret the findings and determine additional questions for the future, O’Brien said.

To read this article in its entirety, click here: https://www.mcknightsseniorliving.com/home/news/life-plan-community-residents-report-wellness-benefits-survey-finds/