From Amanda's very early writing (1990s to early 2000s), shared as it was originally written.
127 Older but Wiser
A few months ago I bought a retirement village in Adelaide. In my brother in law’s search for a new career, I suggested we look at a new concept in retirement villages, a wellness center for our more mature folks! Or, as I prefer to call it, the Youth, Part 2 Center.
Flying back from Brisbane today , as serendipity would have it, I had the pleasure to sit next to David Deans, the CEO of the National Seniors Association. He is delightful and this association sounds fantastic! With branches in every state, people sign up as members and receive a wide range of benefits and discounts in all sorts of areas , for example, insurance. This organization, amongst other valuable services , advises the Government on issues of the aged and lobbies for their rights and needs,.
I took the opportunity of having a ‘captive’ audience to outline my dream for King’s Court (the Youth Part 2 center) and to seek his opinion on my ideas.
We all know that people are living much longer these days, our average life expectancy is now 75. We have enough time after we retire to live almost another lifetime! And yet there is little available information on how to really live a fulfilling and satisfying life in our more mature years instead of just being alive.
My idea of a wellness retirement center is one where we consider all aspects of our wellbeing; mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional.
The old saying ‘use it or lose it’ applies both physically and mentally. When we stop using our brains, they shrink! Our memory falters, we think more slowly, our focus narrows, anxiety occupies more of our time, boredom sets in and depression often follows. Senility and dementia are not necessary accompaniments to aging. The more active we keep our minds, at all times in our lives, the better they function.
For mental stimulation, my ideal wellness center would have a library full of large print books, both fiction and non fiction; there would be crossword puzzles, and brain teaser books, as well as games of all sorts. I would have audio cassettes and walkmans so they could listen to speakers on various topics that may interest them. I would arrange for the University of the Third Age to visit and run seminars or classes for our residents. (This organization provides all sorts of interesting courses in many areas of most cities.) There would be educational videos available for them at any time. And that’s just for starters!
To keep physically well and feeling great, we need to make sure we stay strong and flexible as we grow older. Most people think that because they are older they need to take it easy; rest more and stop exercising vigorously. Wrong! Having strong muscles and exercising prevents osteoporosis, gives us more balance so we are less likely to trip or fall, improves confidence , and fitness, takes the strain off joints and can reduce aches and pains. Other than that , it’s not much use!
So I would have personal trainers available for my residents! And invite physiotherapists to conduct exercise classes both in and out of water. There would be a small gym and circuit training and a steam sauna. Flexibility is the other key in maintaining youthfulness and vitality, so I would arrange for yoga classes to be available, or they could have one to one sessions.
We would also pay special attention to nutrition and run educational sessions to encourage a greater understanding of the needs of more mature folks. As well as providing healthy and nurturing food.
Emotional and spiritual wellness are facilitated by families, love , company, social support, caring and laughter. In my Youth Part 2 Center, we would have great community involvement, we would be associated with local theatre groups , churches and clubs; we would encourage children to visit and spend time with us; we might have a (clean and well trained!) communal dog to be a friend!
We would have beautiful surroundings that gave pleasure and offered a chance to commune with nature; we would encourage our guests , if they had previously been keen gardeners, to be involved with our gardening if they so wished. There would be outdoor areas and pergolas for them to be bathed in sunshine and vitamin D. We would have lots of comedy videos so laughter was a dominant sound. There would be a CD library and walkmans so they could play their favorite music when they wanted to. And lots of areas where they could sit with friends.
To encourage hobbies and learning and a sense of purpose, we would offer or find adult education and craft classes , and support them in volunteer activities (David says there are plenty of opportunities in his organization!).
And that’s just for starters! There are many more wellness ideas I would incorporate in my ideal Youth Part 2 Center, what would you do?
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