Welcome to the July issue of HAP Happenings!

The Healthy Aging Partnership, a coalition of 40 nonprofit and government organizations dedicated to improving the lives of older adults in the Puget Sound region, is pleased to share news, insights and activities with you in this new quarterly newsletter. To forward news items for future issues, add more recipients to the distribution list, or to unsubscribe, email info@4elders.org.

Sound Steps Walk-N-Roll

Wheelchairs, walkers and feet will share the road during the first ever Sound Steps Walk-N-Roll Wednesday, Sept. 13, at Seward Park in Seattle.

Day-of-event registration begins at 9 a.m. and the walk starts at 10:30 a.m. and goes to 1 p.m. The course will follow the Seward Park outer loop. Participants can sign up for distances of a half mile to 2.5 miles.

Also featured will be health information, entertainment, live music, food and prizes.

The free event, open to those age 50 and better, is an opportunity for older adults to celebrate their health, meet other walkers and receive recognition for their commitment to fitness.

Participants need to register individuals or as a team. The largest team gets a pizza party! The pre-registration deadline is Sept. 6. For more information, or to register for a Sound Steps walking program in your area, contact Mari Becker at (206) 684-4664.

Healthy Living workshop, a success for seniors

The Healthy Aging Partnership’s Taste of Healthy Living workshop May 24 drew a small but enthusiastic audience of older adults, most of whom said they planned to make changes as a result of what they learned. Click here for more details

All of those who returned evaluations on the workshop gave it good reviews.

About 40 people, most of them residents of south Seattle and King County, braved stormy skies to go to the Rainier Community Center for the day-long workshop, which featured interactive presentations on nutrition, cooking, oral health and exercise.

The event also included a lively group discussion of the steps people could take individually and as a community to improve health. It culminated with a self-guided tour of the nearby Columbia City Farmers’ Market.

Most of those who returned evaluations on the event said they planned to change their behaviors as a result of the workshop. Several said they planned to increase their activity levels, eat more fruits and vegetables, read labels more carefully and/or participate in fitness classes.

All rated as “excellent” or “good” presentations led by nutritionists Mary Podrabsky and Janet Kapp; fitness instructor Brenda Barkey and Diane Oakes of the Washington Dental Service Foundation.

HAP promotes colorectal cancer prevention

The Healthy Aging Partnership in June helped promote the need for timely screenings to prevent colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Washington State.

Early this year, HAP secured a grant from the state Colorectal Cancer Task Force to promote and create awareness around colon cancer prevention.

HAP distributed information and materials, writing news articles and creating advertisements.  More than 6,000 brochures, a third of them in Spanish and Chinese, were distributed to various government and health-related organizations. 

The Partnership coordinated the design and production of ValPak ads distributed to 150,000 households in predominately low-income areas of King County. It also wrote and distributed news articles to more than 50 community newspapers.

Summer Safety for Seniors

Before launching headlong into summer, prepare yourself for the sun and the heat with these commonsense health tips from the Washington Health Foundation.

Protect yourself from the sun. Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers. Ironically, it's also the most preventable.

• Wear sunscreen and lip balm with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher. The skin's ability to repair sun damage declines with age, resulting in age marks and increased risk of skin cancer.
• Wear a broad-brimmed hat, tightly woven clothing to protect your skin and wraparound sunglasses with at least 99 percent UV absorption to protect your eyes.

Protect yourself from the heat. Older adults are particularly vulnerable to summer heat. The body’s ability to cool itself declines with age, and chronic illness, obesity and medications also can increase heat sensitivity.

• Avoid going outside during the hottest times of the day. Plan your outings for mornings and evenings.
• Seek air-conditioned environments. The risks of heat-related illness can be drastically reduced by spending just a few hours a day in air conditioning at a senior center, library, move theater or indoor shopping mall.
• Take a cool shower or bath, or sponge off with some cool, damp towels.
• Drink plenty of water before you get thirsty and avoid dehydrating drinks containing alcohol, caffeine or large amounts of sugar. Be vigilant to the signs of dehydration:  dry mouth, dry eyes, lethargy, and dark yellow urine or infrequent urination.
• Eat cool, healthy foods that energize and aid in hydration. Sandwiches, salads, and fresh fruits and vegetables are ideal.
• Slow down. Avoid overheating by avoiding overexertion. Ease the intensity of your physical activities during periods of high heat and humidity.
• Watch for the signs of heat stroke and heat exhaustion: confusion or hallucinations, headache, weakness, profuse sweating or lack of sweating, fainting, rapid breathing or heart rate, and hot, dry skin. If you see any of these signs of heat-related illness, seek medical attention, and take immediate measures to cool off by removing excess clothing, sponging with cool towels, and sipping cool water.

