With the release of its Spring and Summer 2020 Active Living Guide, City of Powell River Parks, Recreation and Culture promises a myriad of activities and programs for residents in the region. In addition to the enjoyment visitors to Powell River Recreation Complex derive from participating in options found throughout the guide, the department places an equal amount of importance on learning and development opportunities.
“We offer quality programs that enhance people’s health, social wellbeing, skills and abilities,” says Christine Parsons, health and fitness coordinator for City of Powell River. “Recreation helps build strong families and communities and can help to reduce costs in health care and social services.”
Specialized programming has been a focus at the recreation complex, providing more educational, health-related and skill enhancement opportunities for community members.
The department is particularly excited to offer the FAME program (fitness and mobility exercise) in partnership with Coast Community Physio.
“We are involved in a research project called Stroke Recovery in Motion, which is a guide for starting and maintaining a community-based exercise program for people with stroke,” explains Christine. “The FAME program is appropriate for people with stroke who are medically stable and able to stand and walk for short distances, and can follow instructions. We are also encouraging caregivers to participate with this program.”
The Brave Hearts Cardiac Rehabilitation program continues to be offered in partnership with VCH and Tla’amin First Nation as well. Aimed at rehabilitating patients who have suffered a cardiac event, the initiative was introduced in 2016 with patients being referred through their internal medicine doctor.
“We also launched Parkinson’s fit last year,” says Christine.
In addition to enhancing quality of life at all stages with personal fitness, healthy eating and recovery programs, training for outdoor activities such as hunting and improving swimming skills, or upgrading first aid certification are covered.
“If you have a passion for knowledge and want to learn new hobbies, we’re trying to cater to that,” says sports and recreation coordinator Alex Craig. “We’re offering a hunting program, where you learn about all the qualifications, skills and equipment, and fishing courses, including our popular clam and oyster programs.”
New culinary classes focus on different interests, with a red seal chef offering a variety of courses.
“Classes include cooking for yourself; one-pot recipes; if you’re an athlete, cooking for athletic performance; what to put in your body to improve general health and well-being; as well as other specialized courses,” adds Alex.
Whether first aid training is required for a workplace or for personal adventures, three options are being offered this season: Marine Basic First Aid, Standard First Aid and Emergency/Occupational First Aid.
“As a training partner for the Canadian Red Cross, our certifications are highly recognized,” says pool supervisor Tami Wood. “MBFA is a two-day course for people who are out on boats for either work or pleasure. EFA is a one-day course and is recognized by Worksafe BC for level one first aid. Like the marine course, SFA covers common emergencies a little more in-depth and is the required level of training for lifeguards.”
While taking a first aid course improves safety for the individual and those around them, three stages of swimming lessons for adults address fears some may have of water, and give athletes a chance to train for endurance events.
“We’re excited about the new outdoor swim series at Mowat Bay for people who might want to compete in triathlons or long-distance swimming,” says Tami. “For people who are nervous around water, we have adult basic water safety for beginners, and if you’re in the middle try stage two lessons to help you swim laps in the pool, end to end.”
Guides are available at the recreation complex, Powell River Public Library, City Hall, and in this issue of Peak Midweek.
For more information, go to powellriverprc.ca, call 604.485.2891, or drop by the complex reception desk.
