Commentary: September is National Senior Center Month

Seniors are finding balance during National Senior Center Month. Fitness, learning, friendship and purpose are highlighted in programs at the Naples Senior Center every day and are celebrated during September, National Senior Center Month.

This month, the Naples Senior Center is celebrating the balance found at senior centers across the country. This year’s theme, “Finding Balance at Your Center,” encourages seniors to connect with the important wellness programming that senior centers strive to provide. A host of activities is planned, beginning the month with a presentation and exhibits by Step Smart Collier, a communitywide coalition striving to help seniors through education about fall prevention.

Ongoing wellness programs include tai chi, chair yoga, bone builders, strengthening chair exercises and Go4Life, a National Institutes of Health physical activity and exercise program.

Taking an art class, listening to a lecture, laughing with friends or just watching a movie with others are all moments that allow for the daily practice of living a balanced life. Through a generous grant from the Naples Garden Club, our senior center members have adorned the inside and outside of our building with beautiful plantings. Don’t we all take pride in watching something we planted grow?

The Naples Senior Center encourages our members’ curiosity and involvement through our wide range of programs, offered five days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., while also providing tools and resources to help individuals manage an independent life.

The Naples Senior Center offers four core types of programming activities: health activities that promote physical and mental wellness and health education; learning activities that expand our members’ horizons; social activities that help develop friendships, and activities that help older adults continue to connect to their purpose and general feeling of well-being. Research continues to prove that older adults who engage in at least one of our four core programming activities live more balanced and happy lives.

Come visit us at 5025 Castello Drive and see how our members celebrate National Senior Center Month by finding balance at the Naples Senior Center!

The Naples Senior Center is a program of JFCS of Southwest Florida.  Visit our website at www.jfcsswfl.org for more information, or better yet, stop by to see what some have referred to as “the miracle on Castello Drive.”