HAVING FUN: Administrator Jana Stuever looks over to resident Dorothy Mills, 91, as she bowls on a Wii game system, Thursday inside the dayroom at Medilodge of Yale. Photo: Melissa Wawzysko, Times HeraldPORT HURON, Michigan (Times Herald),
November 5, 2007:
Until this week, Dorothy Hazel never had played a video game.
But for Hazel, 94 years old seemed as good a time as any to start. Hazel is one of several Medilodge of Yale residents who's trying out the assisted-living facility's new Nintendo Wii game system.
Seniors redefine golden years
"I liked it," she said about the simulated bowling game she played. "For as old as I am I still liked it."
As baby boomers start to hit retirement age, activities for senior citizens are becoming geared toward a younger crowd, smashing the stereotype that elderly people only enjoy playing bingo or knitting, officials said.
"They are doing things their grandmothers never did and never dreamt of doing," said Mary Taylor, assistant director of the Council on Aging serving St. Clair County.
On the go
Taylor said the mindset of senior citizens has changed throughout the years.
"The younger seniors are on the go," she said. "They want a class, then they go on to the next thing." She said senior citizens no longer are seen as frail and unable to do anything. Instead, they are viewed as more active and concerned about their health.
"Every time you turn on the TV there's something new out there, some procedure or whatever to keep yourself healthy," Taylor said. "Seniors are listening to that and want to be around for their kids and grandkids."
Dorothy Burns of Port Huron Township lives by that goal. Burns will turn 85 later this month, but isn't letting her age slow her down. She takes hula lessons and Tai Chi at the Port Huron Senior Center. She's worked for the Port Huron Hospital Auxiliary for 27 years and is a member of the Blue Water Art Association, the Experimental Aircraft Association at the St. Clair County Airport and a member of the local Red Hat Society.
Previously, Burns was involved in a hiking club, and until recently she took clog dancing lessons. "People say I don't look my age," she said. "I wouldn't want to sit around and do nothing. "I don't consider myself a senior citizen."
Going with the flow
As senior citizens' tastes change, senior centers have had to change their programming, Taylor said. She said even the name "senior center" can deter some people from coming in because they don't want to be viewed as elderly. In recent years staff at area senior centers have started looking at what people want and have started to expand the kinds of programs offered.
The Council on Aging offers a variety of programs geared toward active seniors, including pool, golf and bowling leagues as well as trips to Europe.
Hazel, the Medilodge resident, stays involved in as many activities she can. She's on the facility's softball team, has been barn dancing and takes day trips.
"I join in everything there is," she said. "It gets me out of the room and gets me doing things. I'm not a sitter."
Eva Bryson, 93, another Medilodge resident, also gets involved in activities she wouldn't have seen herself doing several years ago, including playing softball and the Wii video games.
She said she was surprised at how much she liked playing the video games and can't wait to tell her family about them.
"When I tell my one son, I'm going to say: 'What? Do you think mother's going to sit around and knit all the time?'"
SENIOR GAMES: Activity aide Linda Wolf, left, and Administrator Jana Stuever help resident Dale Reidel, 64, play Wii Sports on a Nintendo Wii inside the dayroom at Medilodge of Yale. Senior homes are branching out, looking for new ways to entertain active seniors. Photo: Melissa Wawzysko, Times HeraldBy Shannon Murphy, Times Herald
Copyright ©2007 The Times Herald.
