Active Aging

OCTOBER 1-7, 2019 ACTIVE AGING WEEK 3 Redefining active Evanchuk is executive director of Active Aging in Manitoba (AAIM), a non-profit partnership of organizations devoted to encouraging Manitobans 50 and older to maintain or enhance their well-being through daily physical activity and social interaction. AAIM is one of the organizers of Active Aging Week in Manitoba, which will take place this year Oct. 1-7 at various locations throughout the province. The theme of this year's promotion is "Redefining Active." Evanchuk says the theme seemed like a natural fit for this year's Active Aging Week activities. AAIM recently rebranded itself after previously being known as the Active Living Coalition for Older Adults in Manitoba (ALCOA-MB) and soon after began examining what active living means to the organization and its members. The theme has been adopted from the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) for this year. "The whole notion of redefining active aging and what that means to people is extremely important to us," he says. "There's all kinds of evidence-based prescriptions for what older Manitobans should be doing and how active they need to be to enhance their well-being. That's great, but everybody needs to translate that into something meaningful to their own lives and something they can fit into their everyday living. We want to start from point zero. What do you find interesting? What have you had experience doing? What would you like to be involved in?" As part of this encouragement to "redefine active," AAIM will be conducting an online survey on its website (www.activeagingmb. ca) asking Manitobans to detail what active living is to them and share their personal stories on how active living fits into their everyday life. The survey will be open until the end of October as part of Seniors and Elders Month in Manitoba and the results from it will be shared starting in November. Evanchuk says the survey is a great opportunity for his organization to get feedback on how it can support older Manitobans to be more active. "When we talk about redefining active we can't have a cookie cutter approach. It's not about us or any group dictating that this is what active is or what it should mean to you," he adds. "This is about people saying 'this is how I am being active and how I am contributing to my own health and well-being.' This is also about encouraging people to try some new things that may take them out of their comfort zone, but that exploration could be very intriguing and exciting, and could lead to a number of very positive things in their life." As part of this year's Active Aging Week, AAIM will release Redefining Active: A Guide to Active Aging in Manitoba. The guide, which will be available in both print and digital editions, will share tips and advice on how people can incorporate active living into their everyday lives. Evanchuk stresses that Active Aging Week isn't about turning people into gym rats, but providing them with the information and resources they need to make informed choices about being an active participant in everyday life. "It's all about serving up ideas to stimulate people to think about the opportunities that are out there and to encourage them to think in terms of the positivity of growing older and being involved in a variety of opportunities and programs and socially connecting for their entire life," he says. AAIM provides support and resources to thousands of Manitobans across the province in conjunction with partner agencies. That includes programs such as a speakers bureau and the Steppin' Up With Confidence peer exercise initiative and the annual Manitoba 55+ Games. BY JIM TIMLICK Jim Evanchuk isn't a big fan of the adage that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Active Aging in Manitoba (AAIM) Active Aging in Manitoba (AAIM) is a non-profit organization, dedicated to the promotion of active aging opportunities for all older Manitobans to enhance their health, mobility and lifelong participation in their community. AAIM strives for the engagement of older Manitobans in healthy choices that contribute to physical, social and mental wellness, independence and quality of life. AAIM promotes programs that enable older Manitobans to stay socially connected, to participate in regular physical activity, to eat healthy foods and to reduce risk for falls and injury.

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