Care Connection offering Tai Chi for Arthritis online, in person

We are offering continuing Tai Chi for Arthritis classes online and at the Warrensburg Senior Center beginning March 15. The classes will be free, but registration is required.

Tai Chi will take place at 9 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the center, 445 E. Gay, and simultaneously via the Zoom application. The class will meet in the Multi rooms B & C in the senior center section of the community center.

These sessions are intended for participants who are familiar with Tai Chi, including those who have completed Care Connection’s beginner’s Tai Chi course.

Tai Chi for Arthritis and Falls Prevention is an ancient Chinese meditation exercise that features slow, precise movement. The exercises can improve balance and mobility, increase strength and flexibility, decrease pain, and prevent falls.

“This is a hybrid-type course that we are offering so that people who want to gather for an in-person class can do so at the senior center. At the same time, at-home participants can join the class via Zoom,” said Supportive Services Director Teresa Romanowicz.

Seniors who need help signing onto Zoom may call Care Connection for instructions. The hybrid classes are evolving to meet the needs of seniors who want to gather in person as well as those who don’t want to or cannot leave their homes.

“This way, we can accommodate seniors from throughout our 13-county service area with a class that originates in Warrensburg. We hope to offer these classes via big-screen TV sets in many of our centers as well,” Romanowicz said.

To register, call 1-800-748-7826 or visit www.goaging.org/events.

Tai Chi was created by Dr. Paul Lamm and is accepted by the Arthritis Foundation as safe and effective.

Supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.gov) and the National Council on Aging (NCOA.org), the programs are proven to reduce pain, prevent falls, and improve balance, health, and wellness.

Participants who are interested in the beginner’s course may register for the next Care Connection online session that is scheduled for April 19 to June 9. That course will meet at 8 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays via Zoom.