Adapting to Aging: The Power of Physical Therapy

Oct 15, 2025

Bo is “just the best dog ever,” but he’s also a rambunctious 96-pound Goldendoodle who tips Betty Brandt over occasionally.

“I’m getting stronger for Bo,” the Fort Benton woman said. “I need to be able to walk him and throw the ball without losing my balance. I need to stay off my head and maintain my independence.”

Healthcare has long focused on caring for the frail elderly. The Goodnow Healthy Aging Center, now in development thanks to ongoing donor support, will focus on helping seniors continue to do what gives their lives joy and meaning. That can mean a genetic screening that discovers the cause of a vitamin deficiency hindering their health, or an early diagnosis of a cognitive delay before it evolves into Alzheimer’s disease. In Betty’s case, it is physical therapy focused on helping her meet her goals so she can remain at home with her husband and Bo.

Betty felt shy when she first began physical therapy, but Bo provided enough motivation to get her in the door. She found a team focused on her goals, and her fears that she would seem “backwards” or that people would look askance at a woman in her early 80s exercising at the therapy gym proved unfounded.

“When people see you working out, they are impressed,” Benefis Physical Therapist Brian Knutson told Betty. “We’re all older people in training. The sooner we start on balance and building strength, the longer we can maintain our independence.”

A physical therapy program specializing in adaptations for aging folks is under development for the Goodnow Healthy Aging Center, as is a therapy gym and outdoor space for practicing on uneven surfaces and real-life challenges. The space will be centered on older patients so no one feels intimidated and to foster togetherness. Through their generosity, donors will shape what the space can become.

Many adults on their aging journey face a level of systemic ageism across multiple domains, and that includes mobility, Brian said. Those negative stereotypes do affect our health, well-being, and longevity.

“Unfortunately, this can occur when they attend physical therapy as well. The aging population is often ‘undertreated’ by therapies due to a relative increase of comorbidities and conditions as we age. These are people with bodies and minds seeking to be challenged because so much is at stake if health declines. It could be argued it's more dangerous NOT to challenge them,” he said. “Limiting challenges to our minds and bodies leads to bone/muscle weakness, isolation, cognitive decline, advancement of disease, loss of independence, increased risk of falling with injury, among many other things.
“The Healthy Aging Center is about creating a space where aging is celebrated and not stereotyped, where boundaries are challenged, dignity is honored, and independence is respected in line with a person’s meaningful goals to live their healthiest life,” he said.
For Betty, Brian developed a “crazy dog simulation” with a harness he pulls and releases so she can work the muscles she needs to develop. She practices lifting her feet and developing trunk stability.

“My balance is better now,” she said. “I could be standing still and still lose my balance, and my feet weren’t moving fast enough to catch me anymore. I’ve been falling on my head for years, and it caught up with me.”

Betty has grit, and she’s fighting for a healthier future every time she does PT.

She wants to stay on her feet and keep her heart strong. She wants to give Bo a good life, and she wants to remain in her home. She would like her future to hold more fishing, tending her yard, canning fruit, and other skills she learned from her foster grandmother, a role model for her on the importance of staying active for life. She has descendants all the way to a great-great-granddaughter and needs to be able to travel to see them.

‘Good For Patients’: 5 Reasons I Support the Healthy Aging Center

Sept 15, 2025

Sandi Wilson, Benefis Foundation Board Secretary

Office Manager, Cascade Electric

You blink, and here you are nearing 60 with grown kids and parents in their 80s.

When I first heard the idea of establishing a healthy aging center at Benefis, I immediately wanted to know more. Aging happens so fast, and it can be scary. A way to make navigating that process a bit easier sounded great.

As I’ve learned more, I’ve seen how this project is greatly needed. These are my top reasons why:

1. As a volunteer for Meals on Wheels, I saw what it means for older people to be lonely and hungry. Some were desperate for conversation, and more than a few stretched their lunch deliveries to eat for dinner. I think the Goodnow Healthy Aging Center could bring people together. I like the possibility of community building. To-go meals also help a lot of people who don’t cook or shop for groceries anymore, and therefore aren’t eating enough or well enough to thrive.
2. Medication gets complicated as you get older. I’m excited about having a pharmacist there to go through people’s medications to make sure they’re all working together and not against each other.
3. When you get a diagnosis, it can be overwhelming. You don't know what to do. For people who are older or don’t know the system, it will be wonderful to have patient navigators guiding them through the process.
4. The Women’s and Children’s Center parking is so easy, and it’s going to be like that with the Healthy Aging Center, too. You won’t have the challenge of finding a parking spot, which is huge for people with mobility issues. Being able to see a bunch of different specialists in one place will make it way easier, too, as you won’t have to run all over.
5. The Healthy Aging Center will be good for Benefis Health System and good for patients served.

I hope the next decade will mean more grandchildren, lots of happiness, and good health. I expect I will be a patient of the Healthy Aging Center and look forward to seeing how that makes aging easier.

I’m Not Even 40. Here Are 5 Reasons Why I Support the Healthy Aging Center

June 11, 2025

Kassie Longfellow, Benefis Foundation Board Vice Chair Senior Vice President Financial Advisor, D.A. Davidson Companies

I’m excited to help raise money and support the establishment of the Benefis Healthy Aging Center.

This is why:

1. I have seen firsthand the toll it can take on family members who become caregivers for parents or other elder relatives. This facility provides me with a sense of hope when I think about my future relationship with loved ones as they age. I’m confident the Healthy Aging Center will provide the tools and knowledge to enhance the daily lives of caregivers and patients alike.

