Shell Point Academy Manager Appointed to Serve on National ICAA Board
FORT MYERS, FL (September 8, 2009) – Teri Kollath, Manager of The Academy at Shell Point, has been asked to serve on the 2009 Visioning Board of the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA), an association that supports professionals who develop wellness and fitness facilities and services for age 50-plus adults. While serving on this board, Kollath will represent Shell Point Retirement Community (winner of the ICAA’s most innovative active aging programs for 2008), take part in a visioning meeting at the annual conference in December, participate in interviews, advise the ICAA on the progress and potential directions for active aging with the sphere of her expertise as manager of The Academy at Shell Point.
ICAA is the world’s largest association dedicated to changing the way we age by uniting professionals in the retirement, assisted living, recreation, fitness, rehabilitation and wellness fields. The council supports these professionals with education, information, resources, and tools, so they can achieve optimal success with the growing population of people who are 50 years and older. ICAA is one of more than 50 of the most prominent health and aging organizations working to implement the National Blueprint on Aging.
The Academy at Shell Point Retirement Community, the community’s lifelong learning educational initiative, will take part in the ICAA Active Aging week this year by offering a variety of courses that focus on the mind, body, and spirit. Active Aging week is recognized nationwide from September 21 through September 27.
Of the more than 2,000 senior adults who reside at Shell Point, more than half have volunteered in this continuing care retirement community—over 400 as instructors or speakers for The Academy. Every year, The Academy offers spring, summer, and fall trimesters which provide attendees a well-rounded curriculum of educational opportunities for senior adults that touch on the six components of wellness. Anywhere from 70 to 90 classes take place each trimester. Areas of focus include such things as Community Enrichment; Mind, Body and Spirit (e.g., stress management, spirituality, memory disorders and testing, and chronic illness prevention and management); Computer College; and Legacy Seminars (e.g., financial, legal and end-of-life issues).
“We believe The Academy at Shell Point is innovative because it offers mental stimulation and lifelong learning in all areas of one’s personal well-being, while engaging residents in volunteer opportunities that enhance one’s quality of life,” said Kollath. “Nearly three out of four Shell Point residents take part in each trimester of The Academy.”
Shell Point Retirement Community is a not-for-profit continuing care retirement community located in Fort Myers just off Summerlin Road, two miles before the Sanibel causeway. Shell Point has received national accreditation from CARF-CCAC, and is a nationally recognized leader in the retirement industry. The community offers retirement living in a resort-style environment with an 18-hole championship golf course, deep water boating access, and recreational and fitness facilities. To learn more about Shell Point, visit us at www.shellpoint.org or call 1-800-780-1131.
