NEWS

Seniors to test knowledge, physical skills at Golden Games
By Dann Denny, Herald-Times Staff Writer
September 25, 2004


Get Golden
What: Golden Games - a mental and physical competition involving area nursing home residents
When: 9:40 am to 2 pm Thursday.
Where: Bloomington SportsPlex, 1700 W. Bloomfield Road

Do you know what the longest river in the world is?

How about the capital of Greenland?

If these questions have you stumped, you wouldn't fare too well at the second annual Golden Games — a mental and physical competition involving area nursing home residents.

The Golden Games are an adapted version of the Monroe/Owen county Senior Games, a 19-year-old event sponsored mainly by the Area 10 Agency on Aging.

"The Senior Games are for independently living seniors," said Sherri Ganka, recreation therapist at Meadowood Retirement Community. "The Golden Games are for nursing home residents in assisted living or skilled nursing (housing)."

The event, which drew about 75 participants last year, will take place Thursday at the Bloomington SportsPlex.

Participants will answer questions related to the Bible, sports, spelling and international knowledge and compete in a beanbag toss, ring toss, basketball toss or bowling (with a three-pound ball and plastic pins).

"All participants got a list of 30 possible questions Sept. 1 but will be asked only five," Ganka said. "Some have been studying these questions for the past three weeks."

Participants can win gold, silver or bronze medals attached to necklaces. "Some residents wear the medals year-round or hang them in their rooms," Ganka said. "One man I know won seven medals and wore them around his neck for an entire year."

Ganka said most nursing home staffs greet residents returning from the Golden Games with a fusillade of fanfare.

"We will meet them when they get off the bus," she said. "Then we'll have a victory reception with punch and cookies."

Kira Shemesh, Bell Trace activity director, said the 25 Bell Trace residents who participated last year had the time of their lives.

"Most of them won medals, which gave them a sense of pride," she said. "They also had a lot of fun and got to socialize with friends from other nursing homes."

The Golden Games is organized by activity directors from five nursing homes — Richland Bean Blossom Health Care Center, Owen Valley Health Campus, Beverly Healthcare, Meadowood Retirement Community, and Bell Trace Health and Living Center and Senior Living Community.

The Games will get under way at 9:40 a.m. with the crowning of the oldest participants as king and queen, a welcome by Wilbert Williams (founder of the Senior Games), and a talk and an accordion performance by Sophia Travis. After the competition, there will be a luncheon. An awards ceremony will follow.

Area 10 will provide 20 volunteers to help with the knowledge testing and physical games, and Indiana University students will help with the bowling. Ganka said the event would be impossible without the volunteers, plus help from the SportsPlex and financial support from Internal Medicine Associates.

Reporter Dann Denny can be reached at 331-4350 or by e-mail at ddenny@heraldt.com.