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Touch
of Gray - July 2002
Health
and Fitness Stressed at Wellness Expo
Carolina Meadows Resident Named Vice-President of National Continuing Care Residents Association
School Named for Former Resident
Fourth of July Sports Day
Health
and Fitness Stressed at Wellness Expo
If
you really wanted to check up on the state of your health,
this year's Wellness Expo was the place to be. Residents came
from 8:30 a.m. till early afternoon to undergo free on the
spot checks on blood pressures, bone density, arthritic aches
and pains and a variety of hearing and visual problems. The
staff of our Community Health Clinic and specialists from
30 outside agencies provided this remarkable one-day checkup
for residents, employees and visitors.
But
there was more to the Expo than just free tests, important
as these are.
Many
other dimensions of health and wellness were covered in the
exhibits and displays. Theme for the Expo was "Discover
the Balance", suggesting the many aspects of health we
all juggle on a daily basis.
"'Whether
it's the food we eat, our daily activities, the current state
of our health, how we handle stress, our use of traditional
and complementary medicine, it's all part of personal wellness,"
says Carolina Meadows Wellness Coordinator, Fiona Holland
who helped put the fair together this year. "The idea
behind the fair was to have a wide variety of booths represented
with many experiential opportunities to encourage participant
involvement. We wanted it to be a fun, festival-type atmosphere."
The
Expo was definitely dynamic with the day kicking off with
a wellness walk, in which residents and employees could get
to know each other better as they enjoyed
the one-mile loop of the tree-lined Carolina Meadows campus.
While
staff had much to do with the planning of the Wellness Expo,
residents played a very big part in the day's activities.
Don Hamm and Carol Griffin recruited residents to man exhibits
for CLEO (Community Life Enrichment Options), the Health Center
Auxiliary and MAP (Meadows Assistance Program). Mary Evans
organized a resident team to man the Tai Chi booth. Florence
Chalk was at the doors at 8 a.m. assisting vendors to unload
equipment and supplies. Later Simone Lipman was at the front
door of the auditorium giving out brochures and explaining
the prize system.
Speaking
of prizes, at half-hour intervals winners were drawn from
attendees who sought information from five or more of the
exhibits. Drawings were held every thirty minutes, keeping
the excitement of the day high. T-shirts, home exercise kits,
gift certificates and cash prizes were all popular awards.
Dick and Pat Ballard and Irv Sternschein handled the prize
program. Another important resident volunteer was Carolyn
Mann, who took refreshments - water and iced tea - to the
vendors as the day progressed.
Most
of the day's events were in the auditorium with thirty colorful
booths and displays on many different wellness services and
offerings. Purple and white balloons decorated every booth
giving a festive air. Residents, employees and guests from
the Chatham County Council on Aging enjoyed the variety of
information. Carlyle Hodges, on her way to lunch, was attracted
by the musicians, the Moonlighters jazz duo playing in the
lobby, and delighted by the many eye-catching displays as
she entered the auditorium, 'The set up was most attractive"'
she noted, "and there was so much useful information
available this year", she said as she picked up literature
from the Nurse Care of Carolina's display just inside the
front door.
Some
enjoyed the cooking demonstration and taste testing. Others
took advantage of the free massages. Donna Duff, who has been
a massage therapist at Carolina Meadows for the past twelve
years, greeted Peggy Olivier and many other old friends as
she and a group of students from the Body Therapy Institute
in Silk Hope worked continuously giving free massages to residents
and employees. " It's a wonderful way to relax and be
at ease with the world' commented Beverly Miller, Volunteer
Coordinator in our Health Center as her 15-minute massage
came to a close.
Phil
Kosdan demonstrated how he uses acupuncture in his practice
in Chapel Hill. Many lined up to see how the tiny needles
could help with their health concerns. "'It's not just
for aches and pains", Phil commented as he painlessly
inserted a needle into my arm just above the wrist, at one
of the body's most potent acupuncture points. "Acupuncture
relieves allergies, migraines, asthma and many other complaints",
he added. "It helps to balance the body's energy using
needles along meridian lines."
New
this year at the Wellness Expo were 30-minute mini-lectures
in the Boardroom on "Yoga for Health and Well-being"
and on "Food Facts and Fiction". Besides presenting
the nutrition lecture, Elisabetta Politi, Carolina Meadows
Registered Dietitian, hosted a booth where healthy foods were
colorfully displayed. Elisabetta tested visitors' skills with
a novel eight-step health quiz. Few guests managed to get
all the answers right. Did you know, for instance, that celery
is a good source of folic acid, a B vitamin that can help
reduce the risk of heart disease?
The
quantity of useful and informative literature available from
many of the exhibitor booths was remarkable. I noticed many
residents taking the 13-question safety in the home quiz.
They also picked up one exhibit's handy reminder Disaster
Supplies Kit, now that hurricane season is upon us.
"It
went even better than I had hoped,' said the Fiona Holland
at the end of the day. " We had about 250 participants
and they all seem to have a whale of a time so hopefully they
will come again next year!" I'm sure they will.
-- Des Reilly, Resident
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Carolina
Meadows Resident Named Vice-president of National Continuing
Care Residents Association
Myles Walburn, former president of the
Continuing Care Retirement Communities of North Carolina,
was chosen as one of three vice-presidents for this growing
national organization. Walburn is also active with the American
Association of Homes and Services for the Aging and the National
Continuing Care Residents Association.
Carolina
Meadows residents have continually given strong support to
the state association as it acts on behalf of participating
CCRC's concerning legislation and the betterment of facilities
and services within retirement communities.
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School
Named for Former Resident
If you grew up in this area you may
remember the very successful Raleigh Preschool, a Parent/Teacher
Cooperative that operated for many years on Ridge Road in
Raleigh. Mabel Rabb, late wife of Carolina Meadows resident
Bob Rabb, worked there for more than twenty years. She was
first a teacher and for ten years was Director of the School.
The school has just moved to a modern four-building campus
on Edwards Mill Road, close to the new Raleigh Entertainment
and Sports Center. Not only is it a new location, but the
school also has a new name. It is now the Mabel Beach Rabb
Preschool. Bob, together with his son and daughter and many
of his family, including Bob and Mabel's eight grandchildren,
were honored guests at the dedication.
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Fourth
of July Sports Day
This
Fourth of July Carolina Meadows residents will compete in
a full array of sporting events including golf, tennis, croquet,
bocce, horseshoes, ping-pong, shuffle board, darts and bean
bag toss. After the morning's sports contests, Mark Maxwell,
Dining Services Director, will produce a memorable Fourth
of July holiday picnic lunch in the dining room.
An important
aspect of Carolina Meadow's Wellness campaign, the wide variety
of games offered should tempt everyone's participation. It
is a great opportunity to try something new for fun and fitness.
Let the games begin!
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