From its beginning in 1943, the Vermont Conference on Recreation (formerly The Governor’s Conference on Recreation) has been designed to bring together Vermonters who share an interest in parks, recreation, trails, open space and leisure opportunities. This year, at the organization’s 80th annual conference in Killington, a spotlight was placed on meeting the recreational and health needs of older Vermonters.
Thom Simmons, Nutrition and Wellness Director of Senior Solutions, was joined by Chris Moldovan of Age Well and Maddy Gardner of the Southwest Vermont Council on Aging in making the case for an increased focus on opportunities for seniors. The three outlined the basic process whereby the Agencies on Aging can support the training of instructors to offer free classes to seniors in programs such as Tai Chi for Fall Prevention, Walk with Ease, Eat Smart-Move More-Weigh Less, Striders, and other wellness offerings. The conference attendees, ranging from hospital personnel to state parks staff and health center directors, were eager to explore new partnerships with Councils on Aging in order to develop programming the needs of Vermont’s fast-growing senior population. We look forward to creating new partnerships
