Seniors urged to get moving

Walking, line dancing, swimming. It didn't matter as long as they were moving.

Seniors from all over Salt Lake County gathered at the West Jordan Senior Center Wednesday for the county's first-ever Healthy Aging Day. The event, part of National Healthy Aging Month, encouraged the county's 110,000 seniors to practice healthy habits for physical and mental well-being.

"If people can really try to maintain their health and mobility, they can live a longer, more productive life," said former Utah first lady Norma Matheson, spokeswoman for event sponsor Salt Lake County Aging Services. "It makes such a difference."

On Wednesday, seniors also received free health screening, including blood pressure and blood sugar testing, glaucoma testing and balance checks.

By 2030, the number of seniors in Salt Lake County is expected to jump to more than 275,000 — an increase of 149 percent. By comparison, the 60 and under population will only increase by 35 percent, according to Aging Services.

Existing services will need to adjust to the growing demographic, Matheson said, something that Utah's senior centers are already doing quite nicely.

"Centers are adapting to this generation of seniors, particularly those who want to stay active, both mentally and physically," she said.

Built four years ago, the West Jordan Senior Center features a variety of activities to keep seniors busy, including pool tables, computers with Internet access, art and pottery classes, exercise equipment, a thrift store and even a small beauty shop.

Gwen Reid, 82, visits the center nearly every day. Reid is legally blind and relies on a bus to get from her West Jordan home to the center about a mile away.

"I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have this place to come to," said Reid, president of the center's advisory council. "It's my salvation."

A widow for the past 20 years, Reid said she has friends who sit at home most days, feeling sorry for themselves and thinking about various aches and pains.

"If you come up here and mix with people, you forget that you have things that hurt," she said.

Oftentimes, seniors don't want to visit senior centers because they don't like to think of themselves as belonging to that category, Matheson said. In that case, people are encouraged to volunteer their time to help older seniors in the community.

Last year, more than 4,000 volunteers racked up nearly 466,000 service hours in various county Aging Services' programs.

Matheson, however, is not afraid to announce herself as a member of the state's senior community. "I'm very much a senior at this point," said Matheson, who turned 76 on Tuesday.

According to Aging Services, Utah has the second longest life expectancy in the United States, second only to Minnesota. Men in Utah can expect to live to be 79 years old, while women have a life expectancy of 85 years.

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E-mail: awelling@desnews.com