AgeSong at Bayside Park Maps Out the Neighborhood

photo by Marianne York

AgeSong at Bayside Park promotes physical, social, psychological, and spiritual wellness. The elder community has engaged in several wellness projects this spring/summer:  ”Walk Ability,”   “Mapping the Neighborhood,” “Doctor in the House,” “Healthy Diet,” and “ECO-Trek.” Read about each project and preview future projects.

Promoting “Walk Ability” throughout the Lifespan

Walking is the new sitting. Bayside Park residents are engaged in a dynamic walk-ability campaign. The AgeSong definition of walk ability is ”moving about in visible form.”  Walk ability can include those who use a cane, walking stick,  walker, wheel chair, and/or walk with a companion. The difference between walk-ability and sitting is that one is moving forward, not staying in one place.

Every morning a group of residents saunter around the block.  Tom, Jean D, Ed, and Jack keep staff healthy by inviting staff to accompany them on neighborhood walks during the day.  Jean took her companions to a pottery yard, Tom shows care partners the way to watch the trains go by,  Ed and the two Jeans and Tom and others have trekked to the chocolate factory and sampled the goodies.  Jack likes to walk through the Pet Club across the street to see the goldfish and crickets.  The Emeryville neighborhood, fully equipped with broad sidewalks and benches, is friendly to walkers of all ages and stages.

Bayside Park is ideally located across the street from a wheelchair-friendly shopping center. Residents like to walk to Target and other convenient shops, where they find greeting cards, daily necessities, presents for grandchildren, seasonal fashions and comfortable walking shoes, and other goodies. Marilyn S., Harriet, and Ida are ideal companions for “walk and shop” excursions.  Staff also benefits from the walk-ability effort through “walk and talks” with residents in the fresh air, away from their computers.

Some of the more adventurous residents exercise in other ways, such as Joanne G, who goes swimming at the local YMCA throughout the year. Bayside Park’s Wellness Center off the lobby is frequented by residents such as Sam L, who works out daily on the exercise equipment.

Mapping out the Neighborhood

AgeSong students, volunteers, and care partners are joining residents to map out favorite spots around the neighborhood. Raul Nevarro Rodriguez, who works in dining services for Bayside Park, designed the terrific ECO-Trek logo that will accompany residents on walks. Ed E., a former geophysicist who created the first digital map in the country, is featured in the May issue of AgeSong at Bayside Park and will be an important consultant for the mapping project of the Bayside Park neighborhood.

AgeSong at Bayside Park residents have been mapping out their neighborhood in the following ways:

• Created a big map of the neighborhood.
• Took photos of popular places of interest in the neighborhood.
• Plotted photos of places of interest on the map
• Picked up maps for ECO-Trek participants at Emeryville Town Hall

ECO-Trek will launch June 5, 2012, which happens to be World Environment Day. Throughout the day residents will take short or longer walks exploring and cleaning up the Bayside Park neighborhood. World Environment Day (WED) is a day that stimulates awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and public action. It was the day that United Nations Conference on the Human Environment and was established by the United Nations General Assembly.

Healthy Diet

CLICK HERE to download Healthy Diet Flyer

Upon the encouragement of residents who understand the benefits of healthy living, AgeSong at Bayside Park has engaged in a campaign to educate the community on the value of a Mediterranean diet, consisting of fish, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and beans. According to studies conducted by Columbia University, this heart-friendly diet reduces Alzheimer’s risk by 34 to 48 percent. On May 20, 2012,  from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm, there will be a Heart-Friendly event at BaySide Park.

There’s a Doctor in the House!

To make medical services more convenient to residents, Dr. Tyrone E. Snypes, D.O. has made himself available for consultation in Bayside Park’s Wellness Center on Monday mornings from 9:00 am to noon. His special interest is preventive care and diet/slfestyle changes.

Future healthy aging plans include a clean-up campaign of the neighborhood, expansion of the ECO-Trek mapping project, cultivation of the flower garden in the Bayside atrium, and an informational presentation and material on public transportation options for residents.

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 AgeSong at Bayside Park | 1440 40th Street, Emeryville, California 94608 | 510-594-8800 | License # 015601452

AgeSong Assisted Living and Elder Communities: Locations throughout the Bay Area, including San Francisco and the East Bay: San Francisco-Hayes Valley • San Francisco-Laguna Grove • Oakland-Lake Merritt • Oakland-Lakeside Park • Emeryville-Bayside Park • Castro Valley-OakCreek