ACTIVE AGING
By Jo Strausz Rosen
We are not the only ones who have been drumming the point home that movement, fitness, socialization and wellness impact longevity. International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) founder and CEO, Colin Milner, says, “Aging well involves more than simply programs and special events, but requires an intentional, ongoing pursuit of potential and possibilities.”
The words potential and possibilities are filled with hope and the promise of enjoying ourselves at any age. We encourage our residents at Jewish Senior Life to take their wellness seriously. On our website, in our social media and throughout our campus events and activities, we capture our community engaged in the many facets of wellness, including physical, emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual, vocational and environmental. These seven key attributes enrich wellbeing, quality of life, overall health and longevity.
I remember as a young child watching public TV and performing yoga with Lilias in the 1960s with my mother. Then, she and my father tuned the channel to calisthenics with Jack LaLanne, the father of the modern fitness movement, then to my own journey as a cheerleader in high school, followed by Transcendental Meditation with my parents who practiced this well into their old age. I followed Jane Fonda as she taught aerobics in the 80’s, then took up tennis, biking and working out with weights…. It all began as fitness, promoting a healthy and wellness-focused lifestyle! And now, at JSL, there are a myriad of options, from a wellness studio to chair yoga, dancing, walking clubs and cardio drumming, current events, recycling groups, knitting and book clubs, art classes, gardening, flower arranging and creative writing. Our life enrichment coordinators take pride in empowering our residents to incorporate wellness practices into their daily routines. Residents and their families appreciate our approach. We’re constantly amazed to see how our community has become invested in supporting each other’s wellbeing and how at JSL, we’ve become a family committed to helping one another live our best lives.
Shabbat Shalom.
