IMPROVING WITH AGE
  Heartbeat, Sacred Heart Hospital— Fall 1996

You’re never too old to discover the benefits of exercise.

Who says you’re too old to exercise? Not Donna Duckworth or Caryl Putchat. These dynamic fitness specialists have been teaching seniors and folks with disabilities the benefits of physical activity for the past five years through their Gentle Goodbodies program from Fit Pro-DUCK-tions.

Duckworth, a fitness expert, and Putchat, a gerontologist, take their program on the road. "It’s important to get fitness to folks who can’t get out," said says Duckworth. The team travels to senior centers, adult day care and community centers, nursing homes, hospitals and other organizations.

They also teach the blind and hearing impaired, and recently completed the six-week summer course "People with Arthritis can Exercise" at Sacred Heart Hospital through the Healthy Living program. The pair will be returning again this fall. (

Through this individualized group wellness program, participants engage in gentle movements that help to improve flexibility and increase strength, which can actually help with the functional activities of daily living.

Participants also may benefit from lowered blood pressure, better circulation, a stronger heart and increased bone density, which can actually delay or slow down osteoporosis. Exercise also eases the stiffness of arthritis.

According to Putchat, young people who are at the beginning of some diseases or have undergone hip replacement can also benefit, as well as mentally challenged individuals.

Classes are conducted twice a week. Some participants see an improvement after only a few sessions. Aside from physical strides, class members also gain social rewards. "There is a strong cohesiveness among the group," says Putchat. Many retain their new friendships long after the last class.

Duckworth and Putchat love what they do and enjoy instructing such a receptive audience. "For many older adults, exercise wasn’t an integral part of growing up, and they are now discovering physical activity can really make a difference," says Duckworth. "Seniors are very appreciative and always seem anxious to learn."

Duckworth and Putchat introduced the Resist-A-Ball, which is used in resistance and balance exercises. "The ball has been around for a while," says Putchat, "but it is relatively new in the fitness industry. It had been used extensively for a number of years by physical therapists to help with coordination, trunk flexibility and strength, and, more recently, by fitness experts on the West Coast."

Recognized internationally for their outstanding work, Duckworth and Putchat have been invited by the World Congress on Physical Activity and Aging to conduct a workshop in Heidelburg, Germany, to demonstrate the Resist-A-Ball.

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