Free Panel Discussion: “Aging in Nature”

Date/Time
October 6, 2017
12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Location
Bemis Hall

Join Nature Connection’s Executive Director

Sophie Wadsworth at a Panel Discussion:

Aging in Nature: A Key to Our Well-Being

Presented by the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust — Celebrating 60 Years

Friday, October 6

12:30 – 2:00 PM

Bemis Hall, 15 Bedford Road, Lincoln, MA

FREE. Seniors, family members, and caretakers will be especially interested in this program. All are welcome. Light refreshments provided by Newbury Court and Deaconess Abundant Life Services.

Join us for a special program on how and why access to nature is a key ingredient to our well-being as we age. In fact, older adults who spend time in nature show increased participation in outdoor physical activities, improved mental health and cognitive function, and are more likely to have social connections around them and in the community. A panel of practitioners will present on their experiences and a question and answer period will follow.

The panelists include:

Sophie Wadsworth, Executive Director, The Nature Connection in Concord.

Sophie has been the Executive Director of The Nature Connection since 2010. The Nature Connection delivers therapeutic programs with live animals and natural materials to at-risk youth, people with disabilities, and elders including those with Alzheimer’s. Current site partners include two memory support assisted living residences in Concord: The Gardens at Newbury Court, and Concord Park. By bringing nature indoors, The Nature Connection brings individuals together with nature’s capacity to teach, create joy, and heal.

John Calabria, yoga teacher, and expert in mindfulness and nature.

Years ago John left a successful engineering career to help people find joy in their lives and to feel more connected to this most beautiful part of the world we live in. John spends as much time as possible in nature, including foraging for wild foods. He cares for 60 bluebird nest boxes with his friend Ray, now age 88, who began the work over fifty years ago. John is a longtime teacher of mindfulness and Yoga in West Concord.

Ellie Horwitz, certified wildlife biologist and tai chi instructor.

Ellie was the Chief of Information and Education at Massachusetts Fisheries & Wildlife for 35 years. She is a certified wildlife biologist and recently became certified as a tai chi instructor. Ellie has found peace in the woods since she was very small.