GBTR Successful Aging Festival full of life

Afternoon naps and tea parties for senior citizens in Langley? Not likely.

Kwantlen’s Gerontology-based Therapeutic Recreation students put together a lively Successful Aging Festival on the Langley campus on Friday, Nov. 27.

The 20 students graduating from the program this year had to plan an event as part of their course requirements. Instructor Carol Hansen said she was extremely pleased with the outcome of event, which the students have been planning since September. The money raised from raffle tickets and donations will go toward community activities for seniors.

GBTR student Jenni Scott said students in the program had sent out posters and flyers to homes and throughout the community to promote the Successful Aging Festival.

The festival, which included over 30 kiosks that supported senior recreation, as well as a tarot-card reader and door prizes, lured many senior citizens from Langley and surrounding communities.

“It’s important to spread awareness to the community about senior-recreation,” said soon-to-be graduating student Aubrey Morrison. “Not a lot of people know that there are activity groups or outreach programs available.”

Robin Bandenieks from the Fort Langley Artists group was there to promote an active interest in the arts to the aging community.

“I’m here to hopefully talk someone into taking up painting as a hobby,” said Bandenieks. “[Painting] can improve cognitive skills in older people,” she said, also noting that it keeps the brain active and is a defense against the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, which is common among the elderly.

Volunteer Parish nurse and senior citizen Agnes Bauer from the Ladner United Church was also there to promote workshops and activities for the community. “We run a disabilities support group,” said Bauer, but wanted to inform that seniors need the same type of counseling that younger people do—including issues with sex and drugs.

“We just had a very successful HIV workshop,” she said. “Some seniors think AIDS and HIV is not an issue for them, but they’re mistaken if [they] think they’re getting out of this life without knowing someone with HIV or AIDS.” Bauer also made a point of speaking on the church’s addictions program, which ranges from addictions to shopping, sex, and, of course, drugs.

Langley Seniors Centre leaders Donna Benoit and Arlene Brown had a lot to offer the senior’s community, with an extensive outreach program for lonely or dependant seniors and an adult day centre to provide relief for caregivers. The centre has worked closely with Kwantlen, they said, and has helped inform people about their programs.

Brown emphasized that awareness about the programs have become increasingly important. “However old you are now,” she said, “you’re going to be a senior one day.”

The campus was free of paid-parking for the day of the event.

School not just for the kids

For Maryanne Rayburn, the Third Age Learning at Kwantlen program (TALK) has become a major part of her life these past eight years.

The 79-year-old retired nurse has made it a regular part of her routine and she looks forward to getting the course calendar.

The program, which is coming up to its 10-year anniversary this Saturday, is geared toward people over the age of 50. It offers seminars on a broad range of topics, such as cultural studies, digital photography and biology.

Rayburn, whose favourite course to date was on human genome research, is living proof that growing older doesn’t mean having to disengage.

“I don’t think we can just sit and vegetate, and the courses give me new ideas,” said Rayburn.

Dr. Andrew Sixsmith, director of the gerontology research centre at SFU, is a firm believer that mental stimulation is essential for good quality of life as people age.

“There’s a lot of emphasis on the staying physically active, but staying mentally and socially engaged as we age is extremely important,” said Sixsmith.

Unlike regular courses at Kwantlen, there are no credits, no homework, and the courses only last for two to four sessions at a fraction of the regular course cost. Membership in TALK costs $10 a year and individual seminars are about $20-$30. Money goes towards scholarships for Kwantlen students.