Beyond SilverSneakers: Expanding the Future of Older Adult Fitness
- erineleu
- 23 hours ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 2 hours ago
I was recently a guest on the MMOA podcast and was asked to share my thoughts on SilverSneakers. The conversation has stayed with me. The more I reflect, the more I believe we need a nuanced perspective on its impact, one that acknowledges both its contributions and its limitations in today’s landscape.
Before diving in, I want to offer an important context note. The reflections shared here are based on my experience working for Tivity Health, the owner of SilverSneakers, from 2009 to 2018. I no longer work for the company and do not have insight into how the program may have evolved since then—whether in its reimbursement structure, programming, participating network, or utilization data. These observations are drawn from my firsthand experience during that period and are intended to contribute to a broader conversation about older adult fitness, not to serve as a current evaluation of the organization.
My History with SilverSneakers
I was trained in SilverSneakers Classic around 2000 while completing my Kinesiology degree. A respected professor encouraged me to focus my studies on older adults, and that guidance shaped much of my career. I trained in all of the SilverSneakers formats, shadowed experienced instructors, and began teaching my own classes at a medically supervised cardiac rehab fitness center.
The average participant age was 75. Many were managing multiple chronic diseases. Some couldn’t stand for prolonged periods. Others were just beginning to move again after a major cardiac event. In that setting, SilverSneakers Classic was appropriate. It was structured, felt accessible and safe.
In 2009, I was hired as an Account Manager for SilverSneakers. I supported participating locations in my region and the sponsoring health plans, ensuring they had what they needed to promote the program and drive utilization of the benefit.
In 2013, I was promoted into provider networks, where I worked with key regional partners to retain their participation and negotiate contract terms. It was immediately apparent to me that the payment model was becoming increasingly difficult for many facilities.
The locations were the backbone of the program. SilverSneakers could not exist without them. But as gym operating costs rose and more older adults were already engaged in exercise, the program was no longer functioning as a simple acquisition tool. Many gyms were getting killed with conversions with dues-paying members switching to SilverSneakers eligibility, shifting predictable monthly revenue into variable per-visit reimbursement.
There was also an administrative burden. Staff had to verify eligibility, which could be cumbersome. Many facilities were contractually required to offer the SilverSneakers class, which meant recruiting instructors, sending them to training, and keeping classes staffed. While SilverSneakers provided free instructor trainings, equipment and support funds, the ongoing responsibility of hiring and retaining qualified instructors still fell on the gym.
From the outside, the program looked simple. From the inside, it was far more complex.
A Trailblazer in 1992
Founded in 1992 by Mary Swanson, SilverSneakers was inspired by her father’s experience in cardiac rehab. At the time, very few gyms offered classes marketed to older adults or beginning exercisers. “Senior fitness” wasn’t a category.
The 60+ year-old in 1992 was born in 1932 or earlier. Many in that generation did not grow up with gyms, fitness culture or structured exercise environments. Walking into a traditional gym could feel intimidating or inaccessible.
SilverSneakers changed that.
It created:
A welcoming entry point for older adults
Classes marketed for older adults
A free gym membership benefit through participating health plans
It was also a smart acquisition tool. Health plans could differentiate themselves by offering a preventive benefit. Gyms could attract a demographic they previously struggled to reach.
The payment model was based on utilization: gyms were reimbursed per member visit (capped monthly). That meant gyms were incentivized to engage members consistently. Health plans could justify the expense if participation translated into reduced healthcare costs.
For its time, it was innovative.
Fast Forward 20+ Years
The older adult of today is not the older adult of 1992.
Today’s 60-, 70-, and even 80-year-olds:
Have decades of gym exposure
Have participated in group fitness
Have trained with weights
Expect more variety and challenge
Yet much of the payment structure remained the same. Reimbursement was still visit-based. Partner gyms are still required to offer SilverSneakers Classic. And the brand has become almost synonymous with “senior exercise.”
