May 1, 2024
Aging and You
May Celebrations – Connections
By Julie Arndt
Marketing Director at Ridgecrest Village
We celebrate many things in May. May Day (May 1) we celebrate the coming of summer. Many of us can recall dancing around a maypole as children and sharing little baskets of May flowers with friends. We celebrate Mother’s Day, Mental Health Awareness and National Military Appreciation Month, and Memorial Day, among others. May is also designated as Older Americans Month, a group near and dear to my focus and passion.
The Administration for Community Living, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, leads this observance and the theme this year is “Powered by Connection.” The focus is centered on the profound impact that meaningful relationships and social connections have on our earth and well-being. In many of our articles, we have been discussing the impact social interactions have on us as we age, a huge topic that affects literally all of us at some point or another.
Staying active and engaged is a fundamental part of staying healthy. I know this well, yet caught off guard during the year that I stepped out of the workforce thinking it was time to retire. For those who know me, know I love to engage and to talk! Being alone there were days when I didn’t really speak to anyone. When our adult children would visit on the weekends, I wasn’t always fluent with my words and worried the kids would notice. I found myself driving in traffic at a much slower pace; everything just slowed a bit for me. This was not my norm and realized I needed to be back around people. My husband wasn’t surprised when I told him I wanted to return to the work world.
It’s a well-known fact that maintaining your spiritual, social, and physical health are fundamental to well-being. Staying connected is huge and I’m delighted that the Administration for Community Living has elected to center their focus on this critical topic. Their website, acl.gov, has a plethora of beneficial information and it’s worth a look.
The power of social connections is real. Our team is reminded of these on a weekly basis with comments from both incoming residents and those who are already party of the Ridgecrest family with statements like, “I’m lonely and want to make the move now while I can still enjoy the social aspects of senior living”; “This is perfect… I don’t need to cook at all and can enjoy a meal with friends every day”; “Just knowing someone is there makes me feel better”; “I love being around people. I went to one open house and knew this was the place for me.”
Our residents understand this. We have residents who are so engaged they often head up events at Ridgecrest for all to enjoy. One example of this, for several years we have been the site for events for Senior Olympics that annually occur in late May/early June. Resident Alana Callender serves on the Senior Olympics board and has re-introduced a Spelling Bee and a Euchre Tournament to the diversified list of Senior Olympics events. Ridgecrest will be the host for both of those events this year, as well as being the site of the Performing Arts competition. Because of the support of Ridgecrest, the Spelling Bee has no entry fee and anyone over 40 is invited to show up in the Koning Chapel at 5:45 p.m., May 29, to participate. The Euchre tournament at 6 p.m., May 31, has a $5 entry fee. No advanced registration is required. Other details for the Senior Olympics can be found at qcsogo.org.
Senior Olympics is just one great example of connectiveness! In observance of this year’s Older Americans Month, please remember the importance of engagement. Whether you pick up the phone, meet with a group you haven’t seen for a while, or perhaps simply chat with the person in the checkout isle at your grocery store, do something embracing the opportunity to connect with someone! You will be glad you did!
Julie Arndt, is a licensed social worker and Director of Marketing at Ridgecrest Village with over 30 years’ experience working in the field of geriatrics and senior advocacy. She can be reached at jarndt@ridgecrestvillage.org.
