Conversations for All
Active Older Adult (AOA) Community Cafés bring together those who are 55+ to build health in spirit, mind, and body so that we thrive with greater purpose, connection, and well-being. Each café includes time for a resource person to share, pose, and answer questions in a discussion space facilitated for support and encouragement. Let your emotional and intellectual responses guide your exploration of each chosen topic.
AOA Community Cafés are brought to you by the Washington State Alliance of Y's and are free for all. We encourage you to invite your friends and family!
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Virtual Y: Live & On-Demand Videos from Local Y Instructors!
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Connect & Share
Each café is a hour-long Zoom call starting with a large group time of welcome. We explore the day’s topic through an engaging presentation to get you thinking and prepared for a 20-minute reflective dialogue in small groups about the subject. Everyone is invited to listen and contribute as they feel comfortable. The large group gathers back the last 5 minutes for a note of encouragement
Nourishing Spirit, Mind and Body Through Dance
Join us for a fun-inducing, stress reducing, Cafe with Pam Kuntz. Pam is a Senior Dance Instructor at WWU. She also started Bellingham Repertory Dance and has taught a community class for people with Parkinson's or other neurological disorders. Pam is pure joy embodied, and uses great music, encouragement & simple (but fun!) patterns to get you moving.
Tuesday, December 14
1:00 - 2:00 pm
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Chair Yoga: Grounding your spirit and staying flexible during the holidays
Join Katrina Nebel, Spokane Valley YMCA Health and Wellness Director, as she leads us through a Chair Yoga experience. No matter your level of conditioning or experience, you will find Katrina’s class accessible. It’s so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays and doing, doing, doing. Take some time for you, this hour, and learn a little something that will help simultaneously ground your spirit and invigorate your body.
Tuesday, December 21
1:00 - 2:00 pm
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Breathing Life into the New Year with Qigong
Join YMCA of the Inland Northwest Instructor, Geoff Glenn, for an introduction to the centuries old Chinese practice of Qigong. This gentle form of exercise has a variety of health benefits – strengthening and stretching the body, increasing fluid movement (blood, synovial and lymph), enhancing balance and improving awareness of how the body moves through space. Qigong is appropriate for, and accessible to all.
Tuesday, January 4
1:00 - 2:00 pm
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Talking with Your Doctor: Taking an Active Role in Your Healthcare
Have you ever wondered why after you waited to have your Doctor’s appointment, that afterwards you still didn’t get your questions answered? Or why you cannot remember what the medical provider said? Attend this session of the Y Community Cafe to learn how to develop a plan to get the most out of your next medical appointment.
Tuesday, January 11
1:00 - 2:00 pm
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COVID-19 Update: Just the Facts
Join us as Steven D. Smith, D.O., an active physician in Family Practice for over 40 years, gives us an overview of how far we've come, where we are now, and where we're heading in the pandemic. We're all in this together. Let's improve our understanding of the facts.
Tuesday, January 18
1:00 - 2:00 pm
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A Review of Medical Documents to Prepare for the End of Life
“Thinking about death is frightening but planning ahead is practical and leaves more room for peace of mind in our final days.” ~ Judy MacDonald Johnston. We will discuss how to have The Conversation about what you want at the end of your life with your family and health care providers. We’ll also talk about how to document those wishes.
Tuesday, January 25
1:00 - 2:00 pm
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Preparing for Medical Emergency Visits: Making a Grab and Go File, and Understanding What Happens When You Call 911
How do you improve your chances of getting the care you want if, for example, you (or a loved one) are rushed to the hospital in an ambulance? Do you know what happens when you call 911? What happens in the case of an unexpected death? The Community Café is a safe place to educate ourselves on those topics that “no one talks about.”
Tuesday, February 1
1:00 - 2:00 pm
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STAY ENGAGED WITH THE Y
Community Response
Join the Y’s community response to provide child care for first responders, food support for kids, shelter for at-risk youth, and outreach to seniors.
Family Room
Bring the Y's education and enrichment activities into your home. Add variety and creativity into days without school, child care, or work through our virtual family room.
Branches Are Now Open!
We are so excited to welcome you back to the Y. Learn more about our current hours, reservation information, and safety protocols. See you soon!
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