98-year-old Georgia woman wins award for positive aging

STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - If you’re ever at Park Springs Assisted Living in Stone Mountain, you will probably run into Elizabeth Coffed. People call her Boots. Puzzles are nostalgic for her.

“There are people who come here maybe once a day, who pass here to get the mail and I might be the only one they see that day because some people remain isolated and do not socialize much,” she said.

Parks Springs has a puzzles program. It is as simple as it sounds — people coming together and working on puzzles.

“I am in a world all my own. When you work on a puzzle, you remember certain sections and what they require and so it is a challenge,” said Boots.

As soon as Boots took over the program, it took off. Now, she is being recognized for the ways she uses her passions to “do” for others.

The award is called the LeadingAge Georgia Positive Aging Award and it is given to people who are aging in a positive, inspiring way that benefits their community. Boots is being recognized in part for her work on the puzzles program.

“People are important. People in your life keep you alive. If you want to hole yourself up in your room, that is your privilege, but you are only killing yourself.”

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