Senior centers offer variety of activies
CRANBERRY TWP — Many adults find it difficult to make new friends once they reach a certain age — and it can become even more difficult as the decades pass.
Joann Clarkson, 80, of Cranberry Township, said the local senior center definitely helps people feel less lonely.
The Cranberry Senior Center offer various trips, exercises, activities and meals to serve elderly community members and help them socialize with each other across the county.
“People are friendly here,” she said. “You don't feel outcast.”
Clarkson has lived in Cranberry for 15 years but only started going to the senior center with her significant other this summer. She said she attends BINGO two times a week most weeks.
Both the Cranberry and Tanglewood Center in Butler operate five days a week and are funded by the Area Agency on Aging for Butler County. The agency contracts the Nutrition Group to run its centers, and it has eight locations across the county, including those in Butler, Chicora, Cranberry, Evans City, Mars, Mount Chestnut, Slippery Rock and Southeast which meets in Cabot.
Clarkson said she used to go to a different senior center, but she tried the one closer to her home and ended up liking it more.
“So many people (come) because it's run so well,” she said.
Both spots offer a variety of events, exercises, classes and other socialization activities throughout the day and serve lunch at 11:30 a.m.
“It sure keeps senior citizens in shape” Clarkson said. “We do BINGO, and we tried line-dancing.”
Terrie Walker from Cranberry Senior Center said attendance often “depends on the day, lunch (and) activity.
“Last Tuesday, (we) had 72 for lunch,” she said.
Walker said her senior center sees “around 100 people through the door who receive a service of sometime on a typical day.”Tanglewood Center's manager, Suzanne Carr, said her building's visitation also varies from day-to-day and gave the example of attendance being at about 24 people by 10 a.m. Wednesday.Pearl Kocher, 83, of Butler eats lunch every day at the center off Fairground Hill in Butler Township.She appreciates the low $2.50 donation for the noon meal as well as the fellowship with other seniors.“You can meet new people here,” Kocher said.She takes advantage of other activities at Tanglewood Center, including the Tuesday and Thursday card parties, Pokeno every Wednesday and Friday, and the dinner and game night on the third Tuesday of each month.“I think it's good,” Kocher said of the Tanglewood. “We need it because seniors do need things to get them out of the house.”She did have one complaint as she enjoyed her lunch on Friday.“I just wish more people would take advantage of it,” Kocher said.Anne Parenti comes to the Tanglewood Center every Friday for three activities.In the morning she enjoys bingo, then she has lunch with the friends she's made at the center. After the meal, she participates in the center's sewing club.“It's somewhere to go and meet people,” Parenti said. “It's nice, and we laugh and carry on.”She appreciates the kind and accommodating workers at the Tanglewood, as well as the lunches.“The food is good and reasonably priced,” she said.While Carr said the Tanglewood Center has only two full times workers — with her being one of them — she said they see more volunteers coming to work at the center during the school year.“We'll have two to three some days to help in the kitchen and other aspects of the center,” she said.Walker said her center can see anywhere between 40 to 50 volunteers throughout the activities hosted.“Some call bingo, some help in the kitchen, some teach some classes,” Walker said. “We teach some computer classes and things like that.”Walker said the center also frequently hosts speakers, like nutritionists to talk about changing dietary needs or even lawyers who give advice on “child gifting” and how to leave things to relatives.Both centers rely primarily on “word of mouth” to get people through the door.“Mainly, down here, it's a lot of foot traffic,” Walker said. “So people come past and see the people and the crowd. A lot of people look in the door, and I say 'come on in,' and we have a welcoming committee to talk to people.”
Carr said her center is also one people come to after a referral from Area Agency on Aging or other social services.“We're a place where they can ask questions, and we can refer them to various agencies,” Carr said.Clarkson said she had a lot of questions when she first began going to the center, and every one was immediately addressed. She said she is happy with the way the center treats its seniors and would recommend for anyone considering visiting the senior center to “give it a one-day try.”“You will be absolutely convinced,” she said. “Terrie and (Ron) are just above and beyond phenomenal.”The minimum age to participate in most of these services is 60, but Walker said her center makes exception for participants' spouses, who may not meet that age requirement yet.Both centers also have communitywide events coming up in October.Tanglewood will host an open house Oct. 11.The Oktoberfest-themed event will feature a free meal and be similar to the events the center holds every third Tuesday of the month when a variety of games are brought in and funds for future trips are raised from the $5 attendance fee.The Cranberry center is having a mystery dinner event Oct. 16 with seniors being the evening's actors. Those interested in attending the dinner theater must call for a reservation by Oct. 8.The cost is $10, and funds raised will go toward trips and activities for senior center participants.Eagle staff writer Paula Grubbs contributed to this report.
