Gordon in the News: last updated 09/24/2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 3, 2009
MEDIA CONTACT
Office of College Communications
Kristin Schwabauer Rydbeck
978.867.4235
[email protected]
WENHAM, MA--From a big band dance and theatre presentations to core strength classes and academic lectures, the Gordon College community has planned a wide range of daily activities during the week of September 21-26. But the "students" participating won’t be your traditional students. Instead, the College has invited its senior neighbors to participate in Gordon’s first-ever Active Aging Week, sponsored by the College’s Center for Balance, Mobility and Wellness (CBMW).
Active Aging Week is an annual event promoted through the International Council for Active Aging (ICAA) and is aimed at encouraging adults 50 years and older to be active in the various dimensions of health and wellness—including spiritual, social, intellectual, physical, emotional and environmental dimensions. This year Gordon College’s Balance Center along with faculty and students will serve as official ICAA-host, offering daily events on Gordon’s campus for any senior from across the North Shore. All activities are free and most will take place on the Gordon campus, exit 17 from Route 128.
“We know that an active lifestyle helps people stay healthy, happy and independent contributors to the community,” said Marie Lucey, clinical director of the CBMW. “Hopefully this week of free activities will inspire local baby boomers and their elders to participate in 30 minutes of activity a day, that they will recognize that exercise comes in varied forms and it’s not as difficult as one may think to stay healthy.”
On various days throughout the week, seniors will have the opportunity to attend college classes on subjects such as foreign language, history or theatre, visit art galleries and films, and participate in events such as board game competitions, chapel and even yoga or ballet sessions. A farm tour to a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and other environmental activities are also included in the schedule. Many of the activities will offer door prizes and each time an individual participates in an event, his or her name will be entered in a drawing to win a one-year membership at the Center, valued at $660.
Sarah Hackworthy, a senior kinesiology major who interned with the Center this past summer, will kick off the physical dimension of the week’s activities on September 23 by giving a talk at the Beverly Council on Aging and inviting seniors to the College. She’ll discuss ways to promote healthy active aging by informing older adults about fall risk and prevention as they age, emphasizing the importance of exercise.
“I enjoy working with seniors because they are so full of life,” says Hackworthy. “It’s a privilege to be able to work with a generation who has a choice in how they are going to live the remainder of their lives. Our goal during the week is to create a fun, welcoming atmosphere to help older adults overcome the obstacles of activity and to create activity adherence.”
Active Aging Week at Gordon College will include daily events and free activities that correspond to each of the dimensions of wellness. Activities vary and will appeal to many. For a complete list of activities, call 978.867.4095.
