The Story of Geri-Fit's Strength Training for Older Adults at the Public Library in Rural America
Channel: UNCG LIS
Date: 29/07/2021

This is the story of Geri-Fit at the public library, a story about public space, aging, and small town America. Francesca Fisher, founder of the Geri-Fit Company, and Dr. Noah Lenstra, Assistant Professor of Library and Information Science at UNC Greensboro, recruited 49 rural public libraries to participate in a 12-week study, beginning in January 2019. During that time, participating libraries offered Geri-Fit’s introductory level strength training video twice a week. At the end of the study, 535 older adults completed a survey about their experiences. Over 75% of participants reported that their strength and well-being had improved over the course of their participation in the program. Remarkably, 93% of participants said their general mood had improved, suggesting the program had big impacts not only on physical health, but on mental health too. Throughout the vast changes that took place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, public librarians continued to support older adult engagement in Geri-Fit’s new virtual platform. Now, as vaccination rates among older Americans increase throughout 2021, some public libraries have returned to in-person Geri-Fit classes at the library.

What can you do with this information?
If you’re a gerontologist or an aging professional, you can suggest a partnership with your library. This story would not exist were it not for partnerships between gerontologists and librarians. Teamwork makes the dream work.

If you’re a librarian, seek out aging professionals! The best place to start is your regional Area Agency on Aging. Find yours on the U.S. Administration on Aging’s Eldercare Locator: https://eldercare.acl.gov/Public/About/Aging_Network/AAA.aspx

And finally, if you’re an interested citizen, you can reach out to your local library and ask them if they’d be interested in hosting exercise classes. They might say no, they might say yes, but it never hurts to ask!
 
The most important innovations start with a conversation.

Learn more about this project at:
https://letsmovelibraries.org/geri-fit/

Learn more about the Geri-Fit Company at:
https://www.gerifit.com/

Credits
Video Produced by UNCG Gerontology students: 
Jesse Granger, CJ Moser, and Jackie Sinicrope
Under supervision of Dr. Noah Lenstra, MLIS
Narrator and Audio Engineer: Alexander Zirkle 

This video would not be possible without the support of:
UNCG Gerontology Program, School of Health and Human Sciences
UNCG Library & Information Department, School of Education
The Geri-Fit Company
Participating public libraries
National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health