Skip to main content
ToggleMenu

Older Learners

Have fun, make friends and be healthy!

GRCC is dedicated to serving everyone in our community. The GRCC Older Learners Center has been offering educational opportunities to West Michigan for more than 25 years. Topics of these offerings have included grandparents raising grandkids, adult wellness day camps, mindfulness meditation, nutrition, and of course physical and mental fitness. The focus always being to have fun, make friends, and be healthy!

Currently, GRCC partners with the Area Agency on Aging to bring a variety of physical fitness programs to our senior community. These programs are under the umbrella of Engaging Wellness. Classes are offered through many partners throughout a nine county area.

GRCC classes are open to everyone. 

Engaging Wellness classes are designed specifically for older adults with the intent of helping you stay active and independent. They are community-centered and taught by certified instructors.

Engaging Wellness classes are:

  • Safe and effective for older adults
  • Drop ins welcome
  • Focus is on:
    • Strength and flexibility
    • Falls prevention/balance
    • Cardio fitness
    • Nutrition education
    • Fun, fitness, and friendship

See classes listed below. If you would like more information about GRCC's Older Learners, please email the program director at lcollard@grcc.edu. If you would like to receive notification of upcoming events, please sign up here. 

Don't just take it from us! Here is what two of our friends have to say about Stretch & Strength!

Arthritis Foundation Aquatics Program

Get the workout you need without putting stress on your joints! You will get a great cardiovascular and strength workout in the water. Participants are encouraged to work and progress at their own pace while enjoying GRCC's Gerald R. Ford Fieldhouse Pool! These classes meet weekly from 9-10 a.m. Registration is limited to 30 participants. A suggested donation of $1 per session per participant is strongly encouraged. However, no one will be denied participation based on inability to pay. This program is available to Kent County residents 60 and older thanks to Title IIID Older American's Act funding administered by the Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan.

For more information or to register call (616) 234-3800 or online at Arthritis Foundation Aquatics Program

Enhance Fitness

Enhance Fitness is a low-cost, evidence-based group exercise program that helps older adults at all levels of fitness become more active, energized, and empowered to sustain independent lives.

Enhance Fitness classes are taught in a relaxed atmosphere and lots of laughter. A full hour of fun, Enhance Fitness focuses on dynamic cardiovascular exercise, strength training, balance, and flexibility — everything older adults need to maintain health and function as they age.

More than 99% of participants say they would recommend Enhance Fitness to a friend. The class is proven to:

  • Increase strength. People who regularly attend class grow stronger, improve their balance, and become more limber.
  • Boost activity levels. Even the unfit quickly find themselves able to do the things they want to do, safely and independently.
  • Elevate mood. Research shows that exercise can help prevent depression, and Enhance Fitness participants say they feel better physically and emotionally.

Registration is limited, call (616) 234-3800 or online at Enhance Fitness. 

Fitness Foundations Friday

The Fitness Foundations Program provides opportunities for fitness/wellness through aerobic exercise, strength training, and increased personal fitness, socialization, and FUN! 

This program is being made available in part by Kent County Senior Millage and Older Americans Act Title IIID funding from the Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan. A small co-payment is required for participation in Kent County Senior Millage funded programs, and a suggested donation is asked from participants of the Older Americans Act funded programming. 

Registration is limited, call (616) 234-3800 or online at Fitness Foundations.

Stretch and Strength

If you are a senior looking to improve your strength, flexibility, balance, and range of motion, this class is for you! Strength training helps reduce, and reverse the effects of Osteoporosis. Yoga, Pilates, and hand weights are incorporated into this class. You will be shown exercises that you can continue practicing in your own home!

This program is being made available in part by Kent County Senior Millage and Older Americans Act Title IIID funding from the Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan. A small co-payment is required for participation in Kent County Senior Millage funded programs, and a suggested donation is asked from participants of the Older Americans Act funded programming.

Registration is limited, call (616) 234-3800 or online at Stretch and Strength.

engaging wellness logo
Transfer