Looking to Meet New Friends?
Neighborhood Senior Centers Invite You to Come On In
If you’re yearning to make new friends, your local Chicago senior center offers resources like bingo, caregiver help, free communal sit-down lunches, yoga and watercolor classes, sewing and knitting clubs and more.
“We really want these centers to be social hubs for older adults, where you walk in and feel welcome,” says Margaret Laraviere, Chicago’s deputy commissioner of senior services for the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services. “I liken it to ‘Cheers,’ where you want to go to a place where everyone knows your name.”
The centers’ activities, which also include dancing, jewelry making and improv comedy, promote connectedness for people who often face social isolation, says Brandie Knazze, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services.
Most services and classes are free or charge a minimal fee.
“We want people to make repeat visits,” Knazze said.
This has been the case at the Central West Regional Center on Ogden (2102 W. Ogden Ave.) where “a strong contingent of men plays pool every day, sun, rain or snow.
You can find Chicago’s 21 senior centers by visiting chicago.gov and searching “Senior Centers.” Other online resources include:
• Chicago Senior Services, which can be found at twitter.com/ChiSrServices and facebook.com/ChiSeniorServices.
• The Senior Services page at chicago.gov (search “Senior Services”).
See the Chicago Seniors Connected Brochure under “Related Links” for upcoming events and additional information.
Twenty of the centers are open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The exception is the Renaissance Center at the Chicago Cultural Center at 78 E. Washington St., which is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Chicago city employees run six of the centers — called regional centers — for people 60 and older, or as Knazze says, “60 and better.” The other 15 are satellite centers run by not-for-profits and are available for anyone 55 and older.
All you need to do is show a valid ID card when you go. You don’t have to be a Chicago resident.
The centers address serious needs, too.
For example, regional senior centers provide information and tips for older adults’ nutrition, like the Golden Diners’ program, home-delivered meals, food pantry options and a soon-to-launch food box program.
Senior centers also point people to expert advice and services for caregivers. They are seeing an increase in demand from grandparents who are raising their grandchildren or who care for special-needs adults.
“We want to honor and extend resources to caregivers,” Laraviere said.
To that end, people can find informational materials and resources at regional senior centers. The regional centers’ staff can also make referrals for group or individual counseling, provide respite for caregivers and make temporary arrangements for those in need of care when caregivers are out of town.
In addition, regional centers can find financial help to buy back-toschool clothes for children. And, they can guide seniors to legal experts who help write powers of attorney and final wills and testaments.
As for classes at senior centers, people can learn to be savvy computer users and online news consumers. They can use computers at the senior centers if they don’t have their own electronic devices.
A new program, “What’s In Your Closet?,” aims to identify and help people deal with hoarding. The program encourages people to help each other and share stories about what’s known as “chronic disorganization,” Knazze says.
“Peers can give advice and talk about, ‘How we organize our treasures, when we need to give them away, and what are things we need to let go of,’” she says. “Because it’s peer support, people listening are more likely to receive it.”
Programs like these are a great way to meet people and try new things in interactive and fun environments. If you’re looking to make new friends, take advantage of the many services offered through regional and senior centers.