Stay active and engaged with our summertime offerings

We know summer calendars fill up fast with vacations, activities, family reunions and more! But that doesn't mean you should put your health on hold. So, if you can, try to squeeze in some classes offered at the Camarillo Health Care District that will help you stay healthy, engaged and active. Whether it's a diabetes self-management class, an appointment with our nutritionist or a class in virtual reality that takes you on a travel adventure around the world, we've got plenty to keep you busy during those off days on your calendar.

Visit our website for the most up-to-date dates and times of classes, and then give us a call at 805-388-1952 to schedule. Some summer offerings include:

Google Slides to share your travel adventures. Learn how to make a presentation of your travel adventures featuring your finest photographs, and then share it with family and friends with a click of a link. The two-part class will be held Mondays, July 24 and 31, from 2 to 3 p.m. Cost is $10 for in-District residents. There are also classes on how to create Instagram and Facebook Stories and create photo books online. Just look under the "Digital Literacy" tab on our website. 

In August, if you are planning to be in town for the next 10 weeks and you're looking for fun,  our Bingocize class may be exactly what you need and there is no cost to you. It's a fun and interactive program, based on research conducted at Western Kentucky University, combining education with exercise and social engagement. Methods taught focus on health education, such as nutrition and fall prevention, knowledge of fall risks, ways to reduce falls, health activation and aspects of cognition, while the exercise component focuses on improving functional performance for upper and lower body strength, balance and range of motion. The class will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Aug. 29-Nov. 9, from 3 to 4 p.m.  Watch this video to see what it's like!

Speaking of reducing fall risk and improving cognition, have you looked into our Senso balance machine yet? This twice-a-week, eight-week, free program aims to reduce fall risk and improve cognition while progressing participants through a series of games that get more complex and challenging as people move through the program. Games are focused on various cognitive and physical skills, from natural cognitive tasks that may be second nature to some people and a challenge to others with some sort of cognitive impairment. You'll work one-on-one with a health promotion coach. Call today to join our interest list. We'll schedule your time based on what works best for you. If you haven't yet, please watch this video that shows you what it will be like.

If you didn't know already, Yoga-Gentle is back with instructor Mikal Rogers. Health benefits of yoga include improved flexibility, muscle tone and stress alleviation. Classes meet in 10-week sessions from 3:45-4:45 p.m. on Mondays, July 17-Sept. 25, and the cost is $80. Sign up today, before the class fills up.

Continue to keep active by joining our drop-in Walking Group. We meet outside our main doors, 3639 E. Las Posas Road, Building E, every Tuesday and Thursday at 9 a.m. and walk for about 45 minutes. Afterward, enjoy some conversation and a cup of water in our Caregivers Center. Just sign in on your first day and fill out our participation form.

If you're looking for educational lectures, we have a few scheduled June-September, from a doctor's presentation on how to choose a physician to be your partner in care to our "Elder Legal Answers Your Questions On ..." series. The legal series will feature "What You Need to Know If Hiring a Caregiver Privately" on June 19, "Understanding and Addressing Elder Abuse" July 17, "Nursing Homes: What You Need to Know" Aug. 21 and "Does My Parent Have Dementia? Understanding Declining Capacity and Conservatorship" on Sept. 18. The series is held noon to 1 p.m. and doors open at 11:30 a.m. at Camarillo Public Library. Dr. Stanley Frochtzwajg's presentation is noon to 1 p.m. July 20 on our campus, with doors also at 11:30 a.m. Pre-registration is required, but all the presentations are free.

Lastly, if you haven't tried one of our virtual reality classes, we highly recommend it, especially this summer. Heck, bring your grandkids (13 and up), your life partner or your adult children. Consider it a virtual family vacation! Wearing our VR headsets, you can choose to take a guided bus tour of Tokyo, look over the streets of Paris from the Eiffel Tower, go scuba diving in the Philippines, visit some of our National Parks or spend some time anywhere  on your bucket list. We have openings in introductory level classes June through September where you'll learn the equipment and immerse yourself in another world. Then you're ready for intermediate level, which features travel adventures. Cost is $5 for introductory classes and $10 for intermediate. (Non-district residents add $4.) Peruse the various dates an times listed on our website. You can learn more about our "Adventures in VR" classes on Camarillo's CitySceneTV.

We have a lot more offerings, including Matter of Balance, Tai Chi for Arthritis, Chronic Pain Self-Management and Dementia Live, this summer. Just visit our website for a complete listing or read about them in the next edition of Healthy Attitudes magazine in July.