A New Tradition at Blakeford Senior Life: A Turkey Trot Without the Turkey — or the Trot
By Jim Nelson | December 1, 2023
All across America last week runners and walkers laced up their running shoes and sneakers and headed out to their nearby Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. With the day’s feast and lineup of NFL games still hours away, Turkey Trots are a great way to (pardon the pun) hit the ground running on one of our most cherished holidays.
If you’re an activities director at a senior living community looking for fresh ideas for this time of year, you might consider adding your own inhouse Turkey Trot to the calendar.
That’s what Blakeford Senior Life did. The community in Nashville that includes independent living, assisted living, memory care, and a healthcare center, hosted its own race experience — minus the run — for residents to continue their Thanksgiving tradition.
Wait. Minus the run?
That’s right, residents participated in the first Turkey Trot at Blakeford Senior Life without an actual outdoor, 5k trot. Rather, residents received racing bibs (the numbers that runners wear in their races) and sweatbands, and “raced” through an obstacle course created by Blakeford’s Woodcrest Life Enrichment and Therapy Department, with medals awarded at the end of the race.
The obstacle course wrapped through the building, and the course consisted of both physical and occupational therapy exercises for residents to finish. Non-participating residents cheered on their neighbors.
How did it turn out? Well, the residents are excited to keep the tradition alive, so Blakeford Senior Life is on to something.
Happy Holidays!