2. “Aging is not ‘lost youth’ but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” This quote from Betty Friedan has shaped my views on aging. I hope the Healthy Aging Center can invigorate people to focus on all the positives this facility will be able to offer during their later years in life. Some people don’t get the opportunity to live past 60, and my hope and belief is that this facility will lead to people feeling like the additional time on Earth is a blessing vs a burden.

3. Finding the right specialists can be an onerous process in the healthcare system, so when you have everyone in one place working on the same team, it’s transformative to a patient’s experience. The Health Aging Center provides this type of centralized hub for care.

4. I love that Benefis is being innovative and forward looking with this project. It’s bringing something new to our community and region, while continuing to focus on Benefis’ overarching mission of providing excellent care for all, healing body, mind and spirit.

5. Building strength can be physical, but it also can be in community, in nutrition, and in emotional health. When you have a place to go that is not judgmental, where people are in a similar situation as you working toward similar goals, you naturally create friendships and community.

Steve's Story And Why Healthy Aging Matters

May 12, 2025

A New Chapter: Benefis Breaks Ground on Goodnow Healthy Aging Center

May 6, 2025 

Benefis Health System broke ground May 1 on an innovative project that aims to bridge care gaps for patients who want to stay fit, sharp, and active during their senior years.

The Goodnow Healthy Aging Center will open next year along 10th Avenue South as part of Benefis East Campus near the Women’s and Children’s Center.

"With shovels in the dirt, we celebrate potential. By the end of next year, we’ll walk through the doors of that potential realized," said Shannon Hoiland, Benefis Health System Board chair. "This will be a place where people from down the street and across the region can find simplified care, where they can recommit to their health, and where they can find support for embracing the opportunities and promise of their retirement years."

The 15,000-square-foot outpatient clinic will address issues of nutrition, medication, cognitive health, and mobility with dedicated specialists focusing on prevention and adaptations. Patients will be able to see specialists in related fields such as audiology at the center instead of trying to navigate the larger system and will work with a patient navigator to help further simplify healthcare and ensure better follow-up.

While traditionally healthcare resources have focused on caring for the frail elderly and those with advanced Alzheimer’s disease, little has been invested in healthier aging. Benefis aims to upend that model by bringing together geriatric specialists and services focused on supporting health maintenance through aging to promote patients’ continued independence.

Benefis CEO John Goodnow said he's particularly excited about this project and the way it will help with care coordination for seniors and keep them independent, "healthy, happy, and active" for as long as possible.

Five years from now, a quarter of Montana’s population will be 65 or older, which will make Montana among the six states with the oldest population. That adds to the urgency of this unique project.

Aging Brains Need Special Care Now

April 15, 2025 

Screenings for early intervention and lifestyle changes that support cognitive health are central to the approach of the Benefis Goodnow Healthy Aging Center.

We all are or know people who have watched loved ones affected by dementia. About 25% of people have a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. We envision the center having specialists who perform genetic and cognitive screening to help people act early and improve outcomes.

Experts at the center will be able to review these assessments and give guidance. A patient may learn they don’t absorb B-12 well, for example, and need to take it in another form.

Alzheimer’s treatment often starts too late and focuses on expensive/ineffective pharmaceutical interventions. Research has shown that lifestyle changes focused on diet, exercise, social connections, and cognitive training can be more effective.

About 7 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s today, but by 2050, that number is projected to rise to nearly 13 million, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Montana stands out for having no Alzheimer’s prevention clinics in the whole state despite a rapidly graying population. The same steps that help address Alzheimer’s also improve other aspects of healthcare, reducing strokes and heart attacks.

Exploring Plans for the Goodnow Healthy Aging Center

Mar 21, 2025 

This new rendering video can help you visualize what the Goodnow Healthy Aging Center will look like.

Patient Navigators Chart a Course for Patients

Feb 15, 2025 

We’ve found in Orthopedics that patients have better outcomes with an expert, a patient navigator, helping them through preparation, care, and follow-up.

While Benefis is not a huge healthcare system, it’s big for Montana, and it can be overwhelming for patients to park, find providers, keep appointments straight, and move to the next stage of care.

That can be especially true for patients who are 65 and older.

A patient navigator can help smooth the path through healthcare.

The navigator talks through a patients’ needs. Have they come to the Goodnow Healthy Aging Center to get ready for a once-in-a-lifetime trip or is there a new grandbaby or rescue pup to chase after? Are they ready to set up ongoing primary care or is there a specialist they need to see? Is there a chronic injury to address or a troubling new symptom?

The patient navigator lines up appointments, coordinates specialists, and helps patients through the stages of reaching their healthcare goals. The goal is one visit and one location.

Introducing the Goodnow Health Aging Center

Jan 15, 2025 

The Goodnow Healthy Aging Center aims to bridge a healthcare gap that impacts thousands of Montanans and their families. 

While traditionally healthcare resources have focused on caring for the frail elderly and those with advanced Alzheimer’s disease, little has been invested in healthier aging.

Benefis aims to upend that model by bringing together geriatric specialists and services focused on supporting health maintenance through aging to promote patients’ continued independence. 

The new dedicated 15,000-square-foot outpatient clinic along 10th Avenue South near the Benefis Women’s and Children’s Center aims to help seniors continue doing what they love most. It’s about making possible quality time with loved ones, adventures in Montana’s natural places, and making a difference in the community. 

The center will address issues of nutrition, medication, cognitive health, and mobility with dedicated specialists focusing on care gaps in prevention and adaptations.

Patient navigators will organize appointments and follow-up care to ensure no one is falling through gaps or overwhelmed as they tackle health issues. Specialized physicals and testing will help patients with a holistic understanding of their healthcare needs. Patients will be able to see specialists in related fields such as audiology at the center instead of trying to navigate the larger system. 

With a growing population reaching 65+ in Montana, the time is right to reinvent what it means to age. Won’t you join us?