How the Black Wellness Cooperative empowers seniors through movement

Joy Chiekwe, Clinical Exercise Physiologist and founder of the Black Wellness Cooperative

A new initiative by Nova Scotia’s Black Wellness Cooperative (BWC), a collective of Nova Scotian health, wellness and fitness professionals, is helping Black seniors find joy and independence through socializing, moving more and having fun well into their golden years.    

A group of seniors who belong to the Upper Hammonds Plains Community Development Association reached out to the BWC for help developing seniors’ programming. Upper Hammonds Plains is a historic African Nova Scotia community, established in 1815, and the group knew about BWC’s support for the local Black community.

“We seek to provide the Black community an opportunity to learn and grow through their peers and representation and are committed to providing our expertise, knowledge and training to marginalized or otherwise underserved communities and groups of all ages,” the BWC website states.

The BWC has since been recognized by the Nova Scotia government for its outstanding work with a 2023 Age-Friendly Communities Grant.

“I want to create a more inclusive setting and underline that physical activity isn’t just for the young,” said Joy Chiekwe, BWC’s founder and a clinical exercise physiologist. “I want to change the way people think about activity. It’s not about looking a certain way, it’s about longevity and quality of life.”

The cooperative offers a variety of events and activities, with an emphasis on staying active as a way of maintaining mental and physical well-being and retaining independence with age. Joy helps instruct the seniors’ fitness classes, one component of four hours of weekly activities for the group, with all costs covered by the grant.

“Every week, we deliver an hour of movement and exercise for the Upper Hammonds Plains’ seniors group to help improve their quality of life, show them movements they can do to boost their daily living and also instil the importance of physical activity as we get older,” said Joy.

The cooperative especially targets and assists those who may not have access to learning and programming. “The Upper Hammonds Plains community does not have any access to public transit, so getting outside for programming can sometimes be challenging for community members. With help from the provincial grant, we were able to make this come to life while also paying the instructors.” 

Staying active in a group setting also helps the seniors meet people and stay connected. COVID-19 restrictions were especially hard on elder populations who spent long periods isolated from loved ones, making this initiative even more important to the community. The social side of movement is one of the many benefits of the sessions.  

“Doing something new with friends and family is exciting. Our clients love to see how the movements relate to their day-to-day activities. For example, to help with flexibility, seniors can use a hinge movement to pick things up off the floor. An overhead press will help them safely place something onto a high shelf,” Joy said.

Confidence building is one of the many benefits of practicing these types of movements. “When we complete a session, you can see their self-confidence has grown,” said Joy. “They want to come back and do it again!”

Other bonuses of staying active as we age include improved mobility, balance and helping joints stay lubricated, which enable safer, more agile activity throughout the day. Improving your strength and flexibility slowly can be done without any equipment  – after all, the best piece of exercise equipment ever invented is you!

To learn more about the mandate of BWC, which was created by the community, for the community, visit www.bwcns.ca. They offer activities for people of all ages and fitness levels, and their sessions are often offered by donation.