Class to have seniors drumming to new beat
JACKSONVILLE — The Drums Alive fitness program will soon be pumping its way into the Jacksonville Senior Wellness and Activity Center to get senior citizens singing, moving and socializing.
Christy McMillion, executive director of the center, said the workout classes will feature fullbody movements with the pulsating rhythm of drums.
The instructor will control the music, call out when the moves change and demonstrate what the moves are for the seniors, she said.
McMillion said music is used as therapy for people of all ages and can improve mood, provide mental stimulation and transform emotions.
Participants will use drumsticks to beat on stability balls anchored down by storage tubs, she explained.
“Exercise causes you to grow
new brain cells, which helps people overcome memory loss and things like Alzheimer’s disease,” McMillion said. “You have to exercise.”
The classes can be as fastpaced or slow as the participants need it to be, she said. It will be adaptable and always changing.
The Jacksonville Senior Center offers a wide variety of services, from fitness programs to classes on diabetes, chronicdisease management and fall prevention.
The center also delivers meals, offers meals on-site and provides transportation services to members.
McMillion said the center is funded by federal and state grants, the cities of Jacksonville and Sherwood, Heart of Arkansas United Way and other fundraisers.
“One of our main fundraisers is bingo on the first and third Monday nights of each month. We play for money, and we’re open to the public,” she said. “That generates a lot of revenue for us.”
Drums Alive will begin at the end of July and will be open to members of the center.
There will be at least two Drums Alive classes each week, she said.
McMillion said programs such as Drums Alive improve the health of the senior citizens who participate in them.
“When I say health, I mean all seven dimensions of wellness; it’s the whole body and mind. It helps with depression, helps build up stamina and balance, and it works on core strength. Core strength is the only thing that is going to help people when they’re having issues with falls,” she explained.
McMillion said seniors develop a variety of ailments as they get older and typically become less physically active in turn.
“We’re encouraging them to stay physically active so they can deter the onset of health problems that could be prevented,” she said.
Drums Alive is a program backed by many health care corporations, she said.
“It can help decrease blood pressure, reduce stress and tension, build confidence and increase a sense of well-being [in participants],” McMillion said. “It’s also a lot of fun and causes a lot of laughter in the classes, from what we’re finding out.”
The classes will engage participants by encouraging them to listen to the beat of the music and the words, hit the stability balls with drumsticks while staying on rhythm, and move their arms and legs while singing.
McMillion also emphasized that the program is adaptable to any age group.
The Drums Alive program can be found in schools, churches, nursing homes and fitness centers internationally, she said.
“It just hasn’t been to central Arkansas before, so we’re introducing it to central Arkansas,” she said.
McMillion said the center is partnered with CareLink, and other sites in central Arkansas will teach the program as well.
Many seniors experience loss: the death of a spouse or a child moving away. Then their health declines while they’re alone, she explained.
“We try to keep them up and moving, get them out of their houses and keep them interacting with other people,” she said.
Nutrition is No. 1 when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, she said, and many seniors don’t eat as well as they should.
“Even seniors who live alone and can still cook end up eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich a lot of times,” she said. “They’re not necessarily hungry, and they aren’t getting a lot of physical activity, which is keeping their need for food down.”
McMillion said she has seen the positive results and benefits of people regularly visiting the center.
“We have the biggest impact on people who are alone, and getting them here is a challenge. Once they are here, they really enjoy it,” she said.
Connie Evans of the Jacksonville Senior Center will teach Drums Alive classes.
“It’ll help them mentally, physically and emotionally,” Evans said. “Music is a well-being therapy.”
The rhythms and movements together will boost their brains, she said, and will impact coordination, memory loss and flexibility.
“It’ll add all-around personal enhancement to their daily lives,” she said.
Evans said she is a strong advocate for seniors.
“They are teachers. They teach us where we’ve been and where we have to go,” she said. “I think it’s very, very important to take care of our seniors.”
Evans said she looks forward to teaching Drums Alive and seeing the seniors smile and feel invigorated.
Socialization is important, and exercise programs help the seniors stay independent longer in their own homes, she emphasized.
“Ninety percent of our seniors don’t have family. It’s very important to have someone to talk to in your older years,” Evans said.
“Many people think that once you get old, you can’t ‘do’ anymore, but when you see seniors exhibiting talent, it’s just mind-blowing. They just need a little push and a little bit of encouragement. They need someone to tell them, ‘You can do it.’”