Every week, a group of older adults from across Clark County gather for a routine that’s become much more than just exercise.
The EnhanceFitness program, run by Aging and Disability Services of Southwest Washington (AAADSW), offers participants 60 and older the chance to improve their health, reduce fall risk and stay connected with others.
“It’s for all ability levels, seated, standing, wherever you’re at,” Program Coordinator Willa Evans said. “The goal is to help people stay strong, reduce fall risk and build community.”
Classes include aerobic movement, strength training, balance work and stretching to improve flexibility. Led by certified instructors, the free program accommodates each participant’s mobility, including those using walkers or wheelchairs.
“If someone can’t lift their leg standing, they can do it seated,” Evans said. “And if they can’t lift their leg at all, we focus on the muscles they can use. It’s all adjustable.”
While fall prevention is a core focus, it’s far from the only benefit.
“We’ve had people go from barely participating to keeping up with grandkids again,” Evans said. “You can see their confidence come back.”
Participants are assessed when they start, again after four months, and annually thereafter. The results? Noticeable improvements in strength, stamina and posture, according to Evans and instructors like Barbara Dunlap, who has led classes at Bethel Lutheran Church in Brush Prairie for nearly six years.
“They come in unsure, but then they start to nail the routines,” Dunlap said. “And they keep showing up. That’s how I know it’s working.”
Dunlap, a certified group fitness instructor, first joined EnhanceFitness as a participant in Battle Ground before quickly stepping into a leadership role.
Evans agrees that balance and flexibility aren’t just physical concerns—they connect directly to emotional wellbeing.
“After a fall, people often isolate. It affects their happiness, their confidence. We want to prevent that before it starts,” she said.
But physical gains aren’t what keep most people coming back.
“They come for the exercise, but they stay for each other. It’s social, it’s fun, and they feel seen here,” Dunlap said.
Before the pandemic, EnhanceFitness was a fixture in Battle Ground. But when COVID-19 hit, in-person classes came to a halt.
“We had to quit in-person classes,” Dunlap said. “We moved to Zoom for almost two years.”
Virtual sessions kept the program going, but they couldn’t replicate the energy, connection or consistency of gathering in person. After restrictions lifted, classes returned in Brush Prairie instead of Battle Ground.
The program will resume at the Battle Ground Senior Center in July, following its recent remodel which added outdoor space. Classes will continue to be held in Brush Prairie.
Learn more about the program and its schedule at helpingelders.org/education#enhance-fitness-group-exercise-classes.
