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Senior center reports higher attendance, new programs and partnerships
Summary
Senior center staff reported rising attendance — about 170 members a day and 1,103 active members — new health and balance programs, and community partnerships including UNH Cooperative Extension and local agencies. Holiday events and a fraud-prevention panel were highlighted.
Emily, senior center staff, told the Senior Services Commission the center’s programs and attendance are growing. She said the center averages about 170 members a day and has 1,103 active members, representing a year‑over‑year increase the staff described as roughly 40% for daily attendance and 25% for overall membership.
Emily outlined recent and upcoming programming: a popular slow‑cooker series (participants received slow cookers through a partnership with UNH Cooperative Extension) that will pause over winter and return in May; a 24‑week Tai Ji Kwan Movement for Better Balance pilot starting in mid‑January with staff and instructor trainings complete; and a lunch‑and‑learn series with Saco Bay physical therapists covering dizziness, balance and lower‑back pain.
She also recapped community events: a Nov. 21 fraud‑prevention panel featuring representatives from the New Hampshire Bank Association, the attorney general’s office and the Manchester Police Department; a Dec. 13 "coffee with the mayor" session; and a holiday luncheon that drew about 125 attendees, featured the Memorial High School Jazz Ensemble and was catered by Fratello’s. Emily said the Friends organization provided raffle support, donating 60 $25 gift cards.
On services, Emily said Medicare open‑enrollment assistance drew a sizable number of members and providers present at the center will refer or provide follow‑up on Medicaid matters when appropriate, with ServiceLink cited as a local resource. She noted confidentiality and program rules limit some direct assistance for Medicaid enrollments.
Looking ahead, the center plans free Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve socials for members and is working with a consultant to expand volunteer capacity.
The most immediate operational notes: staff reported a lighting upgrade assessment is complete but scheduling is pending, and a planned landscaping groundbreaking was delayed until spring after the landscaper sustained an injury.
