LĪHU‘E – The County of Kaua‘i Agency on Elderly Affairs will celebrate the 25^th Anniversary of National Senior Health & Fitness Day (NSHFD) on Wednesday, May 30, at the Mo‘ikeha Building rotunda from 10 to 11 a.m.

The Agency on Elderly Affairs will join an estimated 100,000 older adults across the country participating in local activities to help promote active, healthy lifestyles through physical activity, good nutrition, and preventive care.

Seniors 60 years and older on Kaua‘i are staying healthy through the EnhanceFitness physical activity program offered by the County of Kaua‘i Agency on Elderly Affairs in partnership with the Kaua‘i District Health Office, Dr. Arnulfo Diaz, and County Department of Parks and Recreation.

Other partners include Kapa‘a United Church of Christ, Kaua’i Community College School of Nursing, and Kaua‘i Economic Opportunity, Inc.  Kaua’i’s Healthy Aging Project is part of a statewide Healthy Aging Partnership-Empowering Elders initiative, along with the State Executive Office on Aging, Department of Health, and University of Hawai‘i.  The Healthy Aging partnership is “Working Together for a Strong, Healthy Kaua‘i” and helping Kaua‘i’s older adults to make choices for a healthier future.  For more information, call the AEA at 241-4470.

The group exercise, evidence-based program is designed especially for older adults and addresses balance, strength, endurance, and flexibility, and is geared to the level of both active and frail older adults. Certified fitness instructors who have received special training in EnhanceFitness procedures lead each of the classes.

Regular physical activity in older adults can help to decrease the risk of developing chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes and depression or help them to manage these chronic diseases. The goal of EnhanceFitness is to improve the overall functional fitness and well-being of older adults.

National Senior Health & Fitness Day is always held on the last Wednesday in May, and this year’s special 25^th anniversary event is set for Wednesday, May 30^th. The program, the largest senior wellness event of its kind, is organized by the Mature Market Resource Center, a national clearinghouse for professionals who work with older adults. For more information about National Senior Health & Fitness Day, please visit fitnessday.com, or e-mail info@fitnessday.com.

If you need an ASL interpreter, materials in an alternate format or other auxiliary aid support, or an interpreter for a language other than English, please contact the Agency on Elderly Affairs at 241-4470 or via email, elderlyaffairs@kauai.gov, at least five days prior to the event.