Young At Heart

By JoAn Newby

Here we are rushing into Autumn and where has the summer gone? Our Blaine senior activity center seniors thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine with outdoor activities, such as picnics and bocce ball. Now they may enjoy the glorious autumn season, and also look forward to the coming indoor activities.

The cancer support group has 10 a.m. meetings the second and fourth Monday of each month. This group is there for anyone who has been or is affected by cancer or interested in helping others with this problem.
Bowling is the first and third Mondays at the Ferndale Mt. Baker Lanes at 2 p.m., and loads of fun. No need to think one has to be an expert at bowling, just come along and enjoy yourself.

Tuesday brings pool games, stretch exercise, bocce ball (weather permitting, of course). There is an interesting bible study at 10:30 a.m., after the easy stretch exercise, and a sing-along with Trudy at 1 p.m., right after lunch. There is also a painting and beginner’s computer class. There is some thought in having a men’s bible study some time during the week. Let us know if you are interested.

Wednesday mornings bring china painting and writing classes. Afternoons are free for a variety of activities, such as table games, pool or darts.

Thursdays bring pool, stretch exercises, bocce or beanbag baseball, and a blood pressure check at 11 a.m. with a computer class at 2 p.m. The evenings have games such as pinochle from 6 to 9 p.m.

Fridays have the theater group meeting at 10 a.m.

Lunch with Barbara and October birthdays celebration will be

Thursday, October 18. Everyone is invited to lunch and formally welcome our new coordinator, Barbara Fischer.

Flu shots from Visiting Nurse will be Thursday, October 25 from 1 to 4 p.m.

Memory screening will be Tuesday, November 13. Sign up now. This free service is provided by the Alzheimer Society and can help to provide peace of mind. (Your memory is more normal than you think or prepare for future problems.) Tests will be given privately, by appointment, and of course, all results are confidential.

Haircuts are on Wednesdays, October 10 and 24 at 10 a.m. This basic hairdressing service for men and women is provided by Susan Brush. She will take a donation for the service. We appreciate it if you can sign up ahead of time, but we can fit you in if you don’t.

There is an interest in having a reading club. Some have expressed interest in having a Harry Potter Reading Club. Now that all seven books of the Harry Potter series have been written a few people here at the center have expressed an interest in reading or re-reading them.

Want to go walking with friends? After lunch is a great time to walk and now that we are fully staffed again, either Turtle or Sheila will be free to take a half hour to walk with some of our members. Let’s try it out and see if we can find a day that we can put on the schedule over the winter.
The garden is almost done except for bringing in those pumpkins and mulching our space over the winter. The 7th Street Community Garden won a Blaine Builder’s Award from the city, which you can see at the center.

The Bridge Club wants to grow, we are trying to get together a class so more people can get involved.

Sadly there are seniors in our community who are isolated for a number of reasons. Some because of health problems, loss of life partner, no friends or family nearby or simply living in a rural area. Our Blaine Senior Center delivers meals on wheels to some of the isolated seniors assuring them a warm nutritious meal each day, but often there is a need for more meaningful social contact.

The many benefits of good social connection include improved self-esteem and mental health, lower blood pressure and reduced risk for heart disease, and fewer tendencies for smoking, substance abuse, and obesity. One program available to Blaine area seniors is the Interfaith Coalition’s Friendly Visitors program. This program screens trained compensated volunteers and isolated seniors to insure the best match possible. Volunteers make weekly visits, which may involve conversation or pursuit of common interests.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or know someone who might benefit, call Mari Berry at 332-6589 Tuesday - Friday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.