Racine cardiac program keeps elderly patients in the gym

RACINE, Wis. - Comebacks are somewhat common in the basement of Ascension All Saints Hospital in Racine. That's where the health system's Cardiac Health and Rehabilitation and Pulmonary Rehabilitation space is. 

It's a small gym area for patients who have just endured a cardiac event or are fighting chronic illness. They are able to do rehab exercises under the close supervision of nurses, specialists, etc. And twice a week, it doubles as a local fountain of youth.

"You don't retire from life"

What they're saying:

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Ron Fox is up early. The 92-year-old navigates the short drive from his Mount Pleasant apartment to park as close as he can to the entrance of Ascension All Saints Hospital.

"At first you say, 'Oh boy. Sometimes, I don't really want to do this.' But it's always afterwards that you say, 'Boy, I'm glad I did,' you know? You feel better that way," Fox said.

Fox first came to this hospital 21 years ago after feeling pains in his back. Doctors determined he needed quadruple bypass surgery. Fox still fondly remembers conversations with the doctor.

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"He said, 'Well, everything's gonna be OK.' And I said, 'Well,' I said, 'I'm OK as far as I'm concerned with the good Lord, so whatever you do — do it right,'" Fox said.

The circumstances of Fox's return now are a little different. He returns to the hospital, because he wants to.

"Like I say, I refuse to be an old crabby man," Fox said, with a laugh.

The routine

What we know:

Fox methodically makes his way through the entrance to a bank of elevators, where he rides to the fourth floor. Then, through one more door, the 92-year-old began his workout with a stretching session fit for his age: chair yoga.

A group of a dozen or so participants gather in a circle, seated in chairs, while a nurse leads the class through certain moves. Music, deep breaths and the occasional laugh fill the space for the next 20 to 30 minutes.

The class is part of the hospital's preventative health and wellness program. It offers patients recovering from cardiac events, or those battling chronic illnesses like COPD, the chance to return to physical activity while under the watch of medical professionals.

"Besides the peace of mind, what keeps you coming back?" asked FOX6 Weekend Anchor/Reporter Sam Kraemer.

"I think, uh, just to convince myself that, you know, I need to keep, keep active," Fox said. "Retiring is one thing, but you don't retire from life — so it's like, you might as well keep going."

A look around class shows Fox is not the only one who feels that way. After class, he heads down to the basement — where he'll spend the next 45 minutes to an hour working out.

"If you'd like to see the fountain of youth..."

Dig deeper:

Megan Justman has led the program for decades. She told FOX6 News she can't remember a time she had four people all over the age of 90 working out together at the hospital.

"I often tell people, 'If you'd like to see the fountain of youth, we have it located here at the hospital,'" Justman said.

Justman added, she feels the 90-plus participants seem to find motivation in one another. At a machine nearby, Janice Tomasek says there's some truth to that.

"Yeah, I'm amazed I'm still living," Tomasek said between laughs.

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The 95-year-old decided to join the program once she saw her late husband do his rehab there after open-heart surgery. Tomasek says the hands-on care helped her with her own health.

"When we first come, we have our blood pressure taken. And then after, you have it taken again. And for several years, I had trouble getting my blood pressure down. And they were kind enough to check with my doctor, and finally, finally, finally, we got the right combination of medicines. And so, my blood pressure has been down," Tomasek said.

Building a community

Big picture view:

While the physical benefits are obvious, it turns out community builds a lot like muscle — the more this group shows up, the more it grows.

Fox said that's part of the reason he keeps coming back. He enjoys the community, and he knows there will be questions if he misses a class.

"I'm the youngest one at 92, for crying out loud," Fox said. "I keep looking at them like, I guess I can keep going as long as I can."

And maybe the laughs prove that the sense of togetherness does as much for the heart as the exercises that bring them together.

What you can do:

The 90-plus crew aren't the only ones there. For $45 a month, the hospital allows prior patients to continue coming to work out at the hospital. It's $70 for married couples. You can learn much more about the program.