An organization known for helping patients with neurological challenges has added classes to develop more than its clients’ physical needs.
Day One Fitness, located in Beech Island, provides personalized physical development programs for individuals with challenges ranging from Parkinson’s Disease to stroke recovery. Thanks to a suggestion from a volunteer, it also offers classes on other topics.
“She came to me, and she said, ‘Hey, the people that have been coming are just so hungry for information, and there’s just so much that we don’t know,’” Executive Director Danielle Williams explained for ABD. “We do a good job of knowing what we know about Parkinson’s and all that other stuff, but there are a lot of things in our lives that we have to start thinking about, or that might be helpful to us or somebody that we love.”
An upcoming class will focus on staying safe and avoiding scams online. It is offered to clients and their caregivers.
“This is information that I think could be useful to our folks,” said Williams. “Maybe some of them don’t know how to be safe on their phones. You’re working with a population that is older, and not all of them are super tech-advanced, even though that’s the route that everything is going. So, shedding some light on some common issues that would be helpful to them would be great.”
Leading the class will be Sharon Martin, CEO and co-founder of Managed Nerds, a local company that provides managed IT services and cybersecurity monitoring. Martin is also an ABD contributor.
“It’s good to have normal, regular conversations about cyber security and updating your device,” she said. “And if somebody reaches out to you, you know how you’re going to verify that it’s really them. It is an important conversation to have.”
She said she will focus on technology safety tips specifically designed for an aging population.
“So, for the members and their caretakers, common technology cybersecurity scams we’re seeing, simple ways to protect themselves and recognize scams,” she said. “Overall, what steps should they take to keep their loved ones from falling victim to whether it’s a smishing SMS message, phishing email, or social media scams?”
Williams and Martin met at an IMPACTED event sponsored by the Community Foundation for the CSRA (CFCSRA). IMPACTED is a networking series for leaders of nonprofit organizations. In addition to hearing from guest speakers, the sessions are geared toward organizational awareness and collaborative opportunities.
Although Managed Nerds is primarily designed to help businesses protect their online presence, Martin said being available to help nonprofit organizations is also important.
“We love to go out and talk to small businesses or even small community organizations about best cybersecurity practices,” said Martin. “The reason we like to go, especially to programs for vulnerable populations, is that it can often be harder for them to understand the cybersecurity concepts because they didn’t grow up with a cell phone.”
A future class at Day One will be led by representatives of Long Term Liaisons, a North Augusta business that offers care management services.
“You might get to a point where you might need in-home case management or somebody to help you put together the pieces when you are struggling to do that yourself, or when your diagnosis becomes too much, and maybe you don’t have that family support,” she said.
Williams said there are still openings in the class schedule through the end of the year for any business interested in offering a program. Contact Williams at info@dayonefitness.org.
For more information about Managed Nerds, contact Martin at info@managednerds.tech.
