Inside a dimly lit dance studio, Ed and Joyce Hastings nibbled on peanuts as they let their feet re-energize for the fox trot.
At a Combo and Cocktails dance on a recent Saturday night, couples of all ages gathered to do the rumba, cha-cha, swing and two-step.
“You just follow the rhythm of the music,” said Ed, 73. “That’s what we listened to when I was a kid: big band.
“We do well enough that we enjoy it.”
Activities and socializing keep the Hastings, a local retired couple, busy — maybe busier than working people. Dancing, exercising, singing, boating, traveling — these are just a few things they do to keep their lives healthy.
“You can’t become a couch potato,” Ed said. “If you do, you’re not going to live long, in my opinion.”
Experts agree.
“Socialization is extremely important,” said
“Human-to-human interaction uses the emotions and the senses. By using those senses, (seniors) remain sharper.”
Esfahani visits nursing homes, assisted and independent-living facilities throughout Jefferson County.
Depression is common among elderly who isolate themselves, he said.
Even if seniors are not comfortable, they should come out of the box and socialize, Esfahani said.
Two left feet
When the Hastings first started dancing, it took the couple awhile to get in the swing of things.
They had “two left feet,” Ed said with a laugh.
“For a long time,” Joyce, 72, reiterated.
The Hastings began ballroom dancing in the mid-1980s after dabbling in square dancing and country line dancing.
A carefree dance class, like those offered at the Wheat Ridge Senior Center, is one way to keep the mind young.
“Even if you’re taking a dance class, you’re using a lot of brain cells to remember the dance steps,” said Karen Ruiz, director of the Wheat Ridge Senior Center. “They say use it or lose it.”
The Hastings, who take ballroom dance lessons at the Lakewood Elks Club, found it to be much more entertaining than television.
“We’re always looking for something to do with other people,” Ed said.
The Hastings have met other folks who share their interests, such as Bill Austin, through the Elks Club and Combo and Cocktails.
“We come to this club because it’s a small group — it’s casual,” said Austin, who lives in Lakewood. “All this activity keeps us young.”
Dancing also keeps the romance alive.
“You can’t be arguing with your spouse and out dancing,” Austin said.
The Combo and Cocktails Club began 39 years ago. “Fun, fun, fun,” is the goal, said the club’s president, Jan Howard.
“It’s a nice group. It’s not real young,” she said. “Anybody can come, but it’s predominately an older crowd.”
HEART HEALTHY
Being in the company of others can reduce the risk of heart problems among the elderly, according to the “Annals of Behavioral Medicine.”
Researchers at the University of California in Irvine found that elderly who felt lonely had a higher risk of being diagnosed with heart conditions.
The Hastings are all heart, especially when they’re walking.
So much so that they quit walking outside, because they socialized too much with the neighbors.
Stopping to talk to people prevented them from keeping their heart rates up, they said. The goal is to keep their heart rate up for an hour.
“If you’re talking, you start slowing down,” Ed said.
The couple’s daily walk is a habit they formed before retirement.
“We’ve been walking in the mornings since as long as we’ve been in Denver — since the ’70s,” Ed said.
“I worked 10- (and) 12-hour days, and I wasn’t getting exercise. So we started out by walking at night, after dinner, and we’d walk around the neighborhood.”
The couple’s Tai-chi class at the Wheat Ridge Senior Center keeps them limber.
“We wanted to do something to make us stretch,” Ed said. “I’ve got sore muscles that I never even knew I had, and (the teacher) has not made me work hard at all.
“It teachers your brain how to coordinate with your feet or your arms.”
And, of course, the added bonus: “We’ve met quite a few people,” Joyce said.
FAITHFUL SINGERS
The Hastings enjoy music: easy listening.
But they both enjoy church hymns.
The couple joined Applewood Baptist Church in 1975.
Both Ed and Joyce grew up Southern Baptists.
“You just get used to their literature,” Ed said. “There’s a saying, ‘You should join in with like believers.’”
They attend Bible study between church services, and have been on the choir for four years.
“I don’t think I can sing very well, but I make a lot of noise,” Ed said.
Their church choir group sings at nursing homes throughout Jefferson County.
Experts say depression among seniors can be alleviated by social interventions to help alleviate isolation or loneliness: group outings, volunteer work or regular visits from concerned citizens.
Through their church, the Hastings routinely visit those who are confined to their homes. They bring homemade food, literature and games to play. They’ll talk about anything.
“They want to know what our children are doing. Sometimes we take pictures,” Joyce said. “They’re just glad someone came to visit them.”
GETTING OUT
Mobile seniors can participate in group outings, such as those offered at the Wheat Ridge Senior Center.
