Courtesy Glens Falls Senior Center
By Christine Graf
Research shows that older adults who participate in senior center activities have higher levels of health, social interaction, and life satisfaction than their peers. Locally, the Glens Falls Senior Center and the Queensbury Senior Center are enhancing the quality of life for more than 2,000 members.
Located at 380 Glen St., the Glens Falls Senior Center has 642 members. Memberships cost just $30 per year, and the center receives funding from City of Glens Falls, the Warren County Office of the Aging, the Town of Queensbury, and the Tri-County United Way.
Glens Falls Senior Center Executive Director Kim Bren believes that senior centers play a vital role in the community, helping seniors to stay active and engaged and to meet new people. She works to dispel the notion that senior centers are filled with people sitting around playing Bingo.
“People say, ‘I don’t want to sit around and do nothing,’” she said. “That’s not who we are. We are a very active center. One of the hardest things is getting that awareness out.”
Stephanie Smith, director of Queensbury Senior Center, agrees. She believes that staying active and engaged is the key to aging well.
The Glens Falls Senior Center offers a variety of exercise classes including Osteobusters (a strength training class designed to prevent osteoporosis and improve balance), chair yoga, and tai chi. Games including Bingo, bridge, pinochle, and Scrabble also take place regularly. Craft workshops, line dancing, Wii bowling, and educational programs are also on the calendar, and each month, the center holds a themed luncheon.
In addition to offering programing, the center offers all members full access to their wood shop which is equipped with a table saw, band saw, chop saw, drill press, belt/disc sander, drum sander, planer, jointer, and more.
According to Bren, many of the center’s events are held off site.
“We have a Lunch Bunch where our members meet for lunch at local establishments, and in the summer, our most popular programs are the things that we do that get you out and about. We have an ice cream tour every Monday where they go to different ice cream shops … We try to get them out—doing things and being active.”
Members who attend outings can provide their own transportation or ride on the center’s 12-passenger van. Free transportation to medical appointments is also available to members.
Before planning the activities schedule for upcoming months, activity coordinator Nicole Laing meets with members.
“We listen to what they want,” said Bren. “If there’s a program they would like to have or a place that they would like to visit, we make it happen. This is their center. We are here for them.”
Senior service specialist Ed Capezutti is on staff to help seniors—both members and non-members– with issues related to a variety of issues including insurance, housing, and household bills. A notary, he will travel to a senior’s home if they are unable to come to the center. He also assists with SNAP applications and helps seniors fill out the application that enables them to receive farmer’s market vouchers.
At the height of COVID when the center was closed, Bren said she and her staff kept in contact with members, making regular phone calls to check in on them. They ran errands, picked up medication, and even procured a wheelchair for someone who was getting out of the hospital.
“We were there to make sure they were okay during that period. Some of our phone calls were 5 minutes, and others were 35 minutes because some people had no one,” she said.
As the director of Queensbury Senior Center at 742 Bay Road, Smith ensures that her 1,400 members have access to a wide variety of programs available at little to no cost.
The center offers exercise classes including Zumba, tai chi, stretch and tone, Latin moves, yoga, and Nordic pole walking. Those who participate in pole walking visit local trails, using poles to help them navigate the terrain.
Games including pinochle, pitch, Mahjong, and dominoes are played regularly between the hours of 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., and the center’s calendar also includes craft workshops and a weekly watercolor class. Off-site activities include bowling, an out to lunch group, and a golf league. The center’s community craft group makes hats, scarves, and mittens that they donate to area school children during the holidays.
Continuing educations programs are offered throughout the year, addressing fraud prevention, estate planning, defensive driving, and other topics relevant to seniors.
“In September, Maria Spagnola Home Instead is going to present a program called ‘Depression in our Senior Years,’” said Smith. “Depression is pretty common as people get older, and we want them to recognize the symptoms, risk factors, and treatment options.”
Smith’s assistant director, Elizabeth Stone, oversees the travel program which includes both day and overnight trips. This year, members traveled to Maine and Charleston, S.C., as well as to Proctors, SPAC, and local museums. In October, Stone will be leading a group of 20 seniors on the center’s first international trip. They will be traveling to London and Paris.
A membership to the Queensbury Senior Center costs just $25 a year, the remainder of the center’s funding being provided by the Town of Queensbury and sponsors including CDPHP and Eddy Senior Living. A recent grant from LARAC was used to fund a drawing class, and a grant from the Glens Falls Foundation provided funds to update an outdoor picnic area. A grant from the Adirondack Community Trust Fund is being used to offset the cost of travel for day trips.
According to Smith, she and Stone plan activities based on input from their members. While games are exercise programs are especially popular, they are open to trying new things.
“Whatever people tell us they want to see, we try to make that happen. This is their center, and we will try anything once. We tried a few games that didn’t work out, but you never know. We just keep trying things and see how it goes.”
Many of the center’s members are new to the area and are looking to connect and make friends.
“This is a great place to start. You don’t have to join everything all at once, and slowly you get to meet people and feel more comfortable,” said Smith.
For those interested in learning more or to see a calendar of events, visit www.seniorsonthego.org and gfseniors.com.