Councils on Aging prepare to open up senior centers

June 25, 2021 | Peter Currier
peter@thewestfieldnewsgroup.com

WESTFIELD – Local Councils on Aging (COA) met June 14 to primarily discuss how to move forward with COVID-19 guidelines in their respective senior centers after state restrictions were lifted May 29.

At the Westfield Council on Aging meeting, COA Director Tina Gorman said that curbside meals for seniors would continue through July and likely into the first half of August. She said the target is to bring back indoor dining by mid-August.

She said that they are doing three early morning fitness programs for seniors underneath a tent outside the senior center, though there is a capacity for the number of seniors who can still participate.

Gorman said that she had a plan in place at the beginning of May to ease restrictions slowly throughout the rest of the year. When Gov. Charlie Baker announced that most restrictions would be lifted May 29, she said he had to rethink her plan.

“Once the governor threw out the six-foot rule and 10 people for 1,000 square-feet rule, then it became a matter of figuring out what guidelines to follow,” said Gorman.

She said that a monthly support group for seniors will return at the end of June, and that chair yoga would be added in July. Each person who comes in to participate in any activity will need to sign a release of liability form every time.

Gorman also announced that she would be virtually attending the 10th Annual LGBT Elders
Conference on June 25. At the pride flag raising earlier this month, Gorman talked about the need to support older LGBTQ adults who may have struggled with their identities throughout their lives in a less tolerant environment.

In Southwick, COA Director Cindy Sullivan said on June 14 that a hybrid version of bingo would take place starting June 21.

On July 12, seniors will be able to return to play board and card games such as Scrabble, cribbage and puzzles. On that date, Brown Bag volunteers will be able to return to the senior center garage to assist.

Sullivan said that she submitted a request with Highland Valley Elder Services to continue doing Grab-and-Go meals in addition to congregate meals on Aug. 2.

She said that masks will not be required, and senior center staff will not ask people if they are vaccinated, but plexiglass barriers would remain up to separate people.

Sullivan said that she would like to fully welcome people back to the senior center in September, possibly on the 13th. She said she wants to have a ceremony to honor senior citizens that had been lost in Southwick over the last year.

“Not just from COVID, but we have lost a lot of seniors that people haven’t seen,” said Sullivan.

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