Page 11 - The Clare Connection_Fall 2020 Flipbook

The first few weeks were the hard-
est, by far, Emily says. But creativity
and dedication drove engagement.
Throughout the month of May, she cel-
ebrated Themed Fridays, in which she
would dress up for different decades
and teach a dance as part of that day’s
class. She distributed flower grow-
ing kits to give residents something
to take care of while they also took
care of themselves. And she promoted
challenges that encouraged residents
to be competitive with each other and
with themselves.
“We did a sit-to-stand challenge, for ex-
ample, and we had more participation
than we ever have in previous years,” ML Karth attends an in-person exercise class at The Clare.
Emily says. “You won’t find the pro-
grams we offer outside of The Clare.” she says, and they’re keeping her apartments and now in the Fitness
Reopening The Clare moving despite these difficult times. Center, as well. Over the months, the
In recent months, The Clare has slow- “Otherwise, I’d sit like a log!” she jokes. number of residents partaking in per-
ly loosened certain restrictions put in The Fitness Center and Pool have also sonal training has increased signifi-
place in the early days of COVID-19. reopened with rules and regulations in cantly as they sought out new ways to
Small groups of residents can attend place. Only four people are allowed in get active.
in-person classes, which are still broad- the Fitness Center at a time, and just Resident Laurel Blau, for example,
cast through The Clare’s in-house one person can exercise in the Pool
channel, as well. Masks are required, at a time. In both locations, frequent started personal training with The Clare
and participants are encouraged to sanitation occurs, and reservations at the end of March. Now, she spends
use their own exercise equipment. must be made in order to take three afternoons in the Pool and two
Pleasant Chicago weather has allowed afternoons in the Fitness Center in an
residents to enjoy the likes of Tai Chi in advantage of the amenities. effort to maintain her health.
the park, too. “Residents are appreciative of these “I think exercise is the most important
protocols, because they know that if
Resident ML Karth has been an avid thing you can do to maintain wellness,”
participant in fitness classes since we have COVID-19 cases, everything Laurel says.
they restarted, joining daily strength can go backwards,” Emily says. Everything has been an adjustment,
and cardio sessions as well as weekly Personal training has continued
Tai Chi, now available for small groups throughout the pandemic, typically and flexibility has been key in provid-
indoors. The offerings are wonderful, taking place one-on-one in resident ing residents with wellness and fitness
programming throughout these un-
precedented times. Overall, residents
of The Clare have continued to reap
the benefits of an on-site fitness team,
all while remaining healthy and safe.
“I could not speak any more highly
about what has happened here at The
Clare to make sure that our residents
are able to live as fully as pre-COVID,”
Emily says. “We have done everything
we possibly can to keep our residents
ML Karth, Anne Kern, Vivien Lee, Steve Molinari and Jack Jennings
participate in Tai Chi in the Park, sponsored by The Clare. safe, and we will continue to do that as
long as necessary.”