By Dr. Mary Roach | Posted on December 3, 2019
Inside the Bald Eagle Recreation Center, located in Ward 8 of the nation’s capital, is where community members in the JJ Center Food Pantry shoppers program are taught that food can have positive health benefits. By using food as their medicine along with their doctors’ orders, it has been proven to reduce health disparities and achieve health equality.
By Meghan Doran | Posted on October 31, 2019
Summit Metro Parks strives to create a safe, accepting and inclusive environment through events and programs designed with special populations in mind. The park district has created educational pieces to inform the public of the center’s welcoming and inclusive environment, and how they can best support the initiative.
By Lisa Wube | Posted on September 19, 2019
Golfing is a favorite recreational activity the City of Irving’s Parks and Recreation Department offers its more than 240,000 residents. To support the activity, the department staff and city officials wanted to add new features to the 30-year-old golf course known as the Twin Wells Golf Course.
By Julie Jensen | Posted on September 3, 2019
An on-going goal of the Sunnyvale Senior Center is to combat the isolation that so frequently becomes a part of everyday living for many seniors. Walk With Ease is a low-impact structured walking program that is intended to get older adults moving to reduce the symptoms associated with chronic pain, while improving overall health.
By Kaci Wehr | Posted on August 9, 2019
Serving the county's residents age 55 and up, the Jasper Park and Recreation's Older Americans Center strives to create an environment of social, mental, and physical wellbeing. Whether we are stepping to the beat at a city park or in a yoga pose, the goal of the Older Americans Center is to create a socially pleasant and positive experience for everyone.
By Patricia Roberts | Posted on August 7, 2019
The City of Port St. Lucie Parks & Recreation Department is proud to be an affiliate of the internationally-acclaimed Rock Steady Boxing (RSB) Program; a non-contact, boxing-based fitness program, developed for individuals diagnosed with Parkinson's disease to empower them to fight back and give them hope by improving their quality of life.
By Anna Labedz | Posted on July 9, 2019
Creativity has no age limit! The Lisle Park District Senior Center community demonstrates this regularly, and seniors are able to share their talents with the greater Lisle area. The Senior Center offers a chance for older adults to express their artistic side through a program called Senior Perspectives which includes art experience classes featuring different drawing and painting techniques.
By Ruth Coleman | Posted on July 3, 2019
Adventure is exactly what Howard County Department of Recreation & Parks is infusing into its Active Aging programs through its newest programs, Encore Adventures. In this series of programs, adults ages 55 and up can participate in a variety of outdoor adventures, facilitated by the Department's Adventure & Outdoors group.
By Erika Young | Posted on June 7, 2019
The St. Charles Park District Adult Activity Center bustles with members engaged in various pastimes. You'll find older adults playing Pinochle, practicing shots around the pool table, or building a high score in Scrabble. There is something for everyone, regardless of their interests. For some, that is playing the harmonica and being a member of the Harmelodian Club.
By Ashley Maginnis | Posted on June 5, 2019
When envisioning outdoor enthusiasts, older adults might not be the first population that comes to mind, but that's something the City of Vancouver Parks and Recreation Department has been working to change by offering a variety of activities in the “Fifty and Better” program.
By Chris Korbelak | Posted on May 8, 2019
The Palm Beach County, Florida, Parks to Work Program is an effort that partners to help homeless individuals who are living in John Prince Park in Lake Worth get resources to escape homelessness.
By Andrea Campbell | Posted on May 1, 2019
The Lynbrook Recreation Center in Lynbrook, NY, is the place to be for active older adults. In their parks, they strive to offer opportunities for all ages and abilities to be active and healthy by providing a variety of physical activity programs for the Lynbrook community.
By Annilee Durfey Hyre | Posted on April 29, 2019
Moving our bodies, breathing fresh air, and enjoying a sense of community are all components of healthy living. Lake Oswego Adult Community Center in Lake Oswego, Oregon, offers various activities that engage their older adult population such as yoga, dance, gardening, and Tai Chi.
By Lorie Gregor | Posted on April 1, 2019
For the past 19 years, the Grand Junction Parks and Recreation Department has been hosting the Western Colorado Senior Games. During this week-long event you will see over 300 athletes aged 50+ having the time of their life, and folks from cities and towns across the state of Colorado and the surrounding states unite in friendly athletic competition.
By Betsey Anderson and Deb Hagie | Posted on March 26, 2019
Implementing new programs can sometimes be difficult in a small community. However, for Jamestown Parks and Recreation, this was not the case. With many programs offered for older adults such as aqua therapeutics, chair yoga, and nutrition education, Jamestown truly represents participants sense of well-being and community.
By Jackie Lambert | Posted on March 1, 2019
A benefit of the program that most participants did not expect was the camaraderie and support from their peers. The 30-minute group setting discussions provided a sense of belonging and social support and was so much more than discussing a health topic.
By Cindy Brantner | Posted on February 28, 2019
The City of Sparks Parks and Recreation Department has been offering senior Aquacise and senior H2O Fitness classes for the last 20+ years. For many, the classes are not only their exercise for the day, but their main source of social interactions.
By Kristie Walker | Posted on January 10, 2019
Not long after moving to Minnesota, Deb was looking to make friends and find an exercise path that would keep her motivated and accountable. What she found was the Walk With Ease (WWE) program, designed for individuals wanting to increase physical activity engagement in a group setting.