Sheila Walsh
Wellness Director
What does your job entail?
I am responsible for providing our community’s wellness education and classes. I manage The Club, maintain the pool, and organize personal training on land, in the pool, or in our underwater treadmill. I enjoy providing residents with personalized wellness assessments and health coaching to help them decide what wellness path best suits their needs.
What sparked your desire to work in a senior living community?
When I started college, I had the joy of living with my grandfather. That experience showed me how my passion for wellness could help improve the quality of life for others and helped me feel very connected to seniors.
Did you go through any special training or education that helps with your current role?
I started my professional wellness journey with a Bachelor of Science Degree – Exercise and Rehabilitative Science: Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, from Winona State University. My certifications include:
- American College of Sports Medicine; Certified Exercise Physiologist
- National Society of Health Coaches; Certified Health Coach
- American Heart Association CPR and First Aid Instructor
- Certified Yoga Fit Instructor
- Tai Ji Quan: Moving for better balance instructor
- Certified Pool Operator
Wellness is ever evolving, and I continue to seek out educational opportunities to ensure that The Club at Shorewood is providing our residents with the best knowledge we can.
What is the best part of your workday?
I love seeing residents work hard and improve. Whether it be psychological or physical improvement, seeing people light up is what drives me to work hard every day. I tell people I often see the improvement before they do.
What is your favorite resident memory or story?
Sometimes when I ask individuals with dementia to do an exercise with me, they tell me I am crazy for thinking they would do that. Once I convince them to join in, they like it and are impressed that they can do it.
What sets your programming apart from the competition?
Shorewood Senior Campus has the energy and feeling of being home like no other community I have worked with. The atmosphere is inviting, with amazing staff that enjoy working here as much as I do. It all makes it easy to come to work.
Why does The Club at Shorewood stand out among other fitness centers?
Our exercise classes are taught by a live instructor. We created the Encompass program to assess strength, endurance, coordination, agility, balance, and motivation to give Club members a wellness benchmark. We provide personal training on land, in our 19-meter therapy pool, or in our underwater treadmill. Both pools are 90° F.
More About Sheila…
How do you spend weekends?
With my family. My sons were born in 2014 and 2017. We like to work and play outside in the summer gardening, hiking, and being on the water.
Do you have any skills or talents that most people don’t know about?
I love to create things. I can build, saw, quilt, grow plants, and make amazing things to eat.
Flashback to when you were 10 years old. What do you want to be when you grow up?
In first grade I decided I wanted to be a veterinarian. I did everything I could to groom myself for that career, even working at Predmore Vet Clinic for 5. When was waiting to hear back about my application for vet school, I found exercise science and fell in love.
Tell us one thing about yourself that would surprise your residents?
My mother-in-law and I had the same name: Sheila Marie Walsh. One of my favorite things to do is wine and cider tasting.
