The Numbers Game

If 50 is the new 30 and 60 is the new 40, then 70 must be the new 50. And after spending a morning with some high-octane seniors at an assisted living center, I’m starting to think 90 is the new 35. These seniors may have lost some memory and mobility, but certainly not their passion. (Yep, two 80-somethings married last month and there’s a whole lot of hand-holding going on).

First up was the exercise class. (Well, that’s not quite true. Newspaper reading was first, but someone beat us to it and took everything but the classifieds). About five of us ambitious souls walked (some with assistance, some were wheeled) into the activities room and given two full water bottles for weights. Lisa, the volunteer coordinator, hit “play” for an exercise video geared for seniors and off we went. What a hoot! The video was clearly an 80’s, Jane Fonda knockoff featuring six or so perky women wearing metallic spandex leotards, big hair and four-inch plastic earrings. They encouraged us to kick, twist, bend (and never broke a sweat, mind you) while the rest of us flailed and gasped – I had no idea you could get such a workout sitting in a chair! But, I’m proud to say, we all hung in there until the final cooldown.

And then it was crossword puzzle time – and an even bigger hoot! It sounded easy – you read the clues from a crossword puzzle book then, after someone guessed the word, you wrote the word on an oversized laminated crossword puzzle that was thumb-tacked onto the wall. As I stood next to the puzzle, feeling like Vanna White, I realized in a hurry that these residents did not suffer fools. The orders sprang forth.

“Move to the right.”
“Move to the left.”
“Look at us when you talk. I’m hard of hearing.”
“We go across, not down. You need to learn how to do this.”
“Don’t write the word for us because you never heard of it. We knew it.”

Clearly these guys meant businesses and it wasn’t until we started the second puzzle that I felt like I had earned my keep. And then, all too soon, it was time to go. These very colorful people asked me to come back and said how much they enjoyed having me. It was an experience I will treasure always, especially after Lisa told me that the last two volunteers ran out in tears after crossword puzzle time.

Now think about this – somewhere near you, a senior citizen is waiting for you to read him a newspaper, lead her in exercise or help her navigate a crossword puzzle. Give it a try. It’s a hoot.

Get out and give back.