Care Connection’s centers are celebrating momentum during National Senior Center Month

During National Senior Center Month, Care Connection for Aging Services invites the community to see how people grow, learn, give, and connect at the agency’s 23 centers in West Central Missouri.
While hot lunches are still at the core of the mission, “Today’s senior centers also provide a vibrant, action-packed combination of fitness, education, volunteering and recreation,” said Care Connection Executive Director Diana Hoemann. “Senior centers are a community nexus where older adults find friendship, meaning, and purpose.”
All of Care Connection’s centers will showcase what they do in September with special programs to celebrate Senior Center Month. The national theme, “Building Momentum,” emphasizes the personal growth and momentum senior centers bring to their communities, including programming that empowers older adults to learn, give, and connect.
Examples of offerings in Care Connection centers include: gardening vegetables to be used in the center kitchen; operating a thrift store; taking advantage of fitness and gym equipment; taking guitar lessons; relaxing in a library or TV room; competing in timed puzzle-solving contests; and attending classes to learn how to stay balanced mentally and physically.
“Eleanor Roosevelt said, ‘The purpose of life is to live it,’ and our participants are doing that every day,” Hoemann said. “They demand the opportunity to learn new skills, engage new people, and share their wisdom and knowledge. We serve them and this community the best we can with fun and engaging programs, while also providing practical tools and resources to help them stay healthy and independent.”
Care Connection for Aging Services, a non-profit area agency on aging, operates 23 locations in 13 counties, including Bates, Benton, Carroll, Cedar Chariton, Henry, Hickory, Johnson, Lafayette, Pettis, Saline, St. Clair, and Vernon. The agency mission is to provide resources and services that empower people to create healthy aging experiences. For more information, call 1-800-748-7826.