LAC LA BICHE - Beginning in September, the last Wednesday of every month at the Lac La Biche Heritage Society will be dedicated to promoting the physical and mental well-being of local seniors.
Mona Frederick, executive director of the Lac La Biche Heritage Society, explained that the program, called Wellness Wednesdays, will run year-round. There are two components to this initiative, one that is focused on improving mobility through yoga and stretching exercises, while the other pairs local schoolchildren with seniors for the purposes of participating in various engaging and fun activities such as making and painting Christmas ornaments, rock painting, knitting, and crocheting.
“The idea to start Wellness Wednesdays began a few years ago during the pandemic,” Frederick explained, adding that due to public health restrictions, the program couldn’t get off the ground at that time. “The program was always about nurturing the mind, body, and soul of seniors, but also including a strong inter-generational aspect, as interaction between children and youth and the older generation is so important.”
On Sept. 27, the Lac La Biche Heritage Society will be hosting an open house to garner interest in the Wellness Wednesdays program and encourage people to get involved. Recently, the community organization – whose membership includes many seniors from Lac La Biche County – received a $2,500 grant from Enbridge to help cover the costs of starting up the program.
There will be displays set up and brochures about the program, with members of the executive answering questions asked by prospective participants.
“We have partnered with FCSS, Alberta Health Services, and other agencies to make this happen,” Frederick explained. “I have reached out to the culinary department at Portage College to have chefs come to the heritage society to teach seniors how to cook healthy meals. We’re also hoping to get the local library on board with programming where seniors will read storybooks to young children.”
Frederick went on to say that the program may include other activities such as group hikes to local parks, including Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park, tours of local sites such as the Lac La Biche Museum, and even travelling around the community at Christmas to check out the wondrous displays of lights that commonly adorn many homes and businesses over the holidays.
“It will all depend on what our members would like to do,” she said. “This is something that will be discussed soon.”
Participants in the Wellness Wednesdays program will have the opportunity to engage in yoga and stretching classes. For those who perhaps aren’t as agile as others, and thus are unable to work out on the floor, chair yoga, a more gentle alternative, will be offered.
“The Lac La Biche Heritage Society has talked with the Bold Center to arrange to have a yoga instructor come here for one hour out of the month to teach a yoga and stretching class,” she said.
Once the Wellness Wednesdays program is up and running, Frederick says it will be a fantastic outlet for senior citizens in the community to stay active while remaining connected to one another.
“People need each other, especially in times of crisis,” she adds. “Overall, seniors are living longer than in past generations, and therefore need activities to keep them occupied and engaged.
