Senior center outlines fall programming, raises capacity concerns after university insurance change

At the July Senior Center Commission meeting, senior center staff detailed a full slate of fall and winter programming and warned that a change to university-offered health insurance will create extra demand on the center’s Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP) assistance. Staff said the center will host community events including an outdoor Soul Train event on Sept. 20, a pickleball fundraiser on Oct. 4, concerts and a puzzle competition, and that SHIP open enrollment appointments will open in October.

The update matters because staff said the university’s change to retiree insurance will leave about 900 people without the university plan after Dec. 30 and that the center expects to help as many of those people as possible alongside usual retirees. “We are going it's gonna be a little tight this year because there have been some changes with the health insurance at the university offered for about close to 900 retirees,” a staff member said. “Their insurance will end on December 30 this year. So they're gonna about 900 people are gonna need new insurance. So, we're going to assist as much as we can. Obviously, we can't serve that many people plus the other people that are retiring.”

Staff emphasized registration requirements for several events and that some programs require sign-up so leaders can plan. The pickleball event is a fundraiser hosted at Green State Family Field House on Oct. 4; staff described it as a major fundraiser for the center’s Friends group that supplements the center’s budget. The Soul Train event is planned for Sept. 20 in front of the building, with staff intending to close the street, have a DJ, food trucks and a modest donation (two nonperishable food items or $10 suggested) at entry.

Staff also listed smaller and recurring programs intended to reduce social isolation, including a social walking group on Johnson County trails, a gentle stroll in the park, a “making gourds” craft session, New Horizons Band and Voice of Experience concerts, a Speed Friending session on Aug. 14, and an international puzzle competition on Aug. 9. Staff asked attendees to direct questions to the front desk or check the program book for details and registration links. “If you are interested in those, folks can register, so that the group leaders are aware,” the staff member said.

Regarding SHIP, staff urged early appointment requests once open enrollment begins in October, and noted limited volunteer capacity. A staff member said a presentation about the university insurance change was scheduled the next day on Zoom and that in-person seats were full. The center will prioritize communicating appointment availability and said volunteers will do as much as they can to assist affected retirees.

Several commissioners praised the program ideas and outreach, and Mary McCall — who is on the commission and is involved in an upcoming FilmScene event — will moderate a panel following a scheduled showing about dementia. The meeting included no formal action on programming beyond the discussion.

The center also announced volunteer recruitment for a resource table at an upcoming FilmScene screening and said additional program details and registration codes are available through the center’s front desk and event publicity.