KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- When 70-year-old Air Force veteran Maddie Brooks first joined the Women's Wellness Group at Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center, she couldn't lift her arm above her shoulder.

But that was June 2015. Thanks to the Women's Wellness Group, Brooks now enjoys a full range of arm mobility.

"I was so amazed. I was so happy because I could lift my arm!" she said.

Brooks also had knee surgery recently and credits the program with her fast recovery, recalling how just nine weeks after her knee surgery, she didn't need a cane to walk. 

The group for female veterans age 55 and older meets Tuesdays and Thursdays in a small gym upstairs at the VA hospital.

The clinic first evaluates each participant and then tailors an exercise program accordingly, said Janice Kando, the medical director of the Women's Comprehensive Care Clinic. This target exercise regimen ensures that the women veterans become stronger and healthier without injury.

"It's a way to honor their service -- we want them to be as healthy as possible," Kando said.

The group has even participated in a 2K walk hosted by the VA, she said.

While the program gives female veterans the opportunity to work out regularly with scripted routines and equipment designed to increase their agility and strength, the social aspect also plays a big part in the success of the program, according to Kando.

Brooks said exercising with a group of other veterans makes the atmosphere during the sessions a special one, encouraging bonding on a deeper level between participants.

"We keep each other's energy up," Brooks said.

The group has five to six regular attendees, and sometimes reaches up to nine participants.

Another participant, Juliane Paulas King, a 74-year-old Women's Army Corps and Vietnam veteran, said her favorite activity is the stand-sit exercise.

"It really helped me because I have rotator cuff problem," Paulas King said. "I can't do all the exercises, but I can do it to the best of my ability."

The program is always seeking physical therapists or trainers willing to lead future activities. They are also on the lookout for participants, according to Kando, who encourages female veterans age 55 or older to contact program staff.

For more information, call 265-1711, ext. 4208.