FROM PINOCHLE TO PICKLEBALL

Fairfield senior center aims to keep its 6,200 members engaged

FAIRFIELD — The Bigelow Center for Senior Activities has more than 6,200 members, but officials there say they want even more.

Brenda Steele, the center’s director, said it is a nice number, but there are many more residents in Fairfield who could sign up. She said the current number of members represents about 25 percent of those eligible in town.

“We’re here for our seniors,” she said. “Our programs and classes are evolving all the time based on interests and needs. We’re a place for elderly (people) to be social, engaged and it’s a safe place to come and participate in activities that are of interest to them and other like-minded individuals.”

Steele said she was hired for the job in January 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic began and the center closed. She said she spent a lot of that time working at the COVID-19 call center through the health department, and then later got the senior center ready to partially reopen in 2021 and fully reopen in 2022.

Steele noted the role of the senior center was much different in 2021, even though its physical location was closed. She said the center, along with Fairfield’s Community Emergency Response Team, delivered nearly 24,000 lunches over a 59-week period. The center also hosted virtual programs to keep people engaged.

“We also participated with Southwestern Connecticut Agency on Aging through a grant and delivered 3,000 grocery bags to 300 seniors – homebound, and via drivethru from April 2020 to July 2020,” she said.

When the center opened again, Steele said they continued with regularly scheduled programming. She said that includes a variety of exercise programs, such as Zumba, body balance and weight training. There is also pickleball, which is one of the most popular offerings.

Eileen Francis, 85, said she moved to Fairfield about a year and a half ago from New Jersey, and was nervous about joining the senior center at first. She said she found those fears to be unfounded, and has greatly enjoyed the programs and the people there since she joined in March.

“I looked at their activities and they had so many,” she said, adding everyone there was welcoming. “I do the balance class twice a week. I joined that right away. I joined canasta and pinochle. They have a lot of card games. They have events like someone coming into speak about de-cluttering. On Veterans Day, they did a Purple Heart luncheon that was so touching.”

Francis said she enjoys other activities such as cornhole or fashion shows with students from Fairfield Ludlowe High School, and said staff is always willing to consider trying members’ suggestions for programming. Through joining the senior center, she said, she has made a lot of friends in the area.

“If seniors don’t wake up and join it right away, they’re silly, really,” she said. “It’s such a nice day (when she goes). I think it’s good for me because it’s all positive.”

The starting age for people to become members is 50 and so Steele said she is happy a lot of the people who have been joining recently are in their 50s or 60s.

“A lot of those are pickleball players,” she said.

Steele said the senior center also has a lot of one-time programming, including singers, dancers or author talks. The center also offers art classes, music classes and language classes as ongoing education.

“We try to have a variety of classes,” she said, noting a lot of the exercise classes are full. “We are seeing more and more people come back.”

Steele said the center is always open to trying to add programming based on people’s interests and has added things like line dancing and holiday luncheons.

“They really love the events where a lot of them can gather and get together,” she said.

Steele said the role of senior centers has stayed fairly consistent over time, but the way they go about it has changed. She said senior centers all around the state stay in contact now to follow trends or keep up with important issues in the state legislature.

And while adding new programming and new members remains a goal, she said keeping existing members happy and engaged was just as important.

“We will always help with their needs,” she said.