HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
PEOPLE AND PLACES MAKING OUR LIVES BETTER
As a natural part of the aging process, seniors may become reluctant to try new things. However, experience has shown that a focus on personal wellness can overcome this tendency. Through a program called LifeQuest, residents of Shell Point Retirement Community in Fort Myers have adopted a positive approach to wellness and active aging that promotes personal growth and healthy living. Anyone can use LifeQuest’s wellness principles to achieve positive results.
TAKING WELLNESS FOR A RIDE
Shell Point’s Paul Peterson rode an all-terrain vehicle for the first time at age 85. Paul admits learning this new skill was both fun and adventurous. “Paul was thrilled to try something new at his age,” shares Paul’s wife, Carolyn.
Paul relies on Shell Point’s wellness program for support, attends Shell Point fitness classes and takes a yearly Senior Fit Test, or SFT, to gauge his success. One year, Paul scored above average on all segments of his SFT, and his wife framed the results to show his doctor as proof of his health journey.
UP AND OUT ON A NEW KNEE
Shell Point resident Dotty Morrison retired early at 56, and soon after joined the Shell Point Photo Club, Village Church Choir, and more. “I like being challenged to learn new things, and love meeting people,” shares Dotty.
A go-getter by nature, Dotty slowed down after knee replacement in early 2016, followed by physical therapy at the Shell Point Rehabilitation Center. Dotty set a short-term goal―a four-hour hiking and birding excursion organized by the Caloosa Bird Club.
Dotty in a few months discovered how many dimensions of wellness can be incorporated into one activity as she trod the nature boardwalk at Lee County’s Six-Mile Cypress Slough Preserve. This birding enthusiast combined community and social, natural environment, educational, physical, spiritual, and even emotional dimensions, as she experienced the satisfaction of her hard-earned accomplishment.
Down the road, reinforced by her ongoing rehab program, Dotty plans a trip to the Galápagos Islands.
TIRELESS ADVOCATES FOR HEALTH
Some seniors are also passionate advocates for connecting others with supportive resources. Shell Point residents Will and Marcia O’Hara, motivated by Will’s battle with bladder cancer, daily inspire others to take action. The O’Haras recently rallied community participation in a local bladder cancer walk to build awareness and funding for research; 50 percent of the attendees were Shell Point representatives. “Your life does not stop [with a diagnosis]; you keep going and continue to live. Never take ‘no’ for an answer, and remember that knowledge is power,” Will says.
As resort services and wellness manager at Shell Point Retirement Community, guest contributor Heather Battey manages Shell Point’s LifeQuest wellness program and oversees the planning of diverse programs, volunteer activities and sponsored trips for residents.