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09/22/2020 04:07 PMMany senior programs are returning to the Community Center after a soft launch earlier this month, according to Director of Senior Services Terry Holland Buckley, with the hope that enough older residents are comfortable returning to some in-person activities in accordance with state guidelines.
Though some popular activities like the senior lunches and card and board games are still not allowed under the current guidelines, Buckley said she hopes to see Guilford seniors show up for aerobics and dance classes, language classes including French and Italian, and painting class.
“We’re going to put them out, and as long as enough people are interested to sign up we’ll do it,” Buckley said.
The new classes had not been added to the Community Center’s online system as of Tuesday morning, but Buckley said they were in process and would launch in next week or so.
With only one room available that is large enough to safely serve these purposes, the Community Center is limited in what it can do and offer, but transportation is still available, and Buckley said attendance at the handful of programs launched so far has been “less than normal, but enough.”
Being able to bring seniors together for social interaction has been a concern and priority for town staff, with older residents often more in danger of isolation and related negative outcomes.
Buckley said the hope is that the Community Center can make this fall as normal as possible under the circumstances, and look forward to offering more once restrictions are lifted. Specifically the senior lunches, which are explicitly disallowed in the latest guidance from the state, are something for which residents have been asking, according to Buckley.
“I just keep hoping we’re going to get to come back,” she said.
For more information or to sign up for programs, call the Community Center at 203-453-8068 or visit www.guilfordparkrec.com.