Healthy aging events planned to help people “define their future”

There is no time stopping, but we have choices to manage the effects of aging.

Now, a new non -profit organization in the barn, Optwell, is on site to help educate people with healthy aging approaches.

The group will organize a free presentation and a resource fair called healthy aging, focusing on the education of people of all ages with techniques and strategies for an active and healthy lifestyle as they age.

“All our events are social,” said Kris Lonsway, founder of Optwell. “So we have a fair component of resources.”

The healthy aging fair will take place from 5.30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on April 10 in Help Hand, 9649 W. 55th St., campaign.

Among the presentations offered are sessions on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, the positive impact of the brain health movement, community services, financial preparation for unexpected and construction resilience with lifestyle and family strategies.

More than 20 organizations will be at hand, including the Alzheimer’s association, the aging of care connections, Edward Jones, hand maintenance, fitness and several other health care organizations and superior life organizations.

Restaurants in the region also launch with delicious treats.

“We have so many local and incredible restaurants that give so much healthy aperitifs and healthy salads for this event,” said Lonsway. “So the food for this event will be incredible.”

The participating establishments of the Grange region include Prasino, Mana, Blackberry Market, Quatteensifixeen, Hillgrove Tap and Flatty’s.

The healthy aging fair is free, although people have to register on optwell-sainfying.eventbrite.com.

It’s not just for the elderly, said Lonsway. The goal is to help people understand what they have to do today who will help support their health and well-being for the rest of their lives.

Lonsway spoke of the five healthy habits that Optwell wanted the seniors to incorporate into their daily life.

“These five must eat well, move, mental well-being, quality sleep and be social,” she said. “They are quite explicit. With sleep, there is so much research by saying that we need 7 to 8 hours per night.”

Lonsway, 55, is a competitive tennis player, but suffers from sleep apnea and is very open on this subject.

“I try to help people reduce stigma on things that bother their health,” she said. “If people are embarrassed to seek a sleep study, or if they hesitate to wear a CPAP (sleeping mask of apnea) or if they hesitate to mental well-being … We do this together as a community to reduce stigma.”

Lonsway is a organizational psychologist specializing in motivation and executive coaching, which after higher education at the University of Illinois had global career organizations.

His life took a turn where one of his sons was diagnosed as being on the spectrum of autism and his other son showed signs of development delay, and his mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She began to study carefully and Alzheimer’s disease carefully to take care of her sons and help manage her mother’s care.

Lonsway’s experiences are shared with fitness instructor Halle McCormick, whose mother also died from Alzheimer’s. McCormick is part of Optwell’s advisory committee and will be expressed in healthy aging.

“The movement has always been very important to me and instrumental in my life,” she said. “And I try to be decisive in the life of many others, and to understand the power of movement not only for physical health but also mental health.”

With other members of his family suffering from Alzheimer’s, McCormick, like Lonsway, plunged into everything she could learn on the subject.

“I became a specialist in Alzheimer’s fitness,” she said. “I wanted to take my love of movement, my love for fitness and fitness education to create a specialty.”

McCormick’s goal is to make people understand the lifestyle that people can use to “prevent, push back, or possibly reverse Alzheimer’s disease”.

Her speech on April 10 will understand her family history and the class she developed, called Brain Body Fitness.

“Essentially, what I do is incorporate movement models with a brain challenge at the same time and that really improves blood flow to the brain,” said McCormick. “Lots of research show that if you do a movement or exercise with a brain challenge, this essentially improves brain health.”

McCormick stressed that there was hope for people whose families have history of Alzheimer’s or dementia.

“Their genes do not have to define their future,” she said.

Hank Beckman is an independent journalist for Pioneer Press.