Active Aging

SEPTEMBER 23-29, 2018 ACTIVE AGING WEEK 15 available at the Wellness Institute. Visitors will also be able to check out a number of exhibitions on the institute's gym floor that will showcase services and resources available at Seven Oaks General Hospital and in the surrounding community. While many of those who attend the open house are first-time visitors to the Wellness Institute, it also attracts a number of the facility's 6,800-plus current members. "A lot of people come here to the Wellness Institute just to work out. We want to show them that being healthy is more than just exercising," she says. In addition to a farmers' market and live entertainment, there will be an opportunity for guests to gain some first- hand experience in what active aging is all about. AAIM will conduct a series of demonstrations to showcase some of the events that make up the Manitoba 55+ Games and will have representatives available to answer questions. There will also be exercise classes, stretch breaks with a Wellness Institute consultant and a rehabilitation and sports injury clinic area where visitors can meet with trained therapists. Whalen says one of the purposes of the demonstrations is to show people that active aging can be fun. "If you don't like to do something, what is the likelihood you will stick with it? If we can act as a catalyst, inspire people about the importance to get active or stay active at the Wellness Institute or elsewhere, I think we've achieved our goal," she says. Admission to the Wellness Institute's Active Aging Day open house is free of charge and no registration is required. For more information about the event visit wellnessinstitute.ca. The Active Aging Day open house is set for Sept. 25. The annual event has been running for more than a decade and regularly attracts hundreds of visitors as part of the Wellness Institute's mandate to promote healthy aging. WELLNESS INSTITUTE/DARIN KACHANOSKI PHOTOS

• Cover