Revello Medical’s Activity Center: Where Social Interaction Transforms Health and Happiness

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Bonnie and Dr. Ruelle encourage others to try the Revello Medical activity center.

Decades of research have shown that social interaction is an elixir so powerful that it can add years to a person’s life, even people who do not live healthy lifestyles. That is why Revello Medical has an activity center at each of its three Tampa locations. And those centers are why Ivette Cardona Ruelle, MD, is practicing at the family-owned practice that has provided care for 30 years. “I am among those who believes strongly that social interaction is a medicine all itself,” Dr. Ruelle states. “We are all social beings, and so many people – especially seniors – need social interaction. At Revello Medical, we are happy to provide that.” The activity center is a gathering place where people of any age can take part in exercise classes, play games, listen to a guest speaker or “just hang out and socialize with others,” according to Dr. Ruelle. “The whole idea of the activity center is to offer people something that will get them engaged with others and make them happy, because happiness cures,” the doctor adds. “Happiness helps to cure us physically as well as mentally.” Bonnie Cutting believes that. From a physical and mental standpoint, Bonnie, 87, says she can hold her own “with any of the 60-year-olds” she knows. The reason: her daily visits to the activity center. “I started going there

Jordan Pysz / iFoundMyDoctor.com
Bonnie Cutting at Revello Medical activity center.

about nine years ago, when they first opened it,” Bonnie says. “At first, I didn’t participate in any of the exercise programs because I was always very active anyway and had never participated in an exercise program. “But then someone encouraged me to join in, and I did. And now, I don’t want to miss a day, so I go Monday through Friday. And I love it. It gives me a reason to get up and get dressed each morning. If I didn’t have that, I’d probably be a couch potato.” The activity center at Revello Medical is open from 10 a.m. to noon each day and, Bonnie says, “there is always something to do there,” whether it’s taking part in a yoga class, doing tai chi, playing dominoes, cornhole or some other game, or just chatting with friends, new and old. “I’ve met a lot of new friends at the activity center, people I had no idea I had something in common with until I started talking to them,” Bonnie shares. “That’s one of the reasons I love it so much and encourage others to join us.” Dr. Ruelle is encouraging others to join as well. She refers to her patients as her “babies” and says she wants more of them to reap the physical and emotional benefits that come from being with others. “For seniors, especially, it’s very important to have regular interaction, so when I see a patient now, I always tell them about our activity center,” the doctor offers. “With some of them, I even walk them over there and show it to them. “I have some who are a bit hesitant, but when I walk them over there and they see everyone laughing and playing games and having a great time, they see for themselves that there’s a great benefit to it.”

Ivette Cardona Ruelle, MD

General Practice

Dr. Cardona attended Medical School at Centro de Estudio Universitarios Xochicalco in Baja California, Ensenada, Mexico. There she completed her Read more...

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