PORT TOWNSEND — A free 10-week program to provide more understanding of aging is expected to appeal to Jefferson County’s large Baby Boomer population.
“We thought this program was a good fit for us because Jefferson County is the grayest county in the state,” said Mitzi Hazard, Jefferson Healthcare hospital’s supervisor of rehabilitation services.
Jefferson County’s residents in the 65 and older category made up 31.8 percent of its population compared to 14.1 percent of the state’s population, according to the 2014 U.S. Census.
The Aging Mastery Program is set from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on consecutive Tuesdays between March 29 and May 3 at the Coyle Community Center, 923 Hazel Point Road.
The program is subsidized by a $12,000 grant from the National Council on Aging.
It also will be presented in Port Townsend in the fall.
Coyle is first because many community members took interest in the recruitment of local experts to speak, Hazard said.
‘Ethical mandate’
“I’ve always seen Jefferson Healthcare as a safety net that is well situated to provide this kind of education. It’s almost an ethical mandate for us to provide this.”
Hazard said the course follows the wellness model, recognizing that it is more favorable and less expensive to keep people healthy rather than waiting until they get sick.
The topics, in order, are navigating longer lives, exercise, sleep, eating, financial fitness, advance planning, healthy relationships, medication management, community engagement and fall prevention.
“A lot of it will be the kind of things that a kindergartner should know, such as the need to exercise and eat well,” Hazard said.
“We will include all the factors that affect people as they age, such as being isolated and disconnected from the community and how that can influence their health.”
Hazard said she expects participants to attend all the sessions rather than picking the ones that appear to suit them.
As of Thursday, about 17 people have signed up for the program which can accommodate 40 or 50.
Hazard hopes to draw at least 30 participants, saying that number is ideal for instruction and small group interaction.
There is no age requirement. It is open to people who identify themselves as wanting to master the aging process, she said.
During the training for the course Hazard was told to not refer to people as “old” but to use terms like “baby boomers” and “people of a certain age” because the current generation of seniors doesn’t like to think of itself as old.
Isolation
Isolation is one of the most common issues, she said.
“I see older people who are isolated who have incrementally removed themselves from society,” she said.
“There is a high incidence of depression and anxiety in old people because they are no longer connected and don’t know how to get connected again.”
Senior citizen status sneaks up on people, which she compares to putting a frog in a pot of water and gradually raising the heat.
“Pretty soon it’s boiling and they don’t know how they got there,” she said.
For more information, call Hazard at 360-385-2200, ext. 1270.
________
Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
