A symposium for professionals who work with seniors will be held Friday, March 27, by The Health Trust to showcase 10 best practices in physical activity programs for older adults. It is scheduled 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Santa Clara University.

Participants in the “Wellness by Design” Symposium will learn how to add and expand physical activity into the programs and services their organizations already provide to seniors. Each attendee will receive a Compendium of Best Practices in Physical Activity for Older Adults that describes nearly two dozen evidence-based programs including well-recognized models such as Matter of Balance, EnhanceFitness, and Fall Proof! The compendium describes the overall program and what’s needed for implementation, including the target audience for each, marketing and motivating techniques, what resources are required, and what outcomes can be expected.  It also contains an at-a-glance matrix that compares the similarities and differences of physical activity programs.

Register for this event at www.healthtrust.org/wellnessbydesign

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It was a happy holiday for almost 200 low income Meals On Wheels clients who not only enjoyed hot dinners delivered to their homes on Thanksgiving and Christmas, but received gifts donated by community members who volunteered to Adopt-ASenior for the season.

Most Meals On Wheels clients are homebound and live alone without nearby family or friends. The daily delivery of a nutritious meal is often their only contact with the outside world.

Donors were Health Trust staff, Meals On Wheels volunteers, and community members, including Connor Wolf who opted to celebrate his 8th birthday with a party for 20 friends to make colorful holiday placements for Meals On Wheels clients. Other gifts included slippers, robes, towels and linens.
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The Health Trust plans to award $200,000 in grants to Silicon Valley organizations to help them add or expand a best practice physical activity for seniors. The grants will range in size from $10,000 to $25,000.
A Request for Proposal for the grants will be released at the Wellness by Design Symposium on March 27. More information is available from Lori Andersen, Director of Healthy Aging at The Health Trust, LoriA@healthtrust.org.
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Three new focus areas have been identified by the Aging Services Collaborative as priorities for 2009 – Aging in Place, Caregiver Support, and Health and Wellness. Strategies to advance these issues will be the focus of the Collaborative’s work over the next 1-3 years.

The Collaborative is a consortium of 45 organizations and 75 individuals working together to promote the well-being of older adults and their caregivers in Santa Clara County by building community-wide capacity to meet their needs.

For more information or to join, visit www.sccagingcollaborative.org or email TeddyD@healthtrust.org.
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ActiveOver50, a quarterly Bay Area publication with information on health, money, events and resources for older adults, is now available free online at www.activeover50.com. Print versions of the magazine are distributed at 150 locations including libraries, senior centers, retirement communities, and businesses.

The Health Trust Meals On Wheels is featured in the spring issue.
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The Health Trust's own Dr. Walter Bortz is showcased as the cover story of ActiveOver50.

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The big increase in the number of older adults is not just the result of Baby Boomers entering a new age category. Older adults are living longer, many because they recognize the health benefits of regular physical activity in controlling their weight, maintaining strength and flexibility, and improving balance. Some seniors are role models for all age groups in their commitment to physical activity:

• Since 1998, 33 percent more adults over the age of 55 are engaged in frequent physical activity, a larger growth than all other adult age groups.
• Health club membership among adults over the age of 55 has increased 343 percent.
• 1,000 women and 5,000 men over the age of 65 completed marathons in 2007

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The Senior Olympics is coming to Stanford University this summer, a competition of 1,000 top athletes who just happen to be over the age of 50. Watching their exertions and achievements will be inspiring to many older adults, but intimidating to others who realize they will never be able to attain that level of fitness.

Physical activity does not mean just lifting weights in a gym or running around a track. No matter what your age, your mobility, or your health status, there are ways to add exercise into your daily life that will improve balance, build muscle, and prevent disease.

Active seniors can enjoy a variety of sports and physical activities such as bicycling, tennis, hiking, golf, dancing, or swimming. Tai chi, yoga and pilates classes for seniors help to keep you limber and strong.

Walking is an excellent cardiovascular activity for every age and body. Speed and distance don’t matter as much as minutes, according to health experts who recommend a minimum of 30 minutes a day, even if it’s broken into three 10-minute strolls.

Seniors with limited mobility can sit in a chair to stretch, use light weights or resistance bands, and follow videos on how to “sit and be fit.”
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Meals On Wheels client
Rose Cornbleet uses a Sit and Be Fit video designed to help prevent falls and injury, the leading cause of injury hospitalization of seniors in Santa Clara County.