You don't have to be an athlete to join Jennifer Simpson's workout classes, just a resident at Cherrywood Village, a retirement community in Southeast Portland.
Simpson has been a personal trainer for 18 years, spending 17 in what she calls the "gym world." Last July, she took a job working with residents of a retirement community.
"I've worked with athletes, the everyday population, but with this population the reward is just phenomenal," Simpson said
Back in March, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, residents weren't allowed to have visitors. Group activities were canceled. Exercise classes normally held in groups, were done solo inside their own room by watching an exercise routine on TV.
Simpson said, after a month, physical and mental health started to decline.
"I could literally see a physical decline, people's mobility had gone down, their ability to move in general had gone down," she said. "Their spirits were down, they were lonely, they were frustrated. They were tired of being inside. The way that it affects them is a lot different than the way that it would affect you and I."
When Multnomah County moved into Phase 1, that meant more freedoms for the staff and residents at Cherrywood Village. Instead of solo workouts in the room, Simpson brought them into the hallways for workouts in small groups down the hallway corridors.
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