‘They’ll be losing out’: Province cuts funding for Delta seniors’ fitness program

Delta Gymnastics says the future of a free fitness program it offers to seniors is uncertain after a provincial funding cut.

The non-profit society’s Seniors Can Move program provided over 300 free spots to people between the ages of 65 and 97 last year.

Program coordinator Richard Woo said he worked with a geriatric nurse to develop Seniors Can Move, which is focused on fall prevention and fall recovery, major issues older adults experience.

Classes officially launched in 2018, Woo said, with strong feedback from participants.

“I stepped on a ping pong ball and I didn’t fall this time or I went on vacation because I felt confident doing so,” Woo told Global News in an interview. “It’s the little things like that that tell us that were giving seniors confidence to go out and do things that they might not have been able to do or felt confident doing before.”

When the federal start-up grant funding ran out, the provincial government stepped in to back the program in 2019.

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Delta Gymnastics said Seniors Can Move was receiving a substantial annual grant of between $80,000 to $100,000, before funding was denied for the upcoming year.

“If seniors are falling, that’s a huge cost on society,” said Seniors Can Move participant Pat Rogers. “Doing this is kind of helping people be more stable.”

Linda Scabar, who survived a stroke in 2016, said the one-hour, once-a-week class has been life-changing for her mobility.

“I used my walker on this floor for almost a year, then I graduated to the cane,” Scabar said. “If it wasn’t for this (Seniors Can Move), I wouldn’t be as good as I am today.”

Delta Gymnastics said many of the participants live on fixed or limited incomes and may not be able to continue if the non-profit started charging for the program.

“Our fear is that seniors won’t be able to afford it,” said Delta Gymnastics Society executive director Jenn Watts. “Then they’ll be losing out on a program that has been so crucial to their overall health and wellbeing and yeah, we really don’t want the program to fold.”

Global News requested an interview with B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne for an explanation on why funding was cut for a program Delta Gymnastics said has become a vital community resource.

Osborne’s ministry did not respond to the interview request and instead sent a statement saying it appreciates and values the work provided by Delta Gymnastics.

“Government is facing a challenging fiscal climate and it is not possible to provide funding to all the many worthy organizations seeking support from the Province,” the emailed statement read.

The health ministry added that the province, through its partnership with United Way BC,

funds over 170 non-profit agencies to provide a range of community-based seniors’ services that help older adults remain physically active, socially connected, resilient and as independent as possible.

Delta Gymnastics has been working to try and obtain a new grant to help seniors continue to participate for free, but said it’s been hard to source new funding on short notice.

“As much as we would love to keep running the program for free, it’s not viable for us as a non-profit without a grant or sponsor,” said Watts.