Several assisted living residents from homes in Boone and Callaway Counties joined Churchill Terrace residents in Fulton Tuesday to celebrate Active Aging Week.
"We just wanted to do something different," Churchill Terrace Administrator Michele Fedorchalk said. "This was Ca-Sandra's idea to bring the local homes together to offer some of what we would be doing today to some of the others."
Ca-Sandra Scoggins, lifestyle coordinator for Churchill Terrace and the organizer for "FALLing in Love with Active Aging," said: "We made today about the residents, as it should be, so most of our activities were things they used to do."
Residents from several homes - Ashland Villa, Bluff Creek Terrace, the Arbors at Lakeview Bend and Teal Lake - mingled with Churchill Terrace residents during an activity-packed morning and early afternoon.
The day kicked off with a meet and greet to welcome the visiting residents, followed by a presentation on "changing the way we age" by Americare Representative Jean Summers.
Forty-six senior citizens from all homes listened to Summers discuss the importance of following the seven dimensions of wellness, and the benefits of adopting a healthier, happier lifestyle.
"They really enjoyed her (Jean's) talk this morning," Scoggins said. "They love it when she brings the papers, too, so they can read it and remind me in a week or two, I'll remember this, this, this and this, and they really do. They really love finding new facts and learning new things and meeting new people, so when they came out this morning, I thought we were never going to get them outside ... they want to meet everyone."
After listening to some music, residents chose from an wide variety of activities - from ring toss, horseshoes and washers, to Croquet, lawn darts and a cake walk.
"They really loved the cake walk," she said. "We were dancing ... some nice-looking cakes were donated."
Scoggins said she chose games and activities that residents are familiar with to increase participation in activities and to accommodate the residents visiting from a memory care assisted living home.
She said the visiting homes made different cake, but the in-house chef baked most of them.
"We have a big variety of food from our chef," Scoggins said. "She pleases them all the time."
A few Fulton firefighters stopped by with their truck for a group photo and to talk about fire safety.
"They (the residents) love when they (firefighters) show up and they can recognize a face," Scoggins said.
Following a break for lunch, residents gathered to enjoy music by Jr. Fishburn and Jack Owen before opting to participate in a "Power Hour," a program held four to five days a week that encourages residents to be active.
"Our residents here love it," Scoggins said. "They would have it every single day if we would let them. "Residents help residents during the fitness activities so that they don't feel like someone else, like staff, is always in control, that they do have control of their life, that all of their rights are being met and that they're not just being placed under supervision of someone else."
Exercise balls, stretch bands, weights and a noodle toss game are just a few of the array of fitness items residents can use during their routine. Singing and dancing is also common during a Power Hour.
"Residents have the best ideas of anything that is done," Fedorchalk said. "It's fascinating to see everyone's brain put together to see what we come up with. It's always hard for everyone to get along in a community, but they do a great job combining that - interests and strengths - it's just a beautiful thing to watch."
As a lifestyle coordinator, Scoggins said, she encourages residents to socialize not only with each other, but during trips to other Americare assisted living homes.
"They love seeing each other here, you know, day in and day out," Scoggins said. "But it is so much nicer when we always get them out in the community, so they're not just feeling like this is, you know, seclusion or they're stuck to one home."