RESOURCES
HEALTHY AGING
National Resources
National Institute on Aging
Part of the National Institutes of Health, this entity is dedicated to research on the nature of aging, supporting the well-being of older adults and extending healthy, active years of life for more people.
Center for Healthy Aging
A resource of the National Council on Aging, this center aims to help adults live longer and healthier lives through health promotion and disease prevention programs, in collaboration with national, state and community partners.
HealthinAging.org
The American Geriatrics Society’s Health in Aging Foundation created this website to provide consumers and caregivers with information on an array of topics, including health and medications, community living, advance directives and how to find geriatrics professionals.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The CDC’s website offers useful guidelines and recommendations that assess how much physical activity is needed by adults, the impact of different kinds of exercise and ways to be physically active while social distancing.
Walk With a Doc
Walk with a Doc is a worldwide program started in 2005 by cardiologist Dr. David Sabgir in Columbus, Ohio, to “encourage physical activity and reduce the effects of a sedentary lifestyle.” Since its first event, Walk with a Doc has grown to over 500 chapters, using a model in which a doctor gives a brief presentation on a health topic and then leads participants on a walk at their own pace. Healthy snacks, coffee, and blood pressure checks are an optional part of the event. Walks are free, a safe place to get in some daily steps, learn about health, and make new friends.
In addition to promoting in-person walks, the nonprofit organization offers virtual Walk at Home with a Doc programs on its website, along with information about how to join or start a walk in your community, and a listing of walk locations. (There are currently four programs on Long Island: Glen Cove, Hauppauge, Stony Brook and Valley Stream.) You can also sign up for the group’s monthly newsletter, which features WWAD news, health tips, advice and humorous stories by Dr. Sabgir. (He signs off some of his newsletters with “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.”)
Long Island Resources
Long Island Health Collaborative
The Long Island Health Collaborative is a partnership of over 300 organizations, including Long Island's hospitals, county health departments, health providers, community-based social and human service organizations, academic institutions, health plans, local government, and the business sector, all engaged in improving the health of Long Islanders. Overseen by the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council, the LIHC aims to reduce the incidence of chronic disease by encouraging physical activity and better nutrition. A big proponent of walking, LIHC is founder of a local chapter of Walk with a Doc and provides a listing of LI Walking Clubs and Places to Walk on its website: www.lihealthcollab.org/healthy-resources/walking
Let’s Move Long Island
Long Island’s Active Transportation initiative is a collaboration among several municipalities, schools, businesses, and other organizations to promote walking and biking across Long Island. The organization offers a list of useful resources, a monthly newsletter, updates about local events and a toolkit to help promote active transportation to your other residents, students, and employees.
Walk With a Doc—Long Island chapters
This international program has more than 600 chapters worldwide—47 in the U.S., including several on Long Island: the City of Glen Cove Age-Friendly Initiative; the Long Island Health Collaborative; the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University; and the Stony Brook Southampton Hospital Residency Program (Click on Walk Directory to find out where to join walks.)
Walk Safe Long Island
A coalition of health and transportation safety educators from Nassau and Suffolk Counties, Walk Safe Long Island aims to reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities in the region. By using law-based education, the group aims to raise awareness among drivers and pedestrians of how we can stay safe together, offering local workshops and downloadable toolkit.
Local Nonprofits and Town Agencies
The YMCA of Long Island and Jewish Community Centers
offer a wide variety of programs, classes, and services to support the sustained health and well-being of older adults. Activities often include classes such as cardio fitness, water fitness, adult swims, yoga, pickleball, group exercise, strength and conditioning, Pilates and Zumba. The Y offers its members YMCA 360, hundreds of on-demand and live-stream exercise classes and programs for families that are accessible 24/7 from home.
There are a number of YMCA branches and JCCs in Nassau and Suffolk:
YMCA of Long Island https://ymcali.org (click Locations for local branches)
JCCs:
In addition, local senior centers and senior citizen divisions in Nassau and Suffolk offer a rich assortment of similar programs supporting health and well-being. For a listing of services offered by senior centers and Senior Citizen Departments & Divisions, see Resources II in this guide.