WELCOME BACK

El Centro brings back El Dorado program for seniors

Brightly dressed Latinx elderly women and men embraced each other with tears in their eyes after not seeing each other for over a year.

The upstairs room at El Centro de Servicios Sociales Inc., 2800 Pearl Ave., Lorain, was decorated in neon colors and Hispanic-themed decor and welcome signs felt like home to many of the program participants.

For over 30 years, El Centro’s El Dorado program for seniors has consisted of a weekly gathering giving members a place to eat, play games, share stories and bond.

Nelly Davila, case manager for El Centro’s El Dorado senior program, said shutting down the services during the novel coronavirus pandemic was heartbreaking.

“It’s been so quiet here,” Davila said. “When we said we were bringing back the program, the El Centro staff were in tears.

“A lot of them (attendees) have been coming here for years and years.”

“It’s been so quiet here. When we said we were bringing back the program, the El Centro staff were in tears.” — Nelly Davila, case manager for El Centro’s El Dorado senior program

Without the opportunity to see each other on their normally scheduled weekly basis, Davila said she and El Centro staff still wanted everyone to feel loved.

Together, the organization created programs to celebrate holidays, do check-ins, gift drops and sidewalk conversations, she said.

In partnership with Oak Hills Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, program members received frozen turkeys and hot meals for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Davila also said gifts were given for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

“We wanted to give them little gifts and things to help keep them occupied,” she said.

While Davila and staff did all they could to keep their spirits up, she said the efforts were no match to the El Dorado program.

“For a lot of them, this is all that they have, and I didn’t want them to feel forgotten,” she said.

Part of what made the pandemic so difficult for members was the lack of ability to communicate, Davila said.

Little by little over the year and a half, Davila said she was able to help the seniors communicate with each other through phone calls and group video chats.

“There was a point where I was able to get six of them at once on a Whatsapp (a popular messaging, voice and video calling app) call and there were so many tears,” Davila said.

Tears also were shed as the news spread through the community that three El Dorado members — Avilda Bracero, Agastina Cortez and Ramonita Mercado — died during the pandemic.

Members sang and cried while they prayed for their friends in a shared moment of grief during the meeting, Davila said.

While the women didn’t die from COVID-19, the members were left feeling defeated as they weren’t able to attend two of the three funerals due to restrictions.

“These are their last years on earth, and to think they have to spend it indoors alone, is heartbreaking,” Davila said.

In efforts to remember those who had died, Davila set up three chairs with the pictures of the deceased under a colorful balloon arch.

As El Dorado members reunited, they also took some time to pay respects and share memories of their friends who passed away.

Coming together for the first time in over a year was a challenge, Davila said.

She said she organized vaccinations for the members and wound up with 98% to 99% of them being vaccinated.

Additionally, Davila worked out a schedule to slowly wind back into normalcy while still giving the members the socialization they so badly craved.

For member Angela Torres, she said reuniting with her friends meant the world to her.

“It means a lot,” Torres said. “I was always by myself in my house.

“I’ve been coming to El Dorado since it started. They call me the trouble maker.”

Torres, who battled COVID-19, said she was scared, tired and wasn’t able to take her medication or eat solid foods while she was suffering from the virus.

She said being present with her friends made getting vaccinated and surviving the virus worthwhile.

“Coming back, this is one of the best things that has happened to me,” Torres said. “My family didn’t come to see me.

“But coming here and seeing my friends … I’m just so happy to be back.”

PHOTOS BY LYRIC AQUINO — THE MORNING JOURNAL Nelly Davila, right, hugs El Dorado members Andreita Velez as Iluminada Cruz, left, says she’s excited to be back. Velez has been active in the program for 24years and was excited to attend the first meeting back in persons since the beginning of the pandemic.

Seats were placed out for three members of the El Dorado program who died during the pandemic. Member shared their memories of Avilda Bracero, left, Agastina Cortez and Ramonita Mercado, right, during the meeting on July 15.