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Fabiola Lopez, left,
one of the certified instructors at The Health Connection,
leads a fitness class for people with arthritis. The center
is a teaching and research laboratory for MU health professions
students and was recently named one of the top 10 such programs
in the nation. Photo by Rob Hill
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Aging
to Perfection
By Sue Richardson
Note: This story was published originally
in Mizzou Weekly, a publication for faculty and staff
of the University of Missouri-Columbia.
In
September, the National
Council on the Aging identified The
Health Connection as one of the nation’s top health,
wellness and research centers for older adults. The council
recognized only 10 programs out of 1,100. Each program received
a $1,000 prize.
The award is a measure of excellence,
says Marian Minor, the center’s
founder and professor and chair of physical
therapy. “It raises the awareness of this resource
in the community,” she says. “We were the only
program in the top 10 that is affiliated with an academic health
center. A lot of its strengths and stability come from the
diversity of funding and programs.”
That diversity of
programs means The Health Connection is not just for older
adults, Minor adds. The center, which is housed in Parkade
Center in Columbia at 601 E. Business Loop 70 West, is in fact
a sound choice for all sorts of people who want to stay fit
as a fiddle. Nevertheless, Minor says, the honor for the center’s senior
programs will come in handy when it is time to make a pitch
for funding.
“Not many researchers have this kind of connection to people
in the community and an exercise site with trained staff,”
she says. “Having a nationally recognized resource will
be valuable to us who do research and write grants.”
That’s
crucial, she says, because the center’s chief
function is as a teaching laboratory for students in health
professions.
“It is a unique place for our students to be able to see
what it is like for people with chronic diseases and different
limitations to be self-directed exercisers, and for them to
learn how to assist people in communities.”
Minor founded
The Health Connection 15 years ago as a laboratory to study
her then-groundbreaking research on exercise and arthritis.
When the project ended, her work had been so successful that
many of the participants and their families pressed to keep
it open. Since then, the center — now a part of the School
of Health Professions — moved from the basement to
modish quarters on the main level at Parkade Center. Minor
says it has enjoyed a three-fold increase in programs, membership
and size since 2001.
The center is open to anyone who wants
to get active and feel better, says supervisor Jenny Workman,
adding that The Health Connection boasts members whose ages
range from the 20s to the 90s. A majority are MU employees
and retirees. Some participants who started with the program
15 years ago continue to be faithful members.
Workman, who teaches body conditioning
and aerobics at the center, notes several reasons for the center’s popularity:
ample parking; the breadth of fitness classes offered — from
aerobics to Tai chi and yoga; a variety of cardiovascular and
strength equipment for toning up; special programs that include
personal training, massage therapy, cholesterol and glucose
screenings, blood pressure and heart rate monitorings; immunizations
for those who are traveling abroad; educational seminars; group
exercise specialty session classes; and a nonintimidating setting.
The Health Connection also is home to the Central
Missouri Arthritis Center.
The diversity of people and
programs weighed heavily in The Health Connection’s national
ranking, Workman says, but it’s
the center’s staff that gets her top-of-the-scale rating
“We have the best in the world,” she says. “If
it weren’t for them, we would not be where we are today.
They are all certified specialists and trainers, registered
nurses and support staff who are committed to providing a safe
and comfortable environment for our members and keeping them
connected to their family, friends and to the community.”
The
Health Connection is open from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday
through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday. To arrange
a visit or to become a member, call 882-1718 or drop by Suite
219, Parkade Center, 601 Business Loop 70W.
“This is not just a working or exercising environment;
it is a family environment,” Workman says. “The
social interactions and friendships developed here are all about
being well and being healthy.”
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Last Update:
April 1, 2008
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