For the past two years, The Oaks of Louisiana has offered residents and community members the opportunity to “explore” healthy lifestyle topics through its weeklong Passport to Health series.
Participants have been issued “passports” and have enjoyed such healthy destinations as “Road to a Healthy Heart,” “Memory Lane: Skills and Activities to Keep You on Course,” “Nutritional Navigation: Charting Your Course to Strong Bones and Memory,” “Longevity and the Seven Dimensions of Wellness” and “Put Your Best Foot Forward: A Woman’s Guide to Healthy Feet and Comfortable Shoes.”
“The event is so popular that we are extending it the entire year,” says Marian Dehan, community outreach manager for The Oaks of Louisiana. “Our destinations will include France, Greece, Italy and Spain and our itinerary – informative programs on healthy living as well as entertaining programs that will let participants experience the culture, history and foods of these countries.”
“This is exciting because it complements The Oaks’ emphasis on active, healthy living, mentally and physically, not just for one week but for all of 2014,” Dehan says.
FIRST STOP: FRANCE
• The spring session of University at The Oaks will focus on “The Late Medieval Crisis – The Hundred Years War.” Gary Joiner, Ph.D., and Cheryl White, Ph.D., history professors at LSUS, will offer a glimpse into this dynastic conflict in a four-week series that begins Monday, Feb. 3.
• Beloved presenter Maredia Bowdon will vividly tell the story of Josephine, first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte and Empress of France, in “Napoleon’s Josephine: Love is a Rose,” Saturday, March 15.
• Enjoy dinner and a movie with French flair on Thursday, March 20, in the Oak Room at Tower at The Oaks. Guests will dine on a French creation by Executive Chef Matt Conover while watching the Academy Award-winning film “Midnight in Paris” at “Bon Appetit: French Food and a Film.”
Among other offerings, Dehan says, are a concert by Shreveport Symphony Maestro Michael Butterman and violinist/wife Jennifer Carsillo; a program on weight that women put on their shoulders and necks as they carry purses and other loads, and purses from Knox Goodman’s Boutique that are best for shoulder, neck and arm health; and, a presentation by Oaks Campus and Grounds Manager Sharon Champagne on French gardening.
ON TO GREECE, ITALY AND SPAIN
As the year progresses and Passport to Health continues, Dehan says residents and community guests will have the opportunity to hear Willis-Knighton dietitian Julie Hartley discuss the Mediterranean Diet, inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of Greece, Spain and Southern Italy.
“We’ll also welcome travel agent Becky Craft as she shares the beauty of travel to the Greek Isles,” Dehan says. “And when you think about Greece, you think about those wonderful Greek pastries. We will have a Greek pastry cooking demonstration that promises to be visually delicious.” There also will be a fine dining opportunity with Italian influence and a variety of other programs that will promote not only a healthy, active lifestyle but reflect the cultures of Greece, Italy and Spain.
Most events are free and registration is required for nonresidents. Keep up with what is going on at The Oaks at oaksofla.com. Register at wkhs.com or call 212-8225.
