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Date: 1/11/2022
SOUTH HADLEY – The South Hadley Senior Center provides social services, recreation, transportation, meals and activities for residents over 60 years of age. Due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases, the building was closed to the public from Dec. 29, 2021 through Jan. 7, 2022. However, the staff has been in the office every day offering grab-and-go lunches and providing transportation.
Council on Aging Executive Director Leslie Hennessey said, “Due to the recent rise in cases of COVID-19 in South Hadley over the holiday we made the decision to close the Center for the week of Jan. 3. We had received calls from some of our instructors that they couldn’t come in because they were ill or someone in their family was ill.”
She went on to say, “In speaking with [Town] Administrator Lisa Wong I felt uncomfortable keeping the building open as where seniors are still most vulnerable. I wanted to err on a side of caution and close for the week after New Year’s. I really felt that it was a prudent thing for us to do at the time.”
Hennessey’s team put together a robust schedule of Zoom programming, scheduled programs, concerts and activities on South Hadley’s Community Access Television station, Channel 15, in a limited amount of time to make sure there were opportunities for their seniors.
There was Fitness Basics with Lindsey, Gentle Yoga with Heidi and Bingo on Jan. 4. Creative Collage, Total Body Workout with Heidi, Healthy Bones & Balance, Introduction of Vinnie the Tech Guy, and a Sarah the Fiddler Concert on Jan 5. On Jan. 6, the programming featured Fitness Basics with Lindsey, Seated and Standing Yoga and a Noah Lis Concert. Finally on Jan. 7, there was Healthy Bones and Balance as well as a Seasonal Centerpiece Craft.
The center is starting a new technology class working with an adjunct professor from Porter and Chester Institute teaching beginning and intermediate classes. They recently offered a survey to seniors online and hard copy to find out what their technological needs were.
Hennessey credits her team for putting together coordinating the process of getting information about their programming out to the seniors. She sees the senior center continuing to do any concerts they have planned or large presentations in-person and on Channel 15.
The Senior Center building planned to reopen to the public on Jan. 10 with updated capacity limits and cancellations. Everyone must wear a mask to enter the building and social distancing protocols will be implemented. Most of their exercise classes will take place in the large multipurpose room to accommodate social distancing protocols. The center is working with their exercise and classroom instructors to offer Zoom and hybrid options.
The Woodlawn Café will be closed temporarily. The daily congregate lunch program will remain a curbside pickup while the transportation program is operating with capacity limits.
“Our plan is for the building to reopen to the public on Monday, Jan. 10,” said Hennessey at the time of press. “In the future, if we have to shift and pivot again, we will.”
The South Hadley Senior Center is located on 45 Dayton St. Their business hours are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On Tuesday nights, they are open until 7 p.m. Staff is available by phone and email at coa@southhadleyma.gov.
For more information and Zoom links, call the center at 538-5030.