Senior living
Keep young and active
THESE days, people are living longer and staying active during their golden years - and that's a good thing. Gone are the days of retiring to a rocking chair. Staying physically and mentally active has many benefits. The Kent Active Retirement Association is an excellent example of how retirees can get together and enjoy a fun and active lifestyle. The Kent ARA was formed 25 year ago as a means of offering people nearing retirement age, or those who had already retired, a chance to further enhance their lives during their retirement by activities that would ensure they use both physical and mental powers to maintain a full and active life. A series of clubs were started in the
Broadstairs area and within a short space of time in other locations in the south of the county, After just five years there were in the region of 20 such
clubs covering the whole of south and mid Kent with a membership that ran into thousands. Activities range
through the whole alphabetical spectrum from art to walking, including short mat bowls, tai- chi, outings, holidays, line sequence and ballroom dancing, lunches and ten pin bowling to name just a few. To date there are a total of just over 80 clubs in Kent and there is hardly an area in the county that does not have at least one club. In some places, such as Maidstone, there are four clubs catering for a large number of people who wish to engage with being active. The clubs are autonomous but do have a constitution that is based upon a model set of rules that are supplied by the Kent ARA executive committee. There are plans afoot to open several
more clubs in 2013. The criteria for membership is that a person has to be active; in other words, able to get around without assistance without having to rely on other members. They must be over 50 years of age and either fully or semi retired. Most clubs do, however, allow members in who have the use of wheelchairs, providing they have an assistant who will look after them. But this is something that each club
must decide for themselves. People wishing to find out more about the Kent ARA and whether there is a club in their locality should visit their website at
www.kentara.co.uk.
Mid Kent Living 27
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