LIFE, HEALTH & HAPPINESS FOR NORTH WHIDBEY’S 50-PLUS CROWD VOLUME 3 • ISSUE 7 • JANUARY 2016
NEW YEAR, NEW POSSIBILITIES
Important Things To Remember “LIVING A HEALTHY LIFE WITH CHRONIC PAIN” WORKSHOP
This self-management workshop offers people with chronic pain the tools they need to better manage their symptoms and put life back in their life. The workshop is available FREE to those ages 18 and up, their family, friends, and caregivers. Medical referrals are not required. The workshop meets for 2 1/2 hour sessions over a six week period. No one will be admitted to the group after the second class. Come see what hope the New Year can bring.
I have never been one for New Year’s resolutions. However, I am a great believer in looking for opportunities for new learning, new adventure, and new ways to be creative. And there’s no better time than the New Year to consider the possibilities! In the past few months I have had the pleasure of hearing from many of you regarding ideas for programs and activities at the Oak Harbor Senior Center. Your thoughts have run the gamut – from ukulele and ballroom dancing classes, to boxed lunch socials with speakers from our community. Wonderful, exciting ideas; and there are plans underway to implement a number of them! I do have one concern that I would like to share with you. I was recently discussing the “possibilities” with a group of older adults and was surprised at the ideas they expressed regarding their own peers. The comments boiled down to three myths about “seniors”, that I would like to dispel: Myth One: Seniors are inflexible
Truth: Inflexibility means to be resistant to change and to be unable to adapt to new situations. People of any age can be inflexible. Increased age does not make a person inflexible. The opposite is true. Older people must adjust to changes such as retirement, disease, illness, death of family and/or friends and lifestyle. Without the ability to accept change, adjustment to these changes would be impossible. Research shows older people may change their opinion slower than younger people, but most remain open to change throughout their lives.
Oak Harbor Senior Center Annex (modular) Every Tuesday, January 5 to February 9. 12:30 – 3pm Call (360) 989-0113, ext. 23 to register.
BEGINNING FABRIC APPLIQUE
WITH JACEE STADLER MONDAYS IN JANUARY, 9am-noon Appliqué is a method of hand-stitching fabrics together to create dimensional designs on a background fabric. If you have always wanted to learn appliqué but it seemed too complicated, this class is for you! In this introductory class Jacee will begin with a basic technique. Along the way, you will learn some tips to make your applique successful, enjoyable and relaxing. It can be very useful to learn how to hand appliqué as a quilter and the skill will open up design possibilities in your work. There is no fee for the class, but preregistration is requested. Call the Senior Center at 279-4580 to reserve your spot. Please bring a size 10 applique needle and scissors to class. Other materials will be provided. FYI continued on page 2
Myth Two: Seniors are unproductive and uncreative
Truth: This idea probably comes from the fact that society equates productivity and creativeness with employment and earning money. In reality, many older people have the freedom after retirement to really develop their creative side. People now have the time to be active as volunteers in all areas. Many elderly people remain active and productive throughout their lives. We would all be missing a great deal without their creativity. Myth Three: Seniors have difficulty learning new skills Truth: There are differences in learning rates and styles between age groups, but it would be incorrect to say older people have difficulty learning. Preschoolers learn differently from children in grade school and they learn differently from high school students. We do not Health Matters...............Pg. 2 assume these differences are wrong. How older adults learn is different from younger Library Events.................Pg. 3 learners, but that does not mean they cannot understand new information.
INSIDE THIS EDITION
So, are you ready? The New Year is upon us. Let’s not waste a minute of it! Enroll in a class, make a new friend, take a trip, and create something you love. Let me know how we can help you at the OH Senior Center. And never, never stop looking for possibilities! Happy New Year!
Mary
Travel...........................Pg. 4 Menu............................Pg. 4 Calendar.......................Pg. 5 Giving Back...................Pg. 6 Sudoku..........................Pg. 6 Activities & Events...........Pg. 7 Word Search.................Pg. 8