Active Aging Week 2020 to launch in-person and online
Highlighting older adult health and wellness -- more important now than ever before
Responding to an unprecedented reality, Active Aging Week 2020, presented by Humana and spanning Oct. 5-11, expands this year to include virtual, as well as in-person, events and activities to celebrate older-adult health and wellness, and those who support an engaged lifestyle.
“The resilience, perseverance and innovation over the past six months of older adults and those who work with them has been nothing short of amazing,” says Colin Milner, founder and CEO of the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA; www.icaa.cc) and originator of Active Aging Week (AAW; www/activeagingweek.com). “To support and promote maximum participation from global communities for our 17th annual signature initiative, ICAA is making a large collection of videos, provided by One Day University and Spiro100, available for free. These videos include movement classes as well as lectures on history, the arts and lifestyle – all designed to engage healthy bodies, minds and spirits.”
Rather than focusing on a single theme, which might not be feasible for all communities at this time, AAW 2020 embraces the week itself – and the fact that organizations are nimble enough to participate even now in an initiative that is vital for encouraging physical, emotional, social and cognitive wellness for their constituents and staff. Communities are encouraged to plan activities that are best suited to their needs and capabilities.
The AAW website continues to provide free campaign tools to support the success of host sites and participants, including a resource library with guidance for event planning, delivery, and promotion
AAW theme days will include Walk! With Aegis Therapies, now in its 12th year and presented as a virtual-friendly event; nutrition/hydration for immune health, especially important during and post-pandemic, sponsored by Abbott Nutrition; and the silent challenge, sponsored by Domtar, focusing on incontinence management in support of all dimensions of wellness.
As Presenting Sponsor, Humana (www.humana.com)helps make this year’s Active Aging Week possible.
“Regardless of age or health condition, staying active and engaged in all areas of life is an important component of overall heath,” said Dr. William Shrank, Chief Medical Officer at Humana. “COVID-19 and social distancing are presenting many challenges, yet they also highlight the importance of an active lifestyle and social connections to health and well-being. We applaud Active Aging Week for adapting and offering creative solutions to keep people moving and safe.”
Started by ICAA in 2003 as a grassroots initiative to celebrate, promote and support healthy aging at the hometown level, Active Aging Week has grown into a global movement that recognizes the social, economic and personal/public health dynamics that come with changes in age demographics, and with an unprecedented global health emergency.
Importantly, Active Aging Week provides valuable opportunities for older people to continue to engage, encouraging their efforts to maximize and enjoy their later years. It also serves as a reminder that the most successful communities leverage the strengths and skills of all their residents and that every generation has an important contribution to make in vibrant, strong societies.
About Active Aging Week, presented by HumanaWebsite:
www.activeagingweek.com
Active aging is about much more than just exercise. It’s about broader engagement—physically, socially, cognitively, spiritually, professionally and civically. Active aging is about engaging with family, friends and/or community, learning and trying new things, volunteering, mentoring, pursuing further professional development or entrepreneurial endeavors, travelling, maintaining an active spiritual/religious life, and leading a healthy lifestyle with good nutrition, exercise, mindfulness and other forms of stress-management.
Host organizations run Active Aging Week at the local level, often using event-planning toolkits provided by ICAA. Local groups plan their events specific to the needs and interests of their own communities. Activities often address the various dimensions of wellbeing, and programs are low-to-no-cost to participants.
ICAA encourages people of all ages to participate in Active Aging Week. By checking with local organizations to see what is planned and searching social media using the hashtag #activeagingweek, people can find activities within their local communities. Organizations can visit www.activeagingweek.com to learn how to host an event.
About Active Aging Week
Website:
www.activeagingweek.com
Started in 2003 by the International Council on Active Aging, Active Aging Week celebrates aging and active living each year in the last full week of September. Host organizations engage older adults in their local communities with wellness activities and events provided in a safe, friendly and fun atmosphere. These organizations plan and deliver their own schedules of events targeted to any or all of the dimensions of wellness – emotional, vocational, physical, spiritual, intellectual, social and environmental. Programming is offered at low-to-no cost to participants to ensure that cost is no barrier to participation. National sponsors of Active Aging Week 2018 include Abbott, Aegis Therapies/EnerG® by Aegis, Domtar and SwimEx.
About the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA)
Website:
www.icaa.cc
ICAA, a professional association that leads, connects and defines the active-aging industry, supports professionals who develop wellness facilities, programs and services for adults over 50. The association is focused on active aging -- an approach to aging that helps older adults live as fully as possible within all dimensions of wellness -- and provides its members with education, information, resources and tools. As an active-aging educator and advocate, ICAA has advised numerous organizations and governmental bodies, including the US Administration on Aging, the National Institute on Aging (one of the US National Institutes of Health), the US Department of Health and Human Services, Canada’s Special Senate Committee on Aging, and the British Columbia (Canada) Ministries of Health and Healthy Living and Sport
For questions:
Contact: Colin Milner, CEO ICAA
Toll-free:1-866-335-9777 (North America)
Telephone: 604-734-4466; cell: 604-763-4595
info@icaa.cc
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