A new vision of aging is coming to Richmond.
CARP, formerly the Canadian Association for Retired Persons, opened its 60th chapter in Richmond this November.
With a goal of sparking connections between not only seniors but between all the different groups in the community, CARP Richmond is well on its way with close to 1,000 new members already.
Through a partnership with ZoomerMedia, CARP is hoping to reinvent how aging is viewed in Canada. With a bigger and bigger percentage of the population moving towards their golden years, Patrick Von Pander, chair of communications and membership, believes that successful aging is all in how you think about it.
This article was published by the Richmond Review on February 7th, 2014. To see this article and other related articles on their website, click here.
“It’s about attitude and mindset to a large degree,” he says.
Moses Znaimer, the founder of ZoomerMedia and the new president of CARP, believes that keeping active and connected to the community is crucial to his new vision of aging. To that end, he’s renamed CARP members as Zoomers or boomers with zip.
According to Von Pander, these events are meant to be a gateway into enjoying a more active and stimulating lifestyle.
“We hope to be able to create the environment for people to make those connections and start those new friendships that hopefully will carry on beyond and in between the monthly events.”
While CARP members will receive everything from free events to discounted insurance and gym memberships, secretary-treasurer Susan Peters believes that CARP’s presence in Richmond will benefit the whole community.
In any community, the stronger each portion is the more the entire community [will gain] from having seniors vibrant and well.
CARP chair Dr. Victor Pauls believes that that vibrancy can come through staying active, both physically and mentally.
“Mind stimulation is just as important as physical stimulation. You need to keep your body and your mind active.”
What people need is a reason to live, adds Becky Herrmann, chair of communications and membership, they are going to see a lot of ‘Zoomers with zip’ [at CARP] and that’s contagious.
CARP Richmond will be hosting nine different events this year alone, starting with the Successful Aging Valentine’s Party on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at the Trinity Lutheran Church. Tickets can be purchased online for $15 at www.CARPRichmond.eventbrite.ca or at the door for $20 starting at 6:30pm the day of.
Also in February is the 2014 Vancouver ZoomerShow which takes place at the Vancouver Convention Centre on Feb. 22 and 23 and tickets start at $8 and can be purchased a zoomershow.com.
For more information about CARP Richmond call 604-278-1434 or visit CARP.ca.
