Retirement living leaves time for gambling as seniors continue to go to casinos

Art lets people construct visions of the world around them as it is or could be, and artists in retirement living communities find that watercolors give a fresh outlook on life.

Hazel Imperiale, an 85-year-old Floridian, told the Tallahassee Democrat that her artwork "adds spark to my life," and has eased the transition to a care facility after she suffered a recent fall.

Work like hers hangs in the Florida Museum of History, which has recently honored residents of assisted living facilities who continue to use painting and other media to express themselves in retirement, according to the news provider.

Overseas in the UK, Bert Wells got a later start in his painting career, starting to focus on his brushwork at the age of 86, according to an Evening News report.

But he has become adept enough at creating artwork that he now teaches classes to people who need dementia care near his retirement living residence in Norwich.

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While some seniors may see fitness fanatics like Jack LaLanne on television, groups around the country are offering an alternative that offers people of all fitness levels, even wheelchair users, a way to maintain active living in a supportive environment.

"I probably never would have gone to Alaska if it wasn't for volkssporting," 71-year-old Rose-Marie Neumann told the Tacoma News-Tribune in describing her 10,500 mile journey with a program that offers older Americans a way to keep moving.

The family-oriented events allow people to walk for distances of up to six miles at their own pace, according to the Maryland Volkssport Association, leaving time for participants to wander towards whatever interests them.

One of the few concerns of the MVA in putting on the events is helping walkers find their way among the trails that are often marked with ribbons.

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Active living, especially in more rural areas, may mean a higher use of all-terrain vehicles, but more and more older Americans may be at risk for injuries because of them, according to two studies published in Southern Medical Journal.

Also called four-wheelers, the vehicles are commonly used for recreational use on trails or to survey larger properties that may not have easy road access.

But a trauma center in Tennessee is reporting that about one-fifth of the ATV injuries it treated were from riders who were over the age of 50.

They were subject to extended hospital stays because of a high frequency of severe chest injuries, according to lead author Dr George M.

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