Seniors mark active aging week with fundraiser benefiting food bank

Residents of the senior-living facility Touchmark at Wedgewood in southeast Edmonton walk on Oct. 4, 2024, to mark Active Aging Week and support Edmonton Food Bank. (Evan Klippenstein / CTV News Edmonton)

Seniors went on a "turkey trot" in southwest Edmonton Friday morning for the physical, mental and social benefits.

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The trot was organized in support of Edmonton Food Bank and to mark Active Aging Week, which is celebrated the first week of October.

With some donning Thanksgiving-themed attire, the group of Touchmark at Wedgewood residents looped the facility, walking between one and five kilometres.

When asked what exactly a "turkey trot" is, resident Jeannie Alton told CTV News Edmonton, "Well, you trot and you talk and walk. That's a turkey trot."

She said her mental health has benefited greatly from both staying active by participating in classes and events at Touchmark and in the community.

"I work on the streets with the homeless on Saturday mornings. I just finished packing 260-some bags to take down to them," she said.

"There's so many people without and people that don't even have a place to live, so they definitely don't have food. So I think a lot of them go to the food bank."

For the winter, Touchmark's walking program will move indoors, but during warmer seasons, residents participate in fundraisers for Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

"We want the residents to feel like they still have autonomy, like what they do still matters in the community," Touchmark's health and fitness manager, Ally Kupchenko, said.

"It's also the season of giving. So we wanted them to feel like they were still able to contribute."

Contributing back to society is a message Alton promotes, no matter their age.

"Give and help where you can. It's certainly appreciated."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Evan Klippenstein