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Posted 02.12.06
Older Residents Meet City's Challenge in Walking Shoes
New York Times, September 11, 2005

By Janelle Nanos

In some parts of New York, the word stroller elicits images of Bugaboo behemoths and others like them that are popular in parent-heavy neighborhoods. But on Wednesday, more than 1,500 strollers are expected to gather on Staten Island, and there will not be an infant in sight.
In this case, the strollers are people over 65 who will be celebrating having walked miles and miles this summer as part of a city program to promote exercise and healthy habits among New York's older population.

The ''Senior Stroll,'' sponsored by the New York City Department for the Aging, will bring together 140 walking clubs from throughout the city for a mile-long stroll through Fort Wadsworth. The clubs, which come together at centers for the aging, churches and nursing homes, provide opportunities not only for a bit of a workout, but also for social interaction.

With nearly one out of every five New Yorkers now over age 60, according to the department, the agency has been seeking low-cost ways to keep older residents in shape. Having encouraged the creation of walking clubs in the past, officials decided to up the ante this year and add a contest to see how far club members could collectively walk from April through August.

Harriet Stollman, director of the department's health promotion division, calculated the number of steps necessary to cross the boroughs, with 2,000 steps equaling about a mile, and distributed pedometers to clubs. They selected their own walking path, be it on a city street, at a nearby park, or indoors to keep cool. ''Seniors want to take care of themselves and maintain their health,'' Ms. Stollman said. ''They recognize the importance of physical activity, and are willing to get out there and be as active as possible, even if they're using a cane or walker.''

Some groups have amassed an impressive number of steps. The one at the United Hindu Cultural Council Senior Center in South Ozone Park, Queens, has recorded more than 4.6 million steps, the highest in Queens, and an amount that Ms. Stollman says is equal to crossing the borough one way more than 180 times. At the Senior Stroll, the team with the most miles from each borough will be recognized for its effort with a certificate and a plaque.

''My philosophy is that everybody should be happy and healthy,'' said Chan Jamoona, the director of the United Hindu center, as she clipped a pedometer to the waistline of Sookia Ramshoi's Marshmallow Peep-yellow dress. Ms. Jamoona, who is also a nurse, ushered Ms. Ramshoi, 74, and the other 80 members of the center's walking club outside, and with an authority that was half drill sergeant, half kindergarten line leader, led the walkers down Rockaway Boulevard. Walking two by two, the walkers stretched back nearly a block, laughing and singing as their neighbors waved hello.

The group, most of whose members are in their 70's, takes to the streets three or four times a week, usually for a few blocks. ''I have a bad knee, but since I've been coming here, I feel much better,'' said Phulbas Swebans, 75. Ms. Swebans has diabetes, but she said the walking sessions had lessened her need for blood sugar medication and lowered her blood pressure. She now takes yoga classes at the center and has been trained as an instructor. ''It's for my own health and benefit,'' she said. ''You have to look after No. 1.''

Another regular walker, Jennet Khan, 71, agreed. ''When you go in for a check-up, your doctor doesn't believe your age,'' she said. ''He asks for your birth certificate.''

Some clubs, like the one at the Diana Jones Senior Center in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, are using the strolls to explore their neighborhoods and share their own history tours.

''They see the changes in the neighborhood and all the new development,'' said Narcisa Ruiz, the program director at the Jones center. ''As we go by Broadway and Kent Avenue, or by Peter Luger's, for example, they remind each other how it used to be when they were younger, and start telling you stories.''

The relationships formed within the walking groups can be just as important as the physical benefits, Ms. Stollman said.

''A lot of seniors don't like walking alone; they're afraid,'' she said. ''But now they look out for each other. They walk with friends, enjoy the outdoors, and participate in something that keeps them young.''