West Bloomfield

Senior wellness center launches in WB

By Eric Czarnik
C & G Staff Writer

» click to enlarge « Photo by Deb Jacques Strength therapist Lauren Oleksiak, of Waterford, uses a rowing machine at West Bloomfield’s new ActiveRx Active Aging Center. Photo by Deb Jacques Strength therapist Lauren Oleksiak, of Waterford, uses a rowing machine at West Bloomfield’s new ActiveRx Active Aging Center.

WEST BLOOMFIELD — An ActiveRx Active Aging Center opened to the public Jan. 29 at the corner of Maple and Farmington Roads. The 2,160-square-foot center is the first ActiveRx location in Michigan, though other locations have already opened in Arizona, Colorado, Texas and California.

ActiveRx Michigan regional developer Mark Lines said business has been “so far, so good” with a couple of referrals and a warm reception by community leaders. He hopes ActiveRx will be convenient and beneficial to a growing population of seniors ages 60 and older.

“There is a large population in West Bloomfield that can really benefit from our services,” he said. “We want to get out there and get the word out.”

ActiveRx founder and CEO Matt Essex, who lives in Arizona, said his business mission is to redefine aging. He acknowledges that it sounds like a lofty mission, but he said ActiveRx’s services are based on decades of clinical research.

“We found in our research that strength directly translates to function, which directly translates to independence and quality of life,” he said.

Essex said ActiveRx is neither a health club nor a gym. The clinic’s services are intended to strengthen seniors so they can move around, keep their sense of balance and live more independent lives.

The center offers evaluations and signs seniors up for therapeutic programs to rehabilitate, strengthen muscles and keep them well, he said. The programs may teach clients how to prevent or alleviate chronic ailments, such as heart disease and arthritis, Essex said.

Lines, of Wolverine Lake, said he has worked in the medical device industry for years, and he leaped at the chance to operate an ActiveRx location.

“This was a franchise that really marries well with my background and experience,” he said.

Lines said he knows from personal experience the importance of helping seniors remain independent, adding that his own parents, who live in Colorado, are experiencing that period in their lives.

Although his business has only been open for several business days, he said he already appreciates the feedback he has gotten from customers, such as one man who wants to free himself from back pain.

“He wants to be able to play golf this summer,” Lines said.

The West Bloomfield ActiveRx Active Aging Center is located at 6018 W. Maple Road, Suite 850, in West Bloomfield. Learn more at www.activerx.com or call (248) 932-0111.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Eric Czarnik at eczarnik@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1058.