Seniors: It’s Time To Get Outside And Move

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Allegheny County has an abundance of seniors and outdoor recreational opportunities, but it’s sometimes lacking in a way to connect one to the other.

The Jewish Healthcare Foundation is looking to remedy that by funding $300,000 in initiatives aimed at luring older adults into parks or other outdoor pursuits. Newly announced grants that will go to the Allegheny County Parks Foundation, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and Venture Outdoors, among others, will be used to organize activities targeted at seniors and provide them with better information about what’s available.

Those three groups are among those involved since August in foundation-initiated discussions focused on promoting exercise and fitness among local older adults. The discussions revealed that many organizations have a shared interest in that goal although they weren’t necessarily aware of all of the resources available locally and of the potential for collaboration, said Nancy Zionts, the foundation’s chief operating officer.

“There were a number of organizations looking to attract more seniors to their programs and looking for ways to get to those seniors,” Ms. Zionts said. “And there was a willingness of organizations that traditionally have not come together to say, ‘We don’t have to do it separately.’”

One of the resulting projects will be a series of health-focused guided walks this spring and summer at South Park and Frick Park. They will be for older adults of varying fitness levels and interests, with Venture Outdoors and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy teaming up to organize and promote them... Read the full article