The Baird Wellness Center, located at Masonic Village at Elizabethtown, is known for offering an array of cardiovascular and strength equipment, personal training and group fitness classes to village residents and the greater community.

But did you know the Baird Wellness Center also offers additional support through massage therapy, wellness and nutrition coaching – and even an exercise program for those with Parkinson’s disease?

“When you walk in here, you see equipment, and you assume it’s just a gym, but we’re so much more than that.”

“When you walk in here, you see equipment, and you assume it’s just a gym, but we’re so much more than that,” Stacy Schroder, director of wellness and prevention said. “We’re a wellness center. We host wellness workshops and teach classes on wellness. My vision is to make this a true wellness center with acupuncture and more integrative services.”

A 10-week exercise program for those with Parkinson’s disease is offered on a regular basis. The monthly support group continues to be highly attended. In between programs, people can still meet one-on-one with a personal trainer to do exercises and cognitive training specific to Parkinson’s disease.

“It [the Parkinson’s program] was prompted by the sheer number of people who have Parkinson’s on our campus,” Stacy said. “We knew we needed to offer a specialized service for them because traditional exercise is not what they need.”

When people learn about the chiropractic and Parkinson’s disease programs, they tend to gravitate toward them, Stacy said. “We had almost 100 people attend a recent neurologist presentation on genetics and Parkinson’s, and many of them attended from the surrounding community. The speaker will be coming back again soon.”

The Baird Wellness Center also offers a diabetes education and exercise program to address the growing trend of Type II diabetes among older adults, as well as a multiple sclerosis (MS) program.

The SilverSneakers® group exercise programs for older adults continues to be popular as well, Stacy said. SilverSneakers® is the nation’s leading exercise program designed for Medicare-eligible adults and group retirees. “Our yoga and tai chi classes are a big hit, and of course all of our aqua classes are full to the brim,” Stacy said.

The Baird Wellness Center offers wellness services for children and adults ages and 14 and up. For more information, or to schedule an appointment, contact the Baird Wellness Center at 717-361-5699.