Download - Oregon Jewish Life Magazine

Sharon Phillips, 76, is at the front of a long row of aquarobics
participants who follow the lead of instructor Holly Howard, who
is standing on the edge of the main pool at the Mittleman Jewish
Community Center.
Audiology Services include:
HEARING TESTS • HEARING AID ADJUSTMENTS • HEARING AID REPAIRS
HEARING AID CLEANINGS • OTOSCOPIC EXAMINATIONS • WAX REMOVAL
*Hearing aids may be tax deductible.
DOCTORS OF AUDIOLOGY
Alisa B. Weinzimer
Allison E. Bradley
Two Convenient Locations
5010 NE 33rd Ave. 503.284.1906
5331 SW Macadam #395 (In the Water Tower Bldg.) 503.719.4208
54 JULY 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE
FREE Hearing Screening
with this coupon
($119 VALUE)
Please call us today
for your appointment
expires: 7/31/12
www.pacoregon.com
#
from joint replacements. Howard said the warm water in the
therapy pool eases pain and enhances flexibility.
Doug Walters, 72, says he not only lost 60 pounds in the year
and a half he’s been coming to the arthritis class, but also, “my
flexibility and balance have really improved. … You can do a lot
of exercise for your muscles without gravity.”
The JCC’s hydrotherapy program began in the center’s
former location in downtown Portland in 1924 and continues
in the MJCC’s Therapy Pool, where the water temperature is
maintained at 94 degrees.
The warm water and hydrostatic pressure reduce pain,
Kinnaird notes, adding, “For the heart, just standing in water is
aerobic exercise … and it takes 60 percent more effort to breathe
one liter of air than on land, so it improves respiratory capacity.”
“Turbulence, caused by moving water around the body, or by
moving the body through water, provides further therapeutic
benefits: thermal conductivity is enhanced; drag forces challenge
movement and balance to strengthen muscles and improve proprioception;
viscosity helps prevent the risk of falling; resistance
to movement can be balanced between agonists and antagonists;
painful movements can be stopped instantly to prevent damage;
and combined with hydrostatic pressure, turbulence acts to
further reduce pain.”
Cedar Sinai Park brings a busload of Rose Schnitzer Manor
residents to participate in aquatics classes several times a week.
“Water or aquatic therapy has long been known to have positive
results. It can increase metabolism, improve cardiovascular
health, increase strength, and slow down age-related loss of
muscle mass,” says Kathy Tipsord, CSP community program
director. “From a social standpoint, it keeps people engaged and
more independent, thus feeling better about themselves.”
Tipsord notes that many residents in their 90s regularly attend
the program at the MJCC.
“While originally aquatic therapy focused on cardio benefits,
it now also is known for increasing strength, agility, and flexibility,”
she notes. “How does that translate for anyone as they
age It can mean the difference between getting dressed with or
without assistance, walking to and from your apartment, or even
carrying your purchases from the local grocery store.”
Tipsord said the warm water therapy pool class is a nice
complement to the exercise program, lectures and art programs
at the Manor.
Tipsord says one resident told her, “I know it’s good for me,
but it also feels good to see my friends and just feel the warmth
of the water around me.”
Sydney Herbert, 84, says water exercise is the only workout
she can manage. She not only enjoys the workout, but she also
enjoys the social aspects of the program.
And after two years of feeling the benefits herself, Herbert
didn’t hesitate to seek out hydrotherapy for her dog when she
was diagnosed with arthritis.
“She’s a loyal, loving dog and it helps keep her alive,” says
Herbert, noting she knows of three pools in the Portland area
that cater to dogs. However, she says, her dog prefers running on
an underwater treadmill to swimming.