Age No Barrier to Learning New Skills

Cyril Box, a resident at Baptistcare Riverside Salter Point, can attest that engaging in creative activities can be a fun way to stay active in retirement. Arts and crafts can stimulate your mind, improving concentration while learning new activities is good exercise for the brain.

Riverside is a stylish and modern retirement living complex, nestled by the Canning River in the leafy surrounds of Salter Point. In addition to a range of recreational and lifestyle facilities, it has a large workshop where residents meet and do various crafts. It wasn’t until Cyril moved to Riverside that he identified his interest in woodwork.

“I started woodwork just three years ago when I came to Riverside. I thought about joining a Men’s Shed, but then I thought, why do that when I have everything here?” he said.

Cyril has spent much of his time building a model car.

“I made a lot of mistakes building it, but I was determined to finish it. Perseverance and determination are good for the mind,” he said.

The act of making something with your hands can help to maintain coordination and motor control. Importantly, once a project is finished, there is something to show for the time and effort invested. The resulting sense of fulfilment, pride and purpose is powerful.

A nurtured interest can also encourage participation in an activity with therapeutic benefits.

“One gentleman here recently suffered a serious stroke and was struggling to use his hands. I cut a folding table for him and gave him the screws to put it together – when he was finished the smile on his face was absolutely brilliant,” recalled Cyril.

Lidia Dawkins, Baptistcare’s Manager Retirement Living, emphasised that keeping mentally and physically active as we age is important to our wellbeing.

“Craft groups in Retirement Living are an excellent way for residents to maintain wellbeing as artistic creations, developed in a social setting, give a sense of accomplishment and help individuals to maintain a positive outlook,” she said.

Riverside features an all-weather heated swimming pool, a well-appointed dining room, health and fitness gym facilities, function areas, movie theatre, communal spaces and recently unveiled a new synthetic bowling green with a full size green, including four rinks.

Click here to find out more about Baptistcare's retirement villages.