Exercise Science major Jess Spear ’08 hadn’t thought of working with older adults until her internship this summer at Carroll Lutheran Village. Three of the four graduate students in Professor Steve McCole’s “Exercise and Aging” class hadn’t guessed that many of their fitness-center clients would be over 60 – and one would be 100.

But these students and graduates alike have found the field – which combines gerontology with exercise science – to be rewarding, challenging and growing. In fact, McCole says, the demographic is exploding as a result of the graying of the baby boomers. 

McDaniel is on the cutting edge with its new Center for the Study of Aging, a graduate certificate program and undergraduate minor in gerontology, and courses such as McCole’s interdisciplinary “Exercise and Aging.”

“Here is an area where they (students) can have a dramatic impact on public health,” says McCole, associate professor of Exercise Science and Physical Education. “The baby boomers have the needs, the money and are used to paying for services.”

Most important, exercise can change an older adult’s life, McCole says. It can mean the difference between sitting in a chair all day and using a walker or even walking on their own. Just 20-30 minutes a day, three days a week will have health benefits.

Steve McCole with Willa Johnson at Carroll Lutheran Village.

“Exercise and strength training can mean more independence longer,” he says. “Most older adults don’t want to train for a marathon or body build. They want to be able to carry their laundry to the second floor to put it away and open jars and pick up a pot of boiling water when they make pasta.”

Older adults – particularly if they haven’t been exercising all along – need to approach exercise differently and take it slower but it can still make a huge difference in the quality of their lives. It’s never too late but sometimes convincing older adults to begin to exercise is difficult.

Heather Roberts ’05 is finding just the information she needs in the “Exercise and Aging” class.

“With my clients and also with my parents – who aren’t really old – it’s a question of trying to show them the value of exercise,” Roberts says. “Now, I have so much more that I can tell them about the health benefits of exercise.”

Jess Spear’s seniors at Carroll Lutheran Village flock to the classes she teaches.

“They love to come because they know that exercise keeps their lifestyle the way they want it to be,” Spear says. “I love working with them – I love hearing their stories and experiences from long ago.”

Spear often swaps college stories with graduates at the retirement village. They remember when men weren’t allowed in the women’s residences – and are astonished that Spear lives on a co-ed floor.

All the while, they are exercising – modified aerobics in the fitness-center pool and strength-resistance training out of the water.

“I love it. It is so rewarding and challenging,” she says.

For information about McDaniel’s Center for the Study of Aging : http://www.mcdaniel.edu/3172.htm