Adults
We are looking for volunteers for our upcoming Senior Talent Showcase on June 8th! If you or someone you know is interesting in helping check people in, help backstage, or helping with the raffle please email Jenn Ripple : jripple@ ymcastark.org or text or call 330-933-0881.
We are also looking for donations of gift cards or raffle baskets for the raffle on June 8 . All proceeds go to the active older adult programming at the Lake Community YMCA. If you are able/willing to make a donation or would like more information please contact Jenn Ripple: jripple@ ymcastark.org or text or call 330-933-0881.
Thank you for your consideration!!
Active Older Adults 5 Times Saying “Yes” Might Change Your Life
By Leslie Goldman | April 15, 2025
This one little word can open the door to joy, health, creativity, and much more.
When Laura Ingalls Wilder was in her 60s, her daughter suggested that she start writing down memories from her life. Those stories went on to become legendary best-selling books, including Little House on the Prairie, which was published when Ingalls Wilder was 68.
Ernestine Shepherd, a self-described “well-padded school secretary,” didn’t start exercising until her 50s, but she became a competitive bodybuilder at age 71, going on to be named World’s Oldest Performing Female Bodybuilder by Guinness World Records. What do Ingalls Wilder and Shepherd have in common? During a period of life that many people stereotype as being boring and routine, they stepped out of their comfort zone and ended up changing their worlds. In other words: They said yes to trying something new.
“It’s a myth that older people are more conservative, cautious, or stuck in a rut,” says Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D., Professor Emerita at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and author of the Psychology Today blog “Fulfillment at Any Age.”
Whether it’s learning how to quilt, introducing yourself to a new neighbor, trying a new workout routine, or sampling a new-to-you foreign cuisine, there are so many opportunities for experimentation! That’s encouraging news, Whitbourne says. “It can be very healthy and mind-stretching to try something new. ”
Dipping your toes into new activities, conversations, or places challenges your brain at a cellular level, helping to keep your memory sharp and potentially slowing age-related cognitive decline. It can also bring a new level of purpose to your life, says Jennifer Velazquez Lecher, C.T.R.S., C.P.D., a recreational therapist and life enrichment director at Hidden Springs of McKinney, a senior living community in McKinney, Texas. Many common retiree activities, such as playing with grandkids or walking with friends, are enjoyable and help fill the day, “but you need to find things you connect with on a deeper level when you ’ re trying to find true purpose and meaning,” Velazquez Lecher says. “It’s great to keep busy, but don’t let keeping busy prevent you from discovering what’s truly important to you and what brings you a deeper sense of joy.”
There may be comfort in predictability and a steady routine, but when you say yes to new experiences, you set yourself up for more years of healthy aging, full of excitement, learning, and personal growth. Here’s where to start.
