Iowa City Senior Center January-February 2025 Program Guide

Attend to your wellbeing, exercise your autonomy, live your best life WELLNESS

jan feb 2025

Sleep: A Key to Healthy Aging Thursday, Jan 16, 2-3 pm Location: Room 302 Register online or call 319-356-5220 Presenter: Jake Raecker, DPT

WISE - Wellness Initiative for Senior Education Wednesdays, Jan 8 - Feb 12, 10 am - 12 pm Location: Room 311 Register online or call 319-356-5220 Presenters: Community and Family Resources The WISE Program is a free wellness program for older adults, designed to celebrate and promote healthy aging and lifestyle choices! In WISE, you will learn more about ways to protect your physical and mental health, manage medications safely, prevent substance misuse, and help you feel empowered about your healthcare. The program includes six sessions filled with engaging activities, discussions, and time to meet and connect with new people. Build Better Bones: The Impact of Exercise on Bone Health Thursday, Jan 9, 2-3 pm Location: Room 302 Register online or call 319-356-5220 Presenter: Jake Raecker, DPT Exercise, specifically weight-bearing and impact exercise, is critical for people wanting to maximize their bone health and avoid fractures as they age. Unfortunately, many people with low bone density, osteopenia, or osteoporosis have been told not to bend, lift, or twist, creating confusion and fear about what they can and can’t do. This class will cover why certain types of movement are helpful for bone health and how you can strengthen your bones as you age. Presenter Jake Raecker is a physical therapist whose purpose is helping older adults age on their terms. After graduating with his doctorate in physical therapy from Washington University in St. Louis in 2020, Jake completed a residency in Geriatrics through the Mayo Clinic. Jake has worked in outpatient and hospital settings, and has experience speaking at national physical therapy conferences. Currently, Jake owns a practice in Coralville and delivers group and individual fitness training to older adults.

How do our sleep needs change as we age? What is REM sleep? How does sleep impact my memory, my heart, and my pain? Why do I pee so much at night? Attendees will walk away with answers to these questions and more. Come learn things you can immediately apply to your lives to sleep better and age better.

Hospice 101: The Basics Wednesday, Jan 22, 1-2 pm Location: Room 308 Register online or call 319-356-5220 Presenters: St. Croix Hospice staff

Hospice 101 provides an overview of hospice care and education on the comprehensive services and supports hospice provides. A Matter of Balance Mondays, Thursdays, Feb 3-27, 1-3 pm Location: Room 302 Register online or call 319-356-5220 Presenters: Matter of Balance Volunteer Coaches A Matter of Balance uses a variety of activities to address the fear of falling and teach fall prevention strategies. Activities include group discussion, problem-solving, skill-building, assertiveness training, videos and exercise training. Participants receive a workbook to use during the sessions, and to keep as a reference after the class ends. This program is designed to benefit older adults who are concerned about falls, have sustained falls in the past, or restrict activities because of concerns about falling. It is intended for people interested in improving flexibility, balance, and strength who are age 60+, community-dwelling, and able to problem solve. A Matter of Balance enables participants to achieve significant goals. They gain confidence by learning to view falls as controllable, set goals for increasing activity, make changes to reduce fall risk at home, and exercise to increase strength and balance.

Online at icgov.org/senior/registration By phone, call 319-356-5220 In-person at the Senior Center, 7 days/week during open hours

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