Volunteer Members Esther Williams and Carol Stamper on a healthy eating scavenger hunt in the grocery store

“The Best Thing Since Hand-Sliced Bread” was how a recent participant in the Active Aging program’s Healthy Eating for Successful Living class described the class and its impact on his life. The six-week long class promotes heart and bone health and aids in the prevention and management of chronic health conditions. Participants learned how to set individualized goals, overcome barriers to eating healthy, read nutrition labels, and navigate healthy options at the supermarket and when eating out. One hundred percent (100%) of our participants believe that their diet is more healthy after completing the workshop and that they would recommend the class to others.

Sydney Perkins (Volunteer Support VISTA) and I had so much fun teaching this class. We learned a lot from the 16 participants and were so proud to watch them grow and utilize the knowledge they learned from week to week. As the weeks progressed, we saw gradual changes, promoted by the workshop, made a significant difference in their lives. Participants reported weight loss, changing eating habits, increased physical activity and more energy on a day-to-day basis.

One participant with diabetes was struggling to keep her sugar intake in check. She told me that for about 30 years she drank two litres of Pepsi per day. By the end of the class she reported that she was only drinking two liters a week and that she was consuming more water than she ever had. It was inspiring to see someone take their health into their own hands, lose weight, commit to regular physical activity, and most importantly feel really good about it!  It was these kinds of life-changing improvements that were so moving and encouraging for other participants and for us as leaders.

As a class we took a “field trip” to a local grocery store for a healthy eating scavenger hunt. Utilizing the knowledge from the class on how to read food labels, they were able to compare products and find the one lowest in sodium, saturated fat, etc.

“I’m a busy person. I rush into the grocery store and have limited time to look closely at the different products. I usually just purchase what I know. Looking at labels takes time, but ultimately it is important for my health to pay more attention,” said one participant.

It was quite an eye-opener for all the participants to explore the store, compare food and take the time to consider healthy options.

To celebrate the end of the program, we all cooked a meal together applying the knowledge from the course – we made quinoa chicken and vegetable stir fry, salad, and fresh watermelon and pineapple, yum! Each participant received a Generations Incorporated healthy eating cookbook to help continue the good work they started.

As one participant said,

“I really enjoyed this workshop, and it has helped me to eat better and look at labels when food shopping to see if it is a good choice for me to buy. I learned a lot about how to choose foods that are healthy for me. I know that I cannot continue to just eat whatever I want unless I have a healthy plan.”

I hope that these participants continue to maintain this path of healthy living. I look forward to teaching this class in the next program year both in Boston and Revere!

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(Front:Back, L:R) Diana Ambrose, Shelia Buckman, Thelma Peele, Sydney Perkins, Aliza Krevolin, Valerie Armstrong, Dorothy Seaborne

It’s Tuesday morning, and I am heading out to Revere Beach to bask in the sunshine and join a dedicated group of women to read Water for Elephants, the latest book chosen by the Generations Incorporated (GI) Reading Group. By the time I arrive, the participants are excitedly filling each other in about things going on in their lives and at their tutoring sites. They begin to take turns reading to one another out loud two chapters from the book. While this might be an unconventional book club model, its format was chosen by the participants, and it has had some surprising results I would like to share with you!

Besides the obvious social benefits of coming together bi-monthly with friends, the women have reported feeling more confident. The Reading Group has provided one woman, who suffered from a stroke, with the ability to practice speaking in a supportive environment, enhancing both her self-esteem and tutoring skills.

This is just one example of the unique program offerings of the Active Aging Initiative. I hope to share more with you through monthly blog posts.

Active Aging is the name of the GI initiative that engages older adult volunteers in meaningful activities beyond tutoring that enhance their physical, mental and social well-being and connect them to community.

We want our volunteers to be physically and mentally healthy so they can volunteer longer, have expanded networks and feel more connected to their community and to the GI family. The programs are offered at no cost to the volunteer. It is a benefit, our thank you to our volunteers for giving themselves and their time to making a difference in a child’s life.

The Active Aging Initiative started three years ago as a pilot and is funded by the Tufts Health Foundation. It has grown to offer a diverse year-round calendar of activities to volunteer members including evidence-based health classes (e.g. fall prevention, healthy eating and chronic disease self-management), walking groups, coffee clubs, computer classes, a Kinect bowling league, a monthly speakers’ series and SHINE counseling.

The aim of the Active Aging Initiative is to support the whole volunteer, to encourage a healthy, active lifestyle and to motivate volunteers to continue to serve.

Look for more updates about our programming and issues affecting older adults in our monthly Active Aging blog posts. For more information, to learn how to get involved, or if you have a program idea for the Active Aging Initiative, please contact Aliza Krevolin at akrevolin@generationsinc.org or at 617-399-4678.

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