Healthy Aging
Increasing Health and Wellness in our Community
What is Healthy Aging?
Healthy aging means adopting healthy habits and making positive lifestyle choices that contribute to health and well-being as we grow older.
These habits may include:
Eating a healthy, balanced diet.
Staying physically active.
Getting enough sleep.
Staying socially connected and engaged with others.
Taking care of your emotional well-being, including managing stress, having a positive outlook, and seeking support when needed.
Keeping up with regular health checkups, vaccines, and screenings; and manage any chronic conditions.
There are many stories in the Abenaki culture that celebrate the older individuals and elders in our community. They are the keepers of the community’s collective knowledge and experience. Without their guidance we would lose the essence of who we are as a people.
If you ever have time, you may enjoy reading the Abenaki story of When Grandma Became an Owl in the book Welcome the Caribou Man by Tsonakwa and Yolaidia. It is a wonderful story about a family struggling with the changes they see in their grandmother.
Dementia and Alzheimer’s
Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map for American Indian and Alaska Native Peoples
We have read many different publications on AIAN brain health and this one is exceptional. It understands that healing for Indigenous people happens in connection with their culture, family, environment and community. That is something that health and mental health care organizations must take into account when working with our population.
https://www.alz.org/media/Documents/HBI-Road-Map-American-Indian-Alaska-Native-Peoples.pdf