That’s where challenges emerge.
What I Observed from the Business Side
1. Gym Conversions
Many dues-paying members converted to SilverSneakers once eligible. A $30–$60 monthly membership became a variable reimbursement based on visits. As gym membership rates rose, it became harder for SilverSneakers reimbursements to match revenue.
As the network expanded, competition increased, making it more difficult for individual gyms to drive utilization high enough for sustainable reimbursement.
2. Limited Appeal of the Core Classes
While there remains a clear need for gentle, chair-based exercise, SilverSneakers Classic and SilverSneakers Circuit did not meet the full spectrum of ability levels emerging among older adults.
Many members wanted the free membership—but not the classes.
The problem isn’t that chair-based classes exist. The problem is when they become the default and defining offering for an entire age group.
SilverSneakers helped legitimize fitness for older adults—but unintentionally, it also reinforced the idea that aging equals seated exercise.
Program directors and gym owners often still think:“If we want to attract older adults, we’ll add a chair class.”
That narrow lens has contributed to implicit ageism in fitness programming.
Chair options should absolutely exist—but they should be inclusive options for anyone who needs or prefers them, not age-defined prescriptions.
The ROI Question
When I worked at Tivity, a very small percentage of eligible members used their SilverSneakers benefit.
That included:
One-time visitors
Irregular users
Regular participants
We had internal data showing that members who used the benefit at least twice per week for two consecutive years generated healthcare cost savings. But when only a small fraction of eligible members participate consistently, the overall return on investment becomes difficult to demonstrate.
SilverSneakers was founded on the assumption that removing cost would drive participation.
But cost isn’t always the barrier. The barrier to exercise is more complex to overcome than providing a free gym membership.
Additionally, not everyone wants to exercise in a gym. Many active adults prefer outdoor activities, recreational sports, dancing, walking groups, etc..
Gym-based fitness is only one pathway to health and physical activity.
What SilverSneakers Got Right
1. Getting Health Plans Involved in Prevention
Much of U.S. healthcare is reactive. SilverSneakers was one of the first large-scale programs to meaningfully involve health plans in prevention beyond annual checkups and screenings. It positioned physical activity as a covered benefit, not a luxury.
That was significant.
It signaled that physical activity mattered enough to fund.
2. Providing a Point of Entry to Gyms
Much of gym programming historically catered to people who already had a baseline level of fitness. SilverSneakers created an entry point for people who were just starting out or had limited mobility.
It helped pave the way for more inclusive offerings in traditional fitness spaces.
3. Creating Community
This is the most important.
I watched friendships form. Widows and widowers met and married. Members traveled together. They checked in on each other. Instructors fostered belonging.
Even when programming wasn’t highly progressive, the social connection had a profound impact on participants’ overall well-being.
SilverSneakers created third spaces—places where people felt expected, known and welcomed.
Where We Go From Here
SilverSneakers was a trailblazer. It opened doors. It normalized the idea that older adults belong in fitness spaces.
But it didn't evolve with the current culture of aging.
Today’s older adults span a massive range of abilities and expectations. Some need seated, gentle programming. Others want strength training, parkour, dance, sport, and high-level performance.
We don’t need to eliminate chair exercise.
We need to expand the ecosystem.
We need:
Broader programming options
Language that avoids age-based assumptions
Coaches trained to scale and individualize
Movement experiences that prioritize joy and connection
Spaces that foster community without limiting potential
Every class can serve as a third space, a place for community, and every program can challenge outdated narratives about aging.
What This Means for AGEnts of Movement
What I hope to carry forward with AGEnts of Movement is innovative, fun and meaningful ways for people to stay active while building genuine community led by passionate, caring coaches.
The future of older adult physical activity is about more inclusive, challenging, expansive, and diverse programming.
SilverSneakers showed us what was possible in 1992.
Now it’s our responsibility to define what’s possible next.