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Nursing Center Residents Hit Trail

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By MEGAN HUSSEY

Tribune correspondent

Published: June 12, 2008

DADE CITY - A $40,879 Fit For Life nature trail made its official debut last week at Royal Oak Nursing Center in Dade City with a reception and two ribbon-cutting ceremonies.

Cutting the ribbon to mark the introduction of this half-acre trail was a proud Royal Oak resident. Vicie Staley, 86, has used the trail frequently since its completion in April, taking advantage of its multifaceted design. The trail has five workout stations, featuring three senior-friendly exercise activities per station, two glider benches (swinging benches designed for comfort) and a bistro-style covered pavilion with tables, padded chairs and two standing fans.

"This is so awesome that something like this could happen in my lifetime," said Staley, who participated in a morning ribbon-cutting ceremony with Royal Oak staff. "This trail is so wonderful, especially for people in wheelchairs."

An afternoon ceremony was co-hosted by the greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce.

The trail was designed to increase and enhance the activity of Royal Oak residents.

"We wanted to give residents a reason to go outside," said Anita Howard, administrator of Royal Oak Nursing Center, who cut the ribbon at the afternoon ceremony. "We had shade trees out there before, but they weren't enough. We want to expand our therapy to the outdoors so residents can enjoy the fresh air and sunlight. And if they can exercise, it's an added benefit."

Howard said the project was made possible by an $87,757 grant from the Agency for Healthcare Administration. The grant was procured last year and has made a number of additions and renovations possible at the center. These include a courtyard and garden area, a media room/library with computers and other technological resources, a "cozy kitchen" area with new cabinetry and furnishings, and a newly decorated quiet room for patients with Alzheimer's disease.

The Fit For Life trail is the newest renovation at Royal Oak, where nurses can be seen daily aiding residents using its workout stations, which come complete with exercise equipment and printed tips on how to use it.

One station, for example, boasts hand bars that are placed at a level for easy access, allowing residents in wheelchairs to do push-ups to build upper-body strength. Another station features pedals for a modified exercise bike.

"The trail is wonderful, and the residents love it," said Bobbi Jo Rivera, a restorative nurse at Royal Oak Nursing Center.

Aside from the workouts, residents can relax on the trail's chairs and benches and admire a birdbath and new planters filled with daisies, pentas, baby roses, lilies, sunflowers and other floral varieties, many of which were planted by the resident-driven Royal Oak Gardening Club.

The trail's adjoining pavilion also allows residents to enjoy special events and leisure time.

In the eyes of Nila Premer, activities director of Royal Oak Nursing Center, the trail fits Royal Oak's mission statement, which reads, "Our residents do not live in our facility. We work in their home."

"At Royal Oak, I always believe in providing the three P's for residents," Premer said. "Pleasure, peace and purpose. This is their home life, and they should do what they want to do according to their own schedule.

"With the fitness trail, I believe we couldn't have found a more beautiful way to provide the three P's," she said.

Staley - who joined Premer, Howard, director of admissions Joyce Bush and maintenance director Dennis Trznadel for the morning ribbon-cutting - couldn't agree more.

"This is the most wonderful thing Royal Oak has ever done for us," Staley said.

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