Tennessee YMCA facilities will no longer offer free fitness program for older adults, affecting approximately 10,000 active members across the state.
SilverSneakers®, the nation’s leading fitness program for older adults, announced today that the Tennessee State Alliance of YMCAs has decided to leave the SilverSneakers network and will no longer offer the program at its 44 locations across the state starting January 1, 2020. SilverSneakers members can still participate in the program at no additional cost at one of more than 350 other participating fitness locations across the state.
Currently, 10,000 active SilverSneakers members use a Tennessee YMCA facility. Over half of the members live in rural areas. Starting in January 2020, the Ys will require these seniors to pay out-of-pocket for a YMCA membership if they want to continue to have access to Y facilities.
“Our first concern is for our members, and we are working hard to ensure their smooth transition to one of our many other participating locations where they can continue having access to their favorite SilverSneakers programming without paying any additional monthly fees,” said Steve Janicak, President, Healthcare Business Unit, Tivity Health. “We have strong partnerships with more than 1,500 other YMCA locations around the country, so we’re truly disappointed that the Tennessee Ys have decided to stop offering SilverSneakers.”
SilverSneakers is offered through leading Medicare Advantage plans and offers seniors regular exercise, including strength training, aerobics, and flexibility, as well as social opportunities. More than 88% of SilverSneakers members surveyed said that the SilverSneakers program has improved their quality of life, 88% feel healthier overall and 94% say their health is good, very good or excellent.
As a community fitness program, SilverSneakers also promotes social opportunities to alleviate loneliness and social isolation. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately one-third of people older than age 65 live alone, and 43 percent of seniors experience loneliness[1]. The health risks of social isolation and loneliness are equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day[2].
In addition to providing access to fitness facilities and social connection, SilverSneakers also offers other great ways that members can engage with the SilverSneakers program:
SilverSneakers GO™, a mobile app that makes it easy for members to stay engaged online. The app offers full workout programs, location and class finders, and helpful scheduling reminders, as well as downloadable walking programs and on-demand videos. The SilverSneakers GO app and content are free to SilverSneakers members.
The SilverSneakers Facebook community has nearly 775,000 followers who can access on-demand videos with various formats to support cardiovascular health, strength, endurance, flexibility, balance, and cognition. Facebook community membership and content are free to the community of users.
SilverSneakers will work directly with members who currently use a YMCA in Tennessee to help them find a new location near them. Members can go online or call SilverSneakers toll free at 888-338-0345.
SilverSneakers®, by Tivity Health, is the nation's leading community fitness program for older Americans. The program was founded in 1992 and is available to more than 15 million Americans through many Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare Supplement carriers, and group retiree plans. For more information, to check eligibility, enroll in the program, or sign up for a SilverSneakers newsletter, visit silversneakers.com.
Tivity Health®, Inc. is a leading provider of health improvement, nutrition, fitness and social engagement solutions at scale to improve clinical outcomes, reduce healthcare costs and create opportunities to feel better, work better and live better. With decades of clinical and operational expertise, Tivity Health touches millions of consumers through its integrated portfolio of brands and works directly with hundreds of healthcare practitioners and many of the nation's largest payers and employers. Tens of millions of Americans are currently eligible for Tivity Health's SilverSneakers®, Prime® Fitness, WholeHealth Living™ and flip50™ programs and millions of people have lost weight with Nutrisystem®, South Beach Diet® and DNA BodyBlueprint™. As part of its commitment to tackling social isolation and loneliness, in 2017, Tivity Health launched a rural aging initiative to address challenges unique to older adults in rural communities. Learn more at TivityHealth.com.
[1] Perissinotto CM, Cenzer IS, Covinsky KE. Loneliness in Older Persons: A predictor of functional decline and death. Archives of internal medicine. 2012;172(14):1078-1083.
[2] Holt-Lunstad J, Smith TB, Baker M, Harris T, Stephenson D. Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality: a meta-analytic review. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2015;10(2):227-37.
