It’s not every day you get to talk to an astronaut, and it’s certainly not every day an astronaut talks to you, especially while they are in space!  Well, that happened to the staff and residents in our Villages recently, when Bob Thirsk, the Canadian who spent 6 months on the International Space Station, sent a special message to us from space.  You see, Thirsk is part of a research project studying the effects of space on cardiovascular fitness and blood pressure.  

Why is space research relevant, you might be wondering.  Well, time spent in space accelerates aging.  The primary “countermeasure” is physical activity, which is relevant to our aging population.    If  exercise works to reduce or prevent aging in space, it can work for us here on earth as well. 

This innovative program won the International Council on Activity and Aging’s 2009 Industry Innovation Award. 

Click here for Bob Thirsk’s message to the staff and residents in our Villages, congratulating us for “one of the most innovative activation programs in North America.”