Aging gracefully isn’t about hiding your wrinkles or dying your hair.
Far from it. As participants attending the Eldering with GRACE workshop will learn, it’s about embracing the opportunities that come with aging.
“We live in a very youth-oriented culture and sometimes we have a difficult time embracing the opportunities that come with aging,” says Jenelen Dulemba, director of volunteer and older adult membership services for St. Elizabeth Healthcare.
Eldering with GRACE is a health promotion program designed for participants age 50 and older who wish to engage the last third of their life “with wisdom, vitality and authenticity.” During the workshop, which will be held Wednesday, Aug. 10 from 5-9 p.m. at the St. Elizabeth Training and Education Center, facilitator Sharon Otto Trekell, a certified health and wellness coach, will help participants better understand the qualities of “GRACE,” an acronym for generative, resilient, active, connected and empowered.
The workshop, which is being sponsored by St. Elizabeth Healthcare’s PrimeWise and Health Ministries programs, introduces participants to the benefits of holistic wellness practices including meditation, centering prayer, positive psychology, Qigong, Sign Chi Do, and Tai Chi, all of which promote physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. While it may sound new age, scientific research underscores the importance of these elements to individuals’ overall health and happiness.
“Any model of health or aging really draws on the mind, body, and spirit connection,” says Dulemba who calls the workshop, “an opportunity to embrace the aging process and purposefully engage in the next stage of the journey rather than just letting it happen to you.”
To reserve a space, please call (859) 301-5999. The event costs $10 for PrimeWise members to register in advance and $15 for non-members or $20 for anyone registering on the day of the event. The St. Elizabeth Training and Education Center is located at 3862 Olympic Boulevard.
