Community Corner
Putting On Their Dancing Shoes: Windham Terrace Residents Stay Active Through Dance Class
Put on dancing shoes if you’re visiting the Windham Seniors Center on Thursday mornings, where a group of seniors from Windham Terrace Assisted Living is staying active by learning how to line dance. In a room with a wood floor, the residents break a sweat as they practice the sequence of steps associated with the country-western style line dance from dance instructor Gail Eaton. According to the National Institute on Aging, physical activity in older adults provides benefits like improving balance, well-being, cognitive functions and preventing or managing diseases like diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis and breast and colon cancer.
“I love a challenge on the dance floor and line dancing gives me the chance to learn new things,” said Shirley Souter, one of the Windham Terrace residents in the class. “I enjoy the movement with the series of steps and that I don’t need a partner – it’s a fun thing to do with a guy or with gals. You meet really nice people and make friends at dances because you are all there for the pleasure. You just let yourself go, be there for the moment and dance your feet off!”
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Souter has a tremendous amount of memories that revolve around days in her dancing shoes. In fact, Souter says dancing was the thing to do when she and her husband were young. It was their weekly ritual, and they went everywhere to visit local dance clubs.
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“The dancing makes me think of dancing with my husband,” said 76-year-old Souter. “I met my husband while dancing in Lowell, and we danced through all 48 years of marriage. We didn’t hold back. There was always something going on at the local clubs and we went for anything new at the time. We would do the jitterbug, anything they had.”
Residents from Windham Terrace look forward to the line dancing classes each week. They head over to the Windham Seniors Center on Thursdays at 9:30 a.m. to participate. The classes are offered to all seniors in the area through the Town of Windham Recreation Department.
“These classes provide the perfect opportunity for our residents to get moving,” said Lynda Brislin, executive director of Windham Terrace. “We encourage the residents to participate in physically and mentally stimulating activities, and we enjoy seeing the joy dancing brings to their lives. Dancing is not only fun for them; it brings back many fond memories.”
ABOUT WINDHAM TERRACE ASSISTED LIVING
Windham Terrace is the premiere assisted living community located in the quaint town of Windham, New Hampshire, close to many shops, restaurants, and services. Located just north of the Massachusetts border, it is a short drive from the greater Boston area. Medical care and physician care is easily accessible with the four area medical centers located within five to ten miles. Windham Terrace offers supplemental nursing care as well, which stands the community apart from assisted living communities in Massachusetts due to state restrictions. For more information, please see Windham Terraces web pages located at www.terracecommunities.net.
