Senior centers are local facilities available to seniors and offer them resources, activities, and social engagement. Their programs and activities help enhance the senior population’s quality of life and ease their loved ones’ worries.
The Lincoln Senior Center goes beyond being a gathering place for the senior community. Senior centers are designed as “one-stop shopping” for older adults.
The meal program offered by the Lincoln Senior Center serves not only Lincoln’s older population, but also delivers meals to Sylvan Grove, Beverly and Barnard. Anyone can take advantage of the low-cost meals offered at the senior center, no matter their age.
Adults over 60 pay only $4.00 for a well-balanced meal, including beverage and dessert. Anyone under 60 is considered a “full-pay” guest, paying only $7.00 for a meal. Menus are published each week in the Sentinel-Republican. A basic health assessment must be completed and on file at the center.
Lincoln’s Senior Center prepares an average of 78 meals per day, which is fewer meals than they prepared prior to the COVID outbreak. Additionally, prior to COVID the center was full every day. People ate in the dining room and nourished their personal relationships as they nourished their bodies. Deliveries were also available but were primarily used by those who were unable to go to the center for health and/or mobility reasons.
“After COVID, everyone wanted delivery service,” said Cecilia Tagtmeyer, Director of the Lincoln facility. “It is the same price, and they enjoy the convenience of delivery.”
The daily interaction at the Lincoln Senior Center is missed by everyone involved, but is often ignored in favor of convenience.
This might sound wonderful for people in a small rural area like ours where food delivery seldom exists, but it is also a dangerous trend. The adult children of local seniors were able to check on their loved ones by con tacting the senior center.
“If someone was here everyday to play cards, bingo, etc. and then suddenly didn’t show up, we would call their family to make sure they were okay,” Tagtmeyer said.
Likewise, if one of the seniors showed signs of poor health, the center could contact their family, allowing them to take measures to ensure the health and safety of their loved ones. The facility is meant for social interaction as well. Seniors enjoy playing cards. Bingo is played once a week. Chair exercises are encouraged and are led by video. A chair yoga class is offered from 9:30 am to 10 am. Some put intricate puzzles together. Currently they are on the lookout for pinochle players.
The senior center is also a resource for other programs as well. They can advise on assistance programs, transportation services, volunteer and community engagement opportunities. They often have guest speakers advise them on various topics. The Lincoln Senior Center most recently had a program about identifying scams which was a topic of interest for all ages.
Senior centers are non-profit facilities, funded in part by tax dollars. However, additional funding is required to maintain operations. This additional funding comes from fundraising events, public and private grants, business bequests, participant contributions and donations.
The center is also available for community events outside their regular hours of operation. They also rely on volunteers for meal delivery, commodities distribution, etc.
Senior centers are a vital part of every community, serving a vulnerable population helping them achieve a good quality of life. Research has shown that senior center participants have higher levels of health, social interaction and overall life satisfaction.
Gone are the days when senior centers are viewed as simply a meeting place for the older population. They are now a vital part of the community.
