Active Aging Week at the Village at Germantown
Scooter races, synchronized swimming routines, photo booths, cocktail parties and more take over the Village during the last week of September. All of this fun is part of a much-anticipated, internationally-observed annual tradition known as Active Aging Week.
What is Active Aging Week?
This week was initiated in 2013 by the International Council on Active Aging, and it’s designed to celebrate and encourage the vibrant, energetic lifestyles that more and more older people are leading today. Active Aging Week represents society’s evolving ideas about the retirement phase of life, supporting the fact that older adults can and should live their physical, social and emotional lives to the fullest each day.
Participating health clubs, community organizations, senior centers, and retirement communities like ours use Active Aging Week to provide older adults with opportunities to explore their interests, get moving, be inspired, make new friends and learn about healthy choices in an encouraging atmosphere. Active Aging Week organizers come up with a theme for the week, and participating organizations and “host sites” often come up with their own corresponding or unique theme and tailor activities around it.
In 2014, the international Active Aging Week theme was “Let the Adventure Begin.” Organizations implemented it it in countless different ways, a few of which included intergenerational scavenger hunts, setting a Guinness World Record for the largest chair exercise class, and community adventures through service projects.
Active Aging Week Activities at the Village
Last year, the Village took on a “Hollywood Theme” for Active Aging Week, and activities included a “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” life-size movie star cutouts, special exercise classes, concerts, spirited t-shirts, a dress-up photo booth, and an informative health fair just to name a few.
This year, the international Active Aging Week theme is “Explore the Possibilities,” and here at the Village, we’re putting on our own “carnival” theme, with magicians, painting sessions and a full-blown outdoor carnival! To add an element of friendly competition and motivation for our Active Aging Week activities, we even provide punch cards that help the residents keep track of points they gain towards prizes when they attend events.
Why Is Active Aging Week Important?
Did you know that 9 in every 10 older people might be missing out on the nutrition they need in their meals? Or that muscle decline begins at age 40 and accelerates after age 70 if we don’t do anything to maintain our strength? It’s health information like this that we all need to take the time to learn and act on at any age.
That’s why it’s important to have something like Active Aging Week every year to help us stop and take inventory of our physical health and learn about new ways to make our lives more active and fun. Physical, social and emotional health are key to an enjoyable retirement lifestyle, and we love using Active Aging Week as an opportunity to shake up the normal routine, help our residents try new things, and show our support for aging healthfully and vibrantly.
We’re very excited for our residents to enjoy everything we have planned for this year’s Active Aging Week, so be sure to follow us on Facebook to see pictures of all the fun we’ll be having!