|
 The winter months in Minnesota often pose a challenge to Minnesotans trying to stay healthy through physical and social activities. Snow, ice, and cold temperatures can make it difficult to participate in outdoor activities. With COVID–19 restricting indoor gatherings this season, there is an even greater potential for people to be sedentary, lonely and isolated — and older adults may be especially impacted. To meet these challenges, communities across the state have creatively used community development approaches to build opportunities for residents of all ages to be social and active.
Engaging older adults
The Mesabi YMCA in Virginia has been promoting healthy aging strategies for its senior members which is especially important during winter and the pandemic.
|
|
|
Ann Bussey, an older adult and member of Minnesota’s Rural Health Advisory Committee, began writing a Mesabi YMCA daily healthy aging email as a way to combat social isolation and to inspire hope, health, and well–being during the COVID–19 pandemic.
|
The emails include links to workout videos from favorite instructors, as well as strategies directed at maintaining purpose, social engagement, physical activity, and belonging. They also offer ongoing information on COVID–19 precautions and safety measures.
To assist with messaging, Bussey has identified other partners who have their own areas of expertise to offer including: Dr. Kasey Kapella, a Family Medicine/Geriatrics physician with Fairview Range; and Dr. Mike Zakula, DDS, a former Rural Health Advisory Committee member who is developing content on oral health for rural older adults.
Expanding the message to include winter activities
By October, the weekly Hometown Focus publication in Virginia began featuring a collection of Bussey's YMCA emails as well. (Readers register online to read the publication.)
By December, Bussey and her coalition were working with local Park and Recreation Departments, Chambers of Commerce, and health care organizations to promote year-round maintenance of walking paths, with a number of Iron Range cities committing to this effort as a way to increase opportunities for activity and socialization for residents of all ages.
|
“The daily YMCA healthy aging email has opened our eyes to the many strategies that delay frailty, bringing active, purposeful, and comfortable years to our lifespans. Healthy aging is a new world to explore deeply and promote broadly. And more and more, we are learning that health happens in our communities. Thank you to our partners in health across the Iron Range. It is their willingness to listen and act that creates the opportunities for health, benefiting people of all ages (Ann Bussey).”
|
More recently, Fairview Range has begun forwarding the YMCA healthy aging emails out to their group of volunteers. In addition, the Healthy MN Partnership1 has recognized the need for more discussion on healthy aging strategies. As so often happens in communities, awareness of a public health issue grows by being shared and gaining momentum.
Additional initiatives to support older adults
Other communities have also offered examples of initiatives to support health and engagement among older adults.
St. Louis Park, a suburb of the Twin Cities, launched the Be There Initiative to mitigate the isolation and loneliness that was exacerbated in aging residents due to COVID–19. The initiative encourages residents to connect with their older adult neighbors and offers ideas for how to make and keep these connections. It also helps link residents to resources by providing helpful information on things like food shelves, fraud, and local senior programs that neighbors can share as part of their outreach. St. Louis Park promotes this effort through their block captain group, neighborhood leader program, social media, community partners and faith communities.
St. Louis Park also has a senior program that offered exercise classes. When these classes had to be put on hold due to the pandemic, the city worked with the senior program to record exercise classes with favorite instructors and then plays them on public access television for residents to do in their home. “While this doesn’t provide in-person connection, it can help people feel connected to their teachers, and promotes physical wellbeing,” shared Laura Smith, St. Louis Park Wellness and Volunteer coordinator.
|
