Jim Rimmer is used to fighting for the underdog.

Rimmer, an NIU assistant physical education professor, said growing up in New York City gave him a passion for helping the neglected. This passion brought him to the rural surroundings of DeKalb, where he has pioneered a gerontology exercise program in conjunction with the DeKalb County Nursing Home.

“I developed the program because there is a tremendous shortage of health officials who have experience working with older adults, and people age 65 and over are the fastest growing part of the population. Of that segment, those 85 and older are growing the fastest,” he said.

Older adults have reached a point in their lives when they have nothing to look forward to, Rimmer said. “Our service has a tremendous impact on the livelihood of the older adult.” Exercise physiology students seeking their master’s degrees take part in a one-on-one exercise program for volunteers from the nursing home. The program takes place in Anderson Hall every Friday from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Prior to coming to NIU, Rimmer worked for six years at Manhattan College in New York where he originated the exercise program and instituted it in four nursing homes. He said he was pleased to find that NIU has a gerontology program.

“The exercise program is important because it provides rehabilitation and creates a motivational atmosphere. It puts older adults into a social ambiance where there is interaction both physically and mentally. You may have heard of adding years to life, but what we’re doing is adding life to years.” he said.

The majority of older Americans do not exercise and are on the “threshold of their physical ability,” he said. This means that they easily could become disabled by illness or injury.

“Regular exercise will solve this problem. The body deteriorates without exercise, and older adults in nursing homes are always just sitting and lying around,” he said.

Last semester, the exercise program was part of an NIU class, but this semester it is being funded with the help of Physical Education Chairman Jerry Ball and Ken Ferraro, director of NIU’s gerontology program.

“I would like to see the program become more interdisciplinary and include students in nursing and psychology. Everyone should get involved,” Rimmer said.

Rimmer said he is currently devoting his time and energy to expanding the program, and hopes to eventually establishing a clinic.

“The program is just building up right now. In two or three years, it could be a very, very prestigious program for the university,” he said.