Op-ed column - Glen Eddy seniors prove that sports are not just for the young

My Dad would have loved it.

He was an avid bowler who had his own ball, once bowled a perfect game, and had many trophies.

I thought of him often while watching the Eddy Senior Housing Division Wii Olympics. While many seniors were glued to their TVs watching the events in Beijing, 65 people with an equal number of cheering fans gathered at Glen Eddy in Niskayuna to actively compete in virtual bowling. Out of the armchair, onto the bus and into the limelight.

Mirroring events in China, 13 teams wearing T-shirts of assigned Olympic colors and carrying banners marched in at the Opening Ceremonies and lined up for team photos. Team names ranged from The Old Beverwyck Broads, the Hawthorne Dream Team and the Terrace Keglers. Competition began at 10:30 a.m. and ran non-stop until the Awards Ceremony at 2:30 p.m. Knowing the senior propensity for and appreciation of food and drink, coffee and refreshment were served on arrival and a BBQ lunch was served under a large white tent continuously from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This enabled the rotating home teams, the visiting bowlers and their fans to meet and mingle.

Glen Eddy is an independent living facility; next door is the Terrace, which is designated an assisted living center. Bowlers came from both types of facilities. In fact, first- and second-place winning teams were from assisted living sites — The Terrace at Glen Eddy came in first, The Terrace at Eddy Memorial second, while an independent living team from the host facility, the Wiiky Wackeys, won third place.

Fully participating

Sound corny? Maybe, but these people were having fun. As I watched the morning competition, I cheered when my friend Marian scored two spares. Then a chair was positioned an appropriate distance from the screen and a woman using a walker slowly approached her position. She settled herself comfortably as I held my breath for her. She was left-handed and she slowly and deliberately released her ball. It was a painfully slow ball, but you could see she knew what she was doing. She racked up two consecutive strikes and the Edison Room erupted in non-partisan cheers.

Since moving into the Glen Eddy Independent Living quarters about a year ago, I’ve done a lot of thinking about aging and how individuals and families cope with what reality demands we recognize as a slowly degenerative process. I’ve observed and enjoyed the pleasure of healthy, engaged seniors dining and discussing world events together, attending lectures, concerts, movies and travelogues right here or traveling by buses to Proctor’s, SPAC, Capitol Rep, Tanglewood, or on longer jaunts to more distant sites of interest. There is a well-lit creative arts room where you can take art classes, and a well-run and well-stocked library. There is a swimming pool, weight room and regularly scheduled exercise classes on site. Your utilities, telephone, cable, computer, lawn service and snow removal and 21 meals a month are all factored into your monthly bill.

At the same time, even in “independent” living, we are daily confronted with our own mortality. There is the steady traffic to and from doctor’s offices, the gradual surrendering of vehicles in favor of facility-provided transportation, the installation of aides by some who are reluctant to give up their independent status. Some move on to The Terrace for assistance in certain areas of daily living (but they still bowl!) or to a skilled nursing facility.

I may, someday, be able to report from these sites, but not soon, I hope. My preference would be to drop over some day — cleanly and without a fuss, but I know that happens to only a few of the most fortunate.

Independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing are the most common levels of senior care. although there are some newer models that incorporate more family-style living and which sound promising. These lifestyles come with varying price tags depending on the age of the facility, location and amenities provided. I am fortunate enough to have a daughter living nearby who has been of inestimable help in the moving process, during illnesses and by just being there.

Learning to age

One other asset of community living is that you pick up pointers on how to age. Some of the healthiest among us are in their 90s. They are plucky, creative, fiercely independent and have a sense of humor. They get up, get dressed and make their way to the Commons area, where they pick up large print books to read in the library, get their mail in the mail room, stand around and chat with friends or sit down and have coffee or a meal in the Grille Room. They sign up for transportation to various destinations. And they don’t underestimate the value of a Wii Tournament. The Olympics are not just for the young.

Ruth Peterson lives in Niskayuna. The Gazette encourages readers to submit material on local issues for the Sunday Opinion section.