For seniors who live on their own, isolation and loneliness can cause serious health concerns. There’s a group providing care and connection for the aging population. It’s in this 7Spotlight with Heather Walker.
Coping with loss was hard for Susan Ammann.
Susan Ammann: “About four years ago, I lost my partner.”
But something she noticed on her way to grief counseling one day changed her life.
Susan Ammann: “One day, when I was going by and I can hear all this music, I asked somebody, I said, ‘What’s going on in there?’ They said, ‘Oh, we have a program through the Allies program at Memorial [Regional] Hospital. Come on in and see if you like it.'”
And like it, she did!
Susan Ammann: “I absolutely love it.”
After spending so many days alone, Susan says this program gives her not only a reason to get out of the house, but more importantly, a sense of community.
Susan Ammann: “I come here, I get more hugs here than I get in 10 years anywhere else.”
You might think of senior center activities like bingo and shuffleboard. But here, you’ll find crafts, classes and lots of dancing.
Tim Curtin: “This is not your mother’s senior center.”
Tim Curtin with Memorial Healthcare System says the focus of the Allies program is to offer seniors activities and challenges that keep them sharp while providing a sense of community.
Tim Curtin: “That’s really the idea here, is to help our seniors maintain their independence, stay in their house, stay in their condo, and just create socialization, prevent isolation.”
The schedule is jam-packed Monday through Thursday. Transportation is provided and everything is completely free.
Susan Ammann: “There’s all kinds of arts and crafts. They also feed everybody a nutritious lunch.”
Participants like Susan Ammann and Zoraida Castaneda say the lessons and friendships stick with them outside the program as well.
Zoraida Castaneda: “I’m always doing something that Allies program showed me, like how to breathe deeply, how to move my body always, do not keep sitting for a long time. So it really changed my life.”
Susan Ammann: “We have such a good time and, just like the girls that I hang out with here, when we leave here, we go have breakfast. ‘Where are we going for breakfast today?’ And we all go together.”
These seniors are young at heart, constantly suggesting new activities and outings.
Tim Curtin: “They run the program, you know, they tell us what they’d like to do and, if it’s within reason, we’re gonna try it.”
Because these seniors certainly aren’t afraid to try new things.
Heather Walker, 7News.
The program is free, thanks to donors like the Memorial Foundation. So far, Allies has provided services for more than 2,000 seniors.
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