Moose Jaw Welcomes the 55+ Games
Welcome to all of the approximately 750 participants in the Saskatchewan Senior Fitness Association Provincial 55+ Games coming soon to our Friendly City.
The 55+ Games will be held at various venues around Moose Jaw starting July 10. The games will showcase the determination of seniors who continue to be physically active and involved in their communities. In our own community, we see many seniors who continue to give and give and give. At all community events, we see seniors contributing their time and knowledge. All around our city we see them choosing to stay active. On any given day, they are serving, singing, dancing, learning, exercising, and socializing. These are the people who helped to make our wonderful province what it is. We can learn so much from their example and life experiences.
Our senior organizations are a vibrant part of our community. The Cosmo Senior Citizen’s Centre and the Moose Jaw and District Senior Citizens Association bring seniors together to stay active and socially involved. I enjoy stopping by these centres, or our senior’s apartment buildings and retirement facilities, where I gain so much from the wit and wisdom of these great citizens.
We all have a part to play in making Moose Jaw an Age-Friendly Community. An Age-Friendly Community understands and meets the age-related needs of seniors, protects vulnerable seniors, and recognizes the importance of including older adults in all areas of community life. This is important enough that An Age-Friendly Community Recognition Program is being introduced in Saskatchewan to recognize communities that undertake activities or create programming to be more inclusive of seniors, leading to communities that are more inclusive of all people. This program is being offered in partnership with the Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism, an umbrella group that brings together Saskatchewan seniors’ groups and advocates for a better quality of life for our province’s older adults. A plaque will be presented to successful communities during each fall Legislative session, and each will receive public recognition for their Age-Friendly status.
According to the 2016 Census, there were 5.9 million seniors in Canada, which accounted for 16.9 per cent of the total population, compared to seniors making up 10 per cent of the population in 1981. According to a 2015 study, about three-quarters of men and women aged 65 and older are engaged in active pursuits such as exercising, socializing and using technology. This confirms what we see in Moose Jaw, that seniors continue to be active and involved.
Thank you to everyone involved in the organizing of the Provincial 55+ Games. Good luck to all the participants. I am sure everyone in Moose Jaw will make them feel welcome and go out to cheer them on. A schedule and list of venues can be found online at ssfa.ca.
Thank you to those seniors who for years have made Moose Jaw a better place to live, and to those seniors who continue to do so. Your efforts, wisdom and kindness are appreciated.