The Fond du Lac Family YMCA has been a part of the Fond du Lac community since 1904, thanks to the dedication and support from its members, staff and the community. We continue to help strengthen individuals and families in our community and are proud to offer the support needed for those battling and surviving chronic disease, such as diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and cancer.
Diabetes Prevention Program
The Fond du Lac Family YMCA worked hard in order to secure the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program locally for our community. Over 20,000 people are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes in Fond du Lac County. The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program helps those who have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes, or believe they may be at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles by eating healthier, increasing physical activity, and losing a modest amount of weight in order to reduce their chances of developing the disease. The launch of this program at the Fond du Lac Family YMCA began in January 2015.
Alex Berg, Chronic Disease Prevention Coordinator, was recently hired at the Y to continue the efforts of this program. The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program is a year-long program with the first 16 sessions delivered weekly over 20 weeks, followed by sessions 17-19 delivered every other week, then sessions 20-25 delivered monthly. In a relaxed classroom setting, a trained Lifestyle Coach helps participants learn skills that will help them incorporate healthy eating and increase physical activity and other behavior changes into their everyday lives. The goals of the program are 7 percent weight loss and an increase in physical activity to 150 minutes per week. Nationally, this program has shown to reduce the number of new cases of diabetes by 58%. The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance, and other national organizations committed to preventing chronic disease. The Center for Disease Control recently announced that new cases of diagnosed diabetes among adults have gone down significantly over the last five years! From 1991 to 2009, the number of new cases of diabetes increased sharply from 573,000 to more than 1.7 million. However, from 2009 to 2014, the number of new cases decreased significantly to approximately 1.4 million.
Parkinson’s Exercise Class
Research shows that exercise benefits people with Parkinson’s Disease. The benefits of exercise can help protect certain areas of the brain involved in the disease process. Your body is changing as it copes with Parkinson Disease and aging. Effects of the disease include loss of muscle mass and tone, and loss of bone mass and minerals. Exercise can help slow down the progression of these effects.
The Y’s Parkinson Exercise Class continues to be offered through a partnership with Agnesian HealthCare. This class was designed by a physical therapist from Agnesian HealthCare, and the elements in the class are based on current research in the Parkinson’s field. It is specifically designed for people with PD who are still walking with or without the use of a walker or cane. The goal is to maintain and increase function. In this class, participants work on aerobic conditioning on treadmills, bikes, or the Nu-step machine, depending on ability. Weight machines are used for upper and lower body strengthening. Classroom exercises emphasize range of motion, balance, posture, and body education.
Participants in this class have shown to improve posture, strength, balance, and walking ability as well as restore general functional ability. They have seen improved cardiovascular health and improved non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s such as memory, sleep, mental health, and attitude. The class has been a support system and has given participants an increased confidence.
LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA
LIVESTRONG at the YMCA is an evidence based program that helps adult cancer survivors reclaim their health and well-being following a cancer diagnosis. Participating YMCAs create a welcoming community in which survivors can improve their strength and physical fitness, diminish the severity of therapy side effects, develop supportive relationships, and improve their quality of life. Since 2007, the LIVESTRONG Foundation has been the YMCA’s partner in developing and delivering LIVESTRONG at the YMCA.
The Fond du Lac Family YMCA was accepted in 2015 to become a LIVESTRONG provider, along with 33 other Ys, and will begin it’s pilot program in February 2016. Currently 174 corporate associations offer the LIVESTRONG at the YMCA program. In order to become a LIVESTRONG at the YMCA program site, Ys go through a rigorous but transformational organizational capacity-building process to help them serve cancer survivors with knowledge, empathy and skill. Y staff who become certified instructors for the LIVESTRONG at the YMCA exercise program must complete over 16 hours of training on cancer, communication skills, exercise modification and safety to ensure that the program experience is effectively tailored to the abilities and personal goals of each participant. A recent research study demonstrated that these efforts are working: cancer survivors who participated in the LIVESTRONG at the YMCA exercise program exhibited improvements in physical activity, fitness and quality of life.
LIVESTRONG at the YMCA is a 12-week program, offered at no cost at the Fond du Lac Family YMCA, includes small group, supportive environment, two 90-minute sessions per week, cardiovascular conditioning, strength training, balance, and flexibility exercises. In addition, participants and their family household receive a free 12-week membership to the Fond du Lac Family YMCA during the program. Evaluation includes functional and quality of life assessments before and after participation. Any adult 18 years old or older who is living with or beyond cancer treatment may qualify.
For more information on any of these Y programs, contact Alex Berg, Chronic Disease Prevention Coordinator, at 920.921.3330 or aberg@fdlymca.org.