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BIDDEFORD, Maine

³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ U-ExCEL program gets older adults moving with retirement community volleyball match

Older adults play water volleyball through U-ExCEL program

The ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ College of Osteopathic Medicine’s U-ExCEL program is advancing fitness for older adults in fun and innovative ways. Erica Robertson, M.P.H. candidate, U-ExCEL Fitness Director, organized a volleyball match on February 27, 2017 between two local retirement communities.

Piper Shores Continuing Care Retirement Community and OceanView at Falmouth Retirement Community faced off at the Piper Shores pool. The water volleyball players practiced for months to prepare for the event, which drew a sizable crowd. About 100 spectators lined the pool cheering for their teams. After three nail-biting, hard-fought games, Piper Shores took home the victory.

The ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ - Exercise and Conditioning for Easier Living (U-ExCEL) program is an older adult functional fitness and wellness program within ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ's College of Osteopathic Medicine Division of Geriatric Medicine.  The program provides older adults in the local community with daily strength, endurance and balance training workouts. Water volleyball helped participants increase reaction time, hand-eye-coordination, levels of overall fun and enjoyment and boosted social engagement.

To learn more about the ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, visit

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About the ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ

The ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.