One of The San Diego LGBT Community Center’s popular senior programs has shifted online after concerns about the safety of a floor inside the Hillcrest center.
Older adults in the Feeling Fit program are now meeting over Zoom while San Diego County officials search for an alternate location.
The pivot to virtual exercise classes came after participants, led by Mike Sloothaak, noticed the buckling auditorium floor inside The Center’s auditorium. Pictures show wood slats with raised edges that did not sit flush with each other.
In the aerobics setting, Sloothaak and others feared it could be a tripping hazard that risked broken hips and bones among the more frail seniors.
“While I don’t think the floor needs replacement, it would be helpful to address the many places where the raised areas present tripping hazards that could seriously impact the elderly patrons in the exercise classes, many of whom are in their late 70s to 90s,” Stuart Duffy wrote to county officials.
He was among participants who emailed county Aging and Independent Services officials about the floor. After an inspection, the county decided to halt in-person classes.
“The health and safety of the older adults is our priority,” Tim McClain, spokesperson for Health and Human Services, said, adding that the county does not have a timeline for when in-person classes will resume.
The county funds the Feeling Fit program. The Center provides the building as part of its expanded offerings for LGBTQ+ seniors, a population with growing needs.
Gus Hernandez, the Center’s spokesperson, also said there is no timeline for the repairs and options are being evaluated for the ”small section” of the auditorium floor that needs repairs.
As part of renovations to the lobby and front area of the building, the Center replaced the auditorium floor four years ago with “sleek and durable” materials.
The Center is still using the auditorium for all other programs, just not the exercise classes.
In the meantime, county officials are searching for a temporary physical location. Several participants suggested local churches. The county has a long list of requirements in its hunt: it must be large enough to accommodate current class sizes, accessible, free for participants, spacious enough to secure equipment and near public transportation.
Ideally the alternate location would be within walking distance of The Center, which is continuing its other senior programs like food banks and resource sharing.
The program did more than just address physical needs – it combatted isolation.
“Exercise to me is mindless repetition and extremely boring,” Sloothaak said. “It is the social aspect that keeps us—and most seniors—involved in the in-person classes.”
Many of the regular attendees formed a tight-knit community.
“They’ve kind of become their own village,” said Jason Cuneo, who leads senior services at The Center.
The move to Zoom reduced attendance and some of the community feeling, at least temporarily.
“The social aspect is by far more important than the physical exercise,” Sloothaak said. “Seniors should keep in shape, but it only becomes fun and engaging with the social aspect, one that just doesn’t work on Zoom.”
But attendees are still keeping up social events organized by the class’s teacher. On Friday before Pride, many met at Hillcrest Brewing Company.
“I think we learned during the pandemic that Zoom is no replacement for face to face,” said Jim Corbett, who missed Friday’s Feeling Fit class but attended the social.
“There is a tremendous value in the camaraderie of in-person classes.”
