The Sanibel Recreation Center is set to launch a new initiative for those over the age of 65.
Wellness 4 Life: Active Living for Every Chapter will kick off on March 2. As a multi-generational community hub, the rec center is committed to supporting wellness across the lifespan. The new comprehensive, healthy aging initiative will offer targeted programming to meet the unique physical, cognitive and social needs of adults age 65 and older.
“As we all age, if we don’t use it, we lose it,” Recreation Director Andrea Miller said of cognitive health. “If we aren’t exercising our brain on a regular basis, we’re going to see some decline.”
She noted that the same applies to physical health, like balance.
“So it’s drawing attention to some of those aspects of our overall health,” Miller said. “And offering an opportunity to take advantage of things like that and bring some awareness to some of those aspects.”
The initiative will feature classes, workshops, speakers and trips, including: physical fitness classes, mindful movement and balance, low-impact and joint-friendly cardio, brain fitness and memory, learning-based cognitive health, longevity speakers and workshops, and social and intergenerational programs.
“We are adding an additional seated exercise class,” she said.
“Another program is Brain Builders,” Miller added. “We will purchase Legos, and each week they’ll build a different creation out of Legos.”
There will be programs centered around mediation and breathe work, like yoga and QiGong.
She reported that the rec center is also partnering with the SanCap Chamber, which will provide a couple copies of the Sanibel board game for people to play, along with puzzles, over a cup of coffee.
The initiative will also have a technology aspect.
“We’ll do a workshop on how to use your smart phone to take photos or simple functions,” Miller said, adding that they will continue to host The Canterbury School’s Computer Literacy Education and Outreach (CLEO) Club for tech tutorials. “That’s been a huge hit, so trying to keep that going as well.”
The programming will be open to members and non-members.
“We’re a public facility,” she said, explaining that a lot of the activities will require registration, but they will be free and open to all. “They don’t just have to be a rec center member to participate.”
The new initiative is made possible through a grant from the Charitable Foundation of the Islands’ (CFI) Community Impact Fund. It was created with support from the Shady Rest Foundation.
“The money is specifically to be used for programming for the 65-plus age group,” Miller said. “A thank you to them for providing funding to CFI for this purpose.”
The public is invited to take part.
“We want to make sure that everyone at every age knows that we have something for them,” Recreation Department Marketing & Events Coordinator Denise Dillon said.
She noted that Wellness 4 Life will pair with and piggyback off of their existing Fit4Life initiative.
“We want them to feel included, welcome,” Dillon said. “And know that there is something for everyone here at the rec center, for every stage of life.”
For more information, call 239-472-0345.
The Sanibel Recreation Center is at 3880 Sanibel-Captiva Road, Sanibel.
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