The non-profit Washington Health Foundation (WHF) is leading the way in making Washington the healthiest state in the nation. For more information, visit www.whf.org. 

Exercise could delay onset of dementia

Regular exercise could delay the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, according to a Group Health Cooperative/University of Washington study conducted early this year.

The more frail a person is physically, the more he or she may benefit from exercise, according to the study, which followed 1,740 Group Health members over a six-year period.

“Even those elderly people who did modest amounts of gentle exercise, such as walking for 15 minutes three times a week, appeared to benefit,” said Dr. Eric B. Larson, director of the Group Health Center for Health Studies and head investigator.

Based on the research, Larson advises older adults to ‘‘use it even after you start to lose it,” because exercise may slow age-related problems in thinking.  Exercise boosts blood flow to areas of the braid used for memory, improving brain functions, he said.

It’s never too late to start an exercise program.  For more information on the study, click here.

HAP partner Spotlight

Each month, HAP spotlights a partner organization’s efforts towards healthy aging and community enrichment. With summer finally here, we look at the Senior Adult and Specialized Programs of Seattle Parks and Recreation.  Click here for more details

Senior Adult and Specialized Programs seek to provide quality, accessible and affordable recreation programs citywide to people age 50 and older.

“Our programs strive to offer recreation that’s not only fun, but based on best practices and geared toward disease prevention,” said manager David Jensen.

Physical activity and social engagement are keys to maintaining the health of a diverse population of 50+ adults, Jensen said.

To that end, Seattle Parks and Recreation provides excellent opportunities for seniors and the organizations who serve them.  Programs and events such as Sound Steps, Senior Games and fitness classes are great ways to get older adults engaged and active.  For more information on Seattle Parks and Recreation, Senior Adult Programs, click here.

Upcoming events in healthy aging!

·   The Mayor’s Office for Senior Citizens will host Senior Coffee Hour on Thursday, July 20, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.  The special guest will be councilmember and former newspaper columnist Jean Godden, who chairs the Energy and Technology Committee and is vice-chair of the Finance and Budget Committee and the Public Safety, Governmental Relations and Arts Committee.  Future Coffee Hour dates are Aug. 17 and Sept. 21.

·       Learn about state and federal budget issues affecting seniors at a free legislative forum Wednesday, Aug. 23, at the Seattle Center. The forum, “Supporting Vulnerable Adults: How Will the Federal and State Budgets Reflect Our Concerns?” is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Olympic Room (First Ave. N. and Republican Street). The forum is sponsored by the Seattle/King County Advisory Council on Aging and Disability Services. Registration opens July 24. For more information, visit www.adsadvisorycouncil.org or contact Doug Ricker at doug.ricker@seattle.gov or (206) 684-0292.

·       The 34^th Annual Old Timers Picnic is Tuesday, Aug. 29, at the Woodland Park Zoo. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will feature entertainment and information on issues related to life as an older adult.  Admission to the zoo and lunch are free for those who are registered for the picnic. Registration begins July 10 and ends July 28 or until filled.  For more information, contact Seattle Parks and Recreation Department, Senior Adult Programs at 206-684-4951.

HAP meets monthly at Senior Services’ offices

Members of the Healthy Aging Partnership continue to benefit from collaboration and communication around issues related to healthy aging. To get the most value from HAP, we encourage partner agency representatives and other friends and interested parties to attend HAP monthly meetings. Our meetings are held the fourth Tuesday of each month from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at Senior Services, 2208 2nd Avenue. Plenty of metered parking is typically available or, for those working downtown, Senior Services is accessible via the free bus zone.

Stay in touch

Don’t hesitate to contact us with any ideas, suggestions, comments, etc. Email info@4elders.org or call Teresa Moore or Pam McGaffin at 206-721-9540.

For more information about the Healthy Aging Partnership, or to unsubscribe to this newsletter, call Teresa Moore or Pam McGaffin at 206-721-9540 or email info@4elders.org.