"I am not someone to stay home. I get out a lot," said Franchesca, an 84-year-old grandma with a wicked sense of humor. "Because if you stay home, you spend all your time criticizing your kids, eh?"
Franchesca, along with a few dozen other grandparents, have taken to a playground to spend their free time.
This is all thanks to a nonprofit called KaBOOM!. The organization typically builds playgrounds for kids but with it's partnership to Humana, they've built 50 intergenerational playgrounds all over the world.
Yep, that means playgrounds for kids, adults and grandparents.
"Play is a great connector for adults and seniors and the children in their lives. In addition to the cognitive and physical benefits of play, it can also reduce stress in adults and is proven to help combat toxic stress in kids," says Sarah Pinsky, director of client services for KaBOOM!.
The importance of staying active and getting exercise increases with age. According to the Center For Disease Control, adults over 65 require two-and-a-half hours of physical activity a week such a moderate aerobics or brisk walking.
While many believe getting old is fruitless, there are plenty of ways that the wiser folks of our society can stay fit and active. Just take a look at Dementia Village, where folks with Alzheimer's can live together peacefully and happily.
"It is very social," says Paz Vidal, a physical therapist. "[We] want to break the myth of the old person coming to the park and just sitting while grandkids play. And then going home. Kids can also have fun here. The parks help create family cohesion. And it's intergenerational."
See how these grandparents are staying fit by acting like kids below and SHARE if you wish you could go here with your grandparents!
