Seniors Day at Sussex YMCA draws big crowd

Hamburg - For Valeria Nagy, socializing is one of the biggest reasons why she has attended Active Older Adults Day at the Sussex County YMCA five times since the monthly program was launched last March. “It’s a great way to make new friends,” said Nagy as she soaked in the whirlpool following a stint of water aerobics at the most recent meeting of the group on March 9. Nagy, who moved to Hamburg from Bergen County two years ago, said she likes the program so much that she’d like to see the YMCA organize other events for area seniors, such as a weekly afternoon tea. “It would be great if they could put together more events for seniors and for teenagers,” Nagy said. The success of the program, which drew an estimated 100 people here last week, is, in fact, leading YMCA officials to consider other activities and events that can be added for seniors. “We envision organizing trips, lunches and other types of events for seniors,” said David M. Carcieri, executive director of the Y. The first Active Older Adults Day in March 2005 drew about 60 people, he said. In addition to offering water aerobics, group walks, chair massages, lap swimming and weight training, the monthly programs also include a lunchtime buffet and a variety of seminars. On March 9, two seminars were offered, one organized by Newton Memorial Hospital and dealing with diabetes awareness and blood glucose testing, the other led by Haylee Boyle, a registered dietician, and dealing with tips to avoid osteoporosis. “The seminars are very informative,” said Pat Fitzpatrick, a two-time program attendee who lives in Newton. “One time they had a seminar on reverse mortgages, and they often have discussions about nutrition and healthcare for seniors.” Fitzpatrick isn’t a member at the Y, but she has friends who have joined as a result of experiences they’ve had at previous Active Older Adults Day sessions. “I’m hoping that one of my children signs me up,” she added. Fitzpatrick said she also likes the pace of the workouts. “It’s terrific - you can take part in water aerobics and come out whenever you want without feeling like you have to keep up with the class,” she said. “It’s a great program for seniors - we don’t move around as well as we used to.” The cost to attend one of the programs is $3 for YMCA members who pre-register, $5 for pre-registered member couples, $5 for pre-registered non-members and $8 for pre-registered non-member couples. Members and non-members who don’t pre-register can pay $7 at the door. The next Active Older Adults Day is scheduled for from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12. Activities planned include line dancing and a seminar on the use of dietary supplements. For more information, call 973-209-9622.