Retirement communities making adjustments to gyms

By Liz Freeman of the Naples Daily News

Pat Meyer isn't letting a little technology get in the way of working out at the new fitness center at Vi at Bentley Village in North Naples.

She embraces what the fitness coordinator at the upscale continuing care retirement community tells her about the state-of-the art strength training equipment and its customized features.

A swipe of her key fob over the screen and presto, a machine adjusts to the 79-year-old's programed preferences for weight resistance and comfort.

"I'm just learning it," she said. Her husband, Bill Meyer, 82, nods in agreement.

Across the room, 86-year-old John Hickey's face is flushed. He just finished on the rower, using the abdominal machine for his "gut." The meals at the upscale Vi at Bentley retirement community means pounds can creep on.

"You've heard of the Bentley bulge?" Hickey asked. "The Bentley bulge is very popular among the men so we try to come here and work it off."

Vi at Bentley and other continuing care retirement communities in Southwest Florida and nationwide are investing tidy sums in upgrades to wellness programs, to keep pace with expectations of not only baby boomers but older retirees in their 80's, said Colin Milner, chief executive officer of the International Council on Active Aging, an industry leader based in Vancouver, British Columbia.

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