Important ways to embrace optimal aging

There are so many wonderful things happening at the Flourish 55+ Centre in Bridgewater.

The space is much more than just a facility where members meet to participate in various activities. Rather, it’s our observation that it is a family of members who truly care about each other. We refer to the Flourish 55+ Centre as the Flourish family.

A very exciting program currently taking place is the Helpers initiative. This vital program explores seven aspects of healthy aging in older adults: have fun and recreation, eat wisely, learn new things, participate daily, exercise often, rest and relax, and socialize when possible. Each of these seven workshops will be presented by a variety of professional speakers from within our community. The workshops began in June and are being held once a month. The first two workshops have been a huge success.

Group activities for older adults that involve fun and laughter can reduce stress, decrease blood pressure, improve blood circulation and therefore create a state of optimal aging. Laughter therapy can improve immune support, all while bonding with others. What better way to connect with our peers and improve your health all at the same time?

Healthy eating is a key component of optimal aging. It’s a way to stay healthy and strong, which is important to maintain your independence and quality of life. Healthy eating can help promote and protect health and well-being, provide energy and essential nutrients to maintain health, prevent or lower the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes and prevent muscle and bone loss to reduce your risk of falling or breaking your bones.

Learning is something we do every day and is beneficial for people of all ages. Learning new things boosts mental power and protects against Alzheimer’s disease.

Regular exercise and an active lifestyle for older adults provides a variety of health benefits such as improvements in blood pressure, diabetes, lipid profile, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and neurocognitive function. Exercise is crucial to well-being, but it may be even more important in aging older adults. Exercise helps people of all ages maintain or lose body weight. Our metabolism naturally slows with age, so the importance of exercise increases. Adding cardio and strength training workouts develop muscle mass and increases metabolism and burns more calories to promote positive weight loss.

Most people associate good health with diet and exercise and leave out another key component of overall wellbeing: relaxation. No matter how you choose to relax, it’s an integral part of fighting the consequences of stress and ensuring a longer and better quality of life. Because older adults are already more susceptible to health problems, relaxation becomes a vital part of improving and maintaining health. For aging adults, relaxation can help alleviate the risk factors that lead to heart attack and stroke.

Social connections play a vital role in healthy aging. Loneliness and social isolation can have a significant impact on the physical and mental health of older adults. Critical life transitions such as retirement, death of a spouse and losing a driver’s license are common risk factors for a decline in the social well being of older adults. (Mcmaster University Optimal Aging

Portal)

Our dedicated team consists of director Lisa Leblanc and numerous devoted volunteers who will continue to strive to ensure our members embrace optimal aging and continue to flourish.

Aging Well Corner is brought to you by Community Links. Community Links is a provincewide organization that promotes and supports the development of age-friendly, inclusive communities by connecting individuals and organizations. Our vision is that all Nova Scotians can age well in their communities. Aging Well Coalitions meet regularly to address issues of healthy aging and develop projects that enhance life for older adults in the region.

For more information, visit nscommunitylinks.ca.

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