When it comes to our health and well-being, it?s often impacted by word of mouth as much as what passes over our lips. For instance, perhaps a friend turned you onto a new organic product she discovered, or your brother phoned to say the price of that mountain bike you?ve long admired has been reduced.
For Huntley resident Joel Schwartz word of mouth ultimately led him to Northwest Senior Health and Fitness (NSHF), an exercise, mobility and balance center in Huntley that serves seniors with or without chronic health conditions. At NSHF, the 74-year old Schwartz sought help in controlling his Type 2 diabetes and overcoming the somewhat inactive lifestyle to which he?d become accustomed. Since reaching out to NSHF in February 2011, Schwartz has seen a marked change in his health.
?I?ve gained quite a few benefits from the program,? said Schwartz, a former public relations professional and writer for Time Magazine. ?My stamina is better. My sugar is under control and I think I?ve lowered my blood pressure so I?m sticking with it.?
That?s good news to Dr. John Voelz, who designed Schwartz?s exercise routine and has a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. Dr. Voelz is also NSHF?s owner, officially opening the 2,000 square foot facility just 18 months ago. Located on Regency Parkway one block west of Route 47, NSHF offers 18 different exercise stations, many of which feature hydraulic powered exercise machines. The low impact exercise equipment and user-friendly treadmills are attractive to seniors and essential to the preventive care that Dr. Voelz offers as 90% of his client base resides in Sun City. Many of Dr. Voelz?s patients exercise 40 to 45 minutes three times per week with the rate of intensity gradually increased over time. Voelz, who works in conjunction with his patients? physicians, says the transformations his patients have undergone have changed his perspective.
??I see people who are 65 years old but could be 25 years older,? Dr. Voelz said, ?And I see who are in the 80s that I swear could be 20 years younger. So age as a number has no meaning for me anymore.?
Just as he does for his patients, Dr. Voelz has balanced and strengthened his operation, having recently begun partnering with Dr. Barbara Amsler and Dr. Karin Boode who operate Healthy Habits Key to Wellness in Algonquin. Dr. Amsler, who worked as an internist at Centegra for more than 20 years, and Dr. Boode, a food scientist, opened Healthy Habits earlier this year and specialize in preventive medicine with an emphasis in weight loss and management for patients of all ages. Dr. Voelz believes the trio comprises ?the perfect storm of help for people.?
?More than half the people I see are either overweight or could use some medically managed weight loss,? Voelz said. ?What I do is I refer them to Dr. Amsler and Dr. Bodde and then they set them up on a medically managed weight loss program in conjunction with what I?m doing here.?
Dr. Voelz added that in addition to helping seniors lose weight, they?re also striving to prevent seniors from going the other direction, slipping from an overweight condition, which is defined as any adult who has a Body Mass Index (BMI) between 25 and 29.9, to a diagnosis of obesity where the patient?s BMI is 30 or higher.
Currently, obesity among seniors is a nationwide problem as earlier this year the National Center for Health Statistics, which is a division of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, reported the results of a two-year study that showed 39.7% of people 60 years old or older are obese. Among women over 60, the rate of obesity was higher with 42.3% of senior women considered obese versus 36.6% of senior men. Overall the obesity rate among all seniors topped all the age groups studied including children and adolescents of whom 16.9% were obese. As for why obesity is problematic among seniors, Voelz believes two of the reasons are the natural aging process and a sedentary lifestyle.
?When people retire, generally many of them stay active, but many times it?s a license to become more sedentary,? he said.
At Healthy Habits, patients who are obese are treated through a new Medicare sponsored weight loss program that was unveiled last year. Participation in the six-month program includes one-on-ones with Dr. Amsler and/or Dr. Boddie during which dietary and exercise information are provided while concerns effecting the patients? overall well-being, such as sleep issues and mental health, are addressed.
?Any Medicare patient who qualifies for this program will receive the benefit,? Dr. Bodde said. ?Medicare picks up the cost of the entire program.?
To date, Dr. Boode says nearly 50 patients have enrolled in the Medicare-sponsored program with every participant recording weight loss.?
Dr. Voelz and Dr. Boode said they?re hoping to assist more seniors and to achieve that, they?ve begun collecting patients? success stories as well as a various data including body weight, body fat percentage, lean muscle percentage, blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar levels. The information will be included in a grant proposal to Medicare.
?That?s what we want to present to Medicare or the NIH (National Institutes of Health),? Dr. Voelz said. ?We can change all these perimeters of someone?s health if they?re just exposed to three-pronged preventative health care.?
As for how the three doctors started on this joint program, would it surprise you that it was through word of mouth?
?One of the people who comes (to NSHF) is a patient of Dr. Amsler,? Dr. Voelz said, ?And she seemed to think we were on the same page with what we trying to do but just different aspects of health care. So she said why don?t you talk with Dr. Amsler. I did and it turns out we were exactly on the same page with what we want to do.?
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