Clara Ell

Project Portfolio Description

Environmental Survey and Investigative Report about Medicare Fitness Programs for the City of Eugene’s Campbell Community Center

The Campbell Center is a City of Eugene Recreation and Community Center catering to the older adult population in Lane County, Oregon. As a community center, it offers a variety of classes, activities, and social programs. Upcoming in 2021, the Center will reopen to the public with a new Fitness Facility. Access to fitness is important for all ages but continuing to live an active lifestyle is especially important as the body ages. This project aimed to evaluate different Medicare Fitness programs, that when partnered with, allow patrons to pay for services via their Medicare insurance, instead of having to cover expenses out of pocket. Preliminary research was conducted about the available programs that could be partnered with, including Grey and Golden, Silver & Fit, Silver Sneakers, and ReNew Active. To evaluate programs and determine if a program is a viable option for the Center and its patrons, an environmental scan was conducted via a survey that was sent out through the Oregon Recreation and Park Association.

The results of the survey provided clues of various benefits for both patrons and agencies. It was found that those with Medicare Fitness programs saw a greater increase in participants, it’s popular with patrons, and the programs did not come at a great time cost to the agencies. The survey can be sent out again on a wider scale, including to gyms and centers that do not exclusively cater to senior patrons, and may heed different results.