Senior Centers
I have a new role; I am the president of our local senior center advisory board. So, I thought I would look at the role Senior centers play to help keep us healthy and active. First, senior centers are a great place to stay healthy and to find volunteering opportunities and make new friends.
Health and fitness are where senior centers have really expanded in recent years. In addition to traditional programs like aerobics, Zumba, yoga, and Tai Chi, many senior centers now offer evidence-based health programs that have been scientifically proven to make people healthier. My center offers drop-in programs that range from Chair Fitness to Yoga
We also offer regularly scheduled blood pressure and Foot Care/Podiatry Clinic but some others offer glucose screenings. These clinics can replace tedious trips to a medical clinic for those simple procedures.
We are a membership-based organization with over 1,000 members, with oversight by the advisory board on which I serve. This is no different than most senior community centers. Each Center has a set of municipally driven policies and access points. Many of the seniors who joined our center are also members of other centres and attend programs based on their interests. In my community, there are three other senior centers and some of our members have suggested better communication and cooperation between the municipal centres, which is something I will look into this year.
One of the main roles of a senior center is to provide the opportunity for seniors to be connected. Social isolation among seniors has been the subject of prominent public inquiries such as by Canada’s National Seniors Council, and the U.S. Senate Aging Committee. A widely-cited study determines that the negative health impact of social isolation is equivalent to smoking up to 15 cigarettes per day. Both urban and rural communities across the continent have struggled on what to do about social isolation among seniors.
In the U.K., the government even appointed a “Minister of Loneliness” due to the health impacts of social isolation. It is clear that government policymakers already understand the costs of social isolation. Now we need to convince them of the benefit of investing in initiatives that enhance the quality of life among frail and elderly seniors. In a report in our local paper, the United Way stated, that In fact, 46 percent of British Columbians say they sometimes feel lonely, according to research, and 38 percent feel isolated from other people in their community. What’s more, two in five British Columbians (41 per cent) don’t have many people to talk to in their own neighbourhood. Many of those who are isolated are seniors.
The impact on a senior’s ability to remain in their community may make a difference in the person’s ability to age in place, which is an important goal. The list was based primarily on comments from services providers but was confirmed by seniors themselves. There are three factors that may hinder a senior’s ability, these are:
1. Early-stage dementia may be misdiagnosed or seen by family and friends as forgetfulness, suspicion, fear of strangers or a denial that anything is wrong and no help is needed
2. A reluctance to ask for or accept help
3. Fear of change
In a report published in 2013 on senior issues in my community, the author stated: There are 5 municipalities that offer different levels of support, have a mix of older and newer housing. The limited number of services available are unevenly distributed throughout the region. Many seniors, some quite a bit older than others, reported that they were doing well and did not require any assistance at this time. At some point in most of the conversations, the issue of access to information about services and the coordination of these services was raised. The report also found that most seniors do not know what services are available in my area. I hope that over the next two years that our Board will take steps to address this issue, which may help the issue of isolation and loneliness.Articles from Royce Shook
View blogThe fact that people tell others they feel or are younger is called subjective ageing. Subjective ag ...
There was a study from the 1980s that concluded there are three main factors to successful aging. 1) ...
5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts. · My thanks to Aubrey and Ron for the following ...
Related professionals
You may be interested in these jobs
-
Inspector (Loss Control), Northern Alberta
Found in: Talent CA C2 - 1 day ago
HSB Canada Edmonton, CanadaDriven by technology and fuelled by innovation, HSB is Canada's premier specialty insurance and applied technology services provider. Offering 150 years of technical and service excellence, we are focusing on emerging trends and unlocking new opportunities for clients. Today, we ...
-
early childhood educator
Found in: Talent CA 2 C2 - 5 hours ago
2420308 Alberta Ltd Edmonton, CanadaEducation: Secondary (high) school graduation certificate · Experience: 1 year to less than 2 years · Work setting · Child care centre · Tasks · Bathe, diaper and feed infants and toddlers · Storytelling · Assist early childhood educators in carrying out programs that promote the ...
-
Sales Representative Northern Alberta
Found in: Talent CA C2 - 3 days ago
DMC Recruitment Alberta, Canada Permanent / Full timeSales Representative · Commercial Roofing · Edmonton, Northern Alberta · $Base salary + bonus + vehicle + gas + RRSP + Bens · Selling commercial roofing to the construction industry across Northern Alberta, this role has a competitive bonus structure and a huge earning potentia ...
Comments
Royce Shook
4 years ago #3
John Rylance
4 years ago #2
Bill Stankiewicz
4 years ago #1