The Santiam Senior Center, in Stayton, is moving back toward a full schedule of events after services were disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lockdown measures forced the center to close in 2020, and social distancing guidelines kept events limited when they reopened last summer. However the need for seniors to socialize and seek support has only deepened during the pandemic, said Senior Center President Polly Greaves.
“COVID has been hard, and it’s been really hard on the elderly,” she said.
When Greaves began her term Jan. 1, her goal was to reach out to the seniors who had yet to return, and recruit potential new members. This meant restoring the activities that helped members feel social and active, like
line dancing, Pinochle, tai chi and computer classes.
“We want people to come down here and have fun,” said Greaves.
New programs are also in the works, such as a weekly gardening class scheduled to begin Feb. 8 and run through September. There’s also a new spin on the classic Bingo, with the center offering free games for players who match the first, second or third number in a round.
Aside from weekly events, the senior center plans to restore other regular programs, such as monthly birthday potlucks and their annual rummage sale fundraiser. Even though this fundraiser was canceled the previous two years, Greaves said the senior center has continued to receive local donations
and support.
“The community is very, very good about sponsoring,” she said.
Those returning to the senior center are expected to wear a mask and comply with public health guidelines, however vaccination against COVID-19 is not required. Those new to the senior center can join as long as they are 50 or older and can provide the $20 annual fee.
Greaves said she encourages anyone to join if they are old enough and are looking for a chance to get out of the house and spend meaningful time with others. Her concern is that some seniors in the area think their only option is to remain alone and simply pass the time and aren’t aware they have a supportive community down the street.
“Maybe if they get down here, they can get involved in an activity that gets their life back up and running,” she said.
And even if you’re not a social butterfly, the senior center has a reading area, puzzles, movies and other options to stay engaged.
Greaves said the goal is for members to enjoy themselves and feel like they have a place where they belong.
“When you come down here, you walk in the door not knowing anybody, by the time you leave you’ve made friends and you exchanged phone numbers,”
she said.
Greaves said this sense of community is the whole point, that seniors can seek support from other seniors who understand what they’re going through and can lend a hand or just sit and listen.
“The people down here that I’ve met have helped me in more ways that I can express,” she said, “and that’s what it’s all about.”
For more information about the senior center, including a calendar of the upcoming activities, visit santiamseniorcenter.com or call 503-767-2009. They’re open 10 am to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 41818 Kingston-Jordan Rd., Stayton.