They can participate in organized skiing, hiking and snowshoeing trips.
“I think (baby) boomers are going to be looking for more adventure and variety,” Ruiz said.
Yoga, wellness and computer classes also offered.
Taking a course in computers is something Dr. Paul Fishman of Lakewood suggests as a way to exercise the mind.
“It keeps the brain active,” Fishman said. “Then that opens up a whole new world to them.”
Senior centers are ideal for aging residents, the doctor said, because of the variety of activities available.
But a word of caution: “Interaction with other seniors is fine. But you may be a little careful if you see
When they’re not sleeping under the roof of their Lakewood home, the Hastings might be catching their Zs under a starry mountain canopy.
“There’s stars up there you’ve never laid eyes on,” Ed said.
They often take their 27-foot pontoon boat out on Lake Dillon or up to Steamboat Springs.
“We see the stars and the moon — that’s the fun of sleeping outside,” Joyce said. “You just have to be an outdoor person to like sleeping out.”
They’ll just putt around the lake and enjoy the sights.
“It’s so pretty,” Joyce said.
Locally, the Hastings take their pontoon boat for a daylong outing on the Chatfield Reservoir.
They’ll invite their friends to meet them at the lake about 8 a.m.
The pontoon boat can seat 10 people comfortably, Ed said.
“We just putt around, listen to the music and talk,” Ed said. “Drink coffee.”
The Hastings will drop anchor and swim in Chatfield Reservoir — it’s warmer than Steamboat and Lake Dillon.
Ed often fishes while Joyce lays in the sun or reads a book.
But they rarely venture to the mountains on Saturday mornings.
“Seniors try to do things when everybody else is working. We don’t go places and take up the working people’s space,” Ed said.
“Seldom do we ever go fishing on Saturday morning, because the guys who are working — let them have the lake.”
SOCIALIZING
But before a senior can venture out of his or her residence to recreate, there has to be the will.
Esfahani encourages elderly residents to keep active by engaging in hobbies and activities they enjoyed during their youth.
The Be Active Live Longer Club provides one opportunity for seniors to sing the same church songs and enjoy the interactions of their earlier days.
“I like it because I see all those old people — some of those ladies are 85 — it gets them out of their house one time a month. It gives them a little something to do. … That little bit of entertainment, believe it or not, they really enjoy it,” Ed said.
Helen Munger, 92, attends the monthly luncheon at Applewood Baptist.
She’s been a member of the church since 1964.
Her husband died three years ago, and the church is a way for her to remain social.
“This is my family — my church family,” Munger said.
Sometimes elderly residents feel a diminishing sense of purpose because of their age, Fishman said.
In those cases, he suggests church involvement — which helps a senior socialize while making them feel valued.
BALL club members might listen to musicians play familiar hymns.
They’ll sing along to tunes like “Amazing Grace” and “Victory in Jesus.”
Everyone eats lunch, celebrates birthdays and talks with those sitting at their table.
There is a program and entertainment at every meeting.
“(Socializing) keeps you sharper,” Ed said.
TRAVELING
The couple’s next trip will be in Missouri and Arkansas for two weeks.
They’ll visit friends and family on their trip south.
Visiting friends and enjoying meals together are important activities for the aging population, Esfahani said.
Map skills, for example, are essential for seniors who enjoy traveling.
The Hastings belong to Lakewood Sister Cities, a travel program for Lakewood residents who want to visit other countries and host foreign participants.
They’ve traveled to Sutherland Shire, Australia, through the organization.
Lakewood Sister Cities formed in 1956 after President Eisenhower initiated the “People to People” program for the United States and the rest of the world.
Jefferson County residents can visit Sutherland Shire, Australia; Chester and Portsmouth, England, and Stade, Germany.
The Hastings are discussing a revisit to Southerland Shire later this year.
The couple also has hosted two ladies from Germany.
They took them to sites, including Buffalo Bill’s grave, Red Rocks, Colorado School of Mines and the National Center for Earthquakes.
The Hastings also took them to Dillon, Silverthorne and Frisco for their “free day.”
“It rained, it snowed, it was a beautiful sun-shiny day — it all happened,” Ed said. “They really thought that was neat.”
Ed and Joyce don’t anticipate slowing the pace of their active lifestyle.
“It gives your mind something to do — something to look forward to because a lot of people just don’t have any activities,” Joyce said.
Him: Ed Hastings, 73
Her: Joyce Hastings, 72
Residence: Lakewood
Originally from: Mobile, Ala.
Family: Two sons, one daughter; three grandchildren, one great grandchild
OCCUPATION: Both retired; used to own manufacturing and specialty plating companies in Denver, which are still in the family.