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ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Local YMCAs will stop accepting SilverSneakers, the popular health and fitness program for those over the age of 65, come Jan. 1, 2026.
SilverSneakers is included in many Medicare Advantage plans. Thousands of seniors use it to attend local YMCAs but they’ll soon need to either pay for a monthly membership out-of-pocket or find another place to work out.
Penny Colombo and Mary Kessler have been friends for decades. Since they retired from the Greece School District, they meet almost daily at their local YMCA. “I like the Y and I like the swimming classes because I feel like they help me stay limber,” says Colombo. “A lot of people will play cards here, you can go to the other Y’s with the passport now, they have cooking classes, they have book clubs, lunch and learn, they have a lot of…they provide a lot of extra things that are very important for older people,” adds Kessler.
Everything was great until signs started popping up at all the local branches telling members that the YMCA of Greater Rochester will not be included in the Silver Sneakers wellness offerings for 2026. There are other local gyms where seniors can go but, “it’s not just the gym, you can go to any gym but the Y is a different experience and that’s why I think it’s kind of devastating to some of the people who may not be able to do it,” says Kessler
The YMCA wouldn’t speak with News10NBC about the termination of SilverSneakers but it comes down to reimbursement rates.
On its website, the YMCA encourages SilverSneakers members to explore alternative health plans in 2026 that may cover fitness programs that the Y does participate in.
The only other option for these folks is to pay the standard monthly membership rate, “it would be $67 a piece per month for a single membership,” explains Colombo.
It may be possible for some low-income seniors to get a scholarship but it will no longer be free. “They’re very forthcoming about the rates and everything, trying to help you out but there’s many people that just simply can’t afford it,” Kessler says.
Both Colombo and Kessler worry what this could mean not only for the physical health of some of their friends at the Y, but for their mental and emotional well-being too.
Other local SilverSneakers options in the Rochester area:
-Adams Street Recreation Center, 85 Adams Street
-Exercise Express Fitness Spinning Studio, 10 Cady Street
-Ubiquity Lifeball Center, 1096 Joseph Avenue
-Team LIFT Fitness Wellcomess Center, 2 Mt. Read Blvd
-Irondequoit Fitness, 471 E. Ridge Road
-LA Fitness – Rochester East Ave, 78 Rockwood Street
-Irondequoit Community Center, 450 Skyview Centre Pkwy Ste 200
-LA Fitness – Irondequoit, 1600 E Ridge Road
To search for locations near you, click here.
