SALAMANCA — Ordinarily, the Salamanca Area Senior Center is a hub of activity for senior citizens who are seeking social interaction and something meaningful to do.
But the recent closure of the center, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has left many members feeling lonelier than ever.
Stan Bishop, president of the senior center, said they closed the center down at the recommendation of Governor Andrew Cuomo, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Cattaraugus County Health Department. He said the board had already made the decision to close the day before the county health department gave them the order.
Bishop said senior citizens need each other more now than ever. To help ease the loneliness of isolation and check on some of their fellow members who are by themselves, a few members have organized phone groups to contact one another and get some interaction amongst the members.
Fortunately, Bishop has a large family that is emailing and calling, back and forth more than normal, to check on each other. He knows he is lucky because they are many people in communities all over the country that have minimal family and are truly isolated.
“Our phone groups are trying to take care of those members who need that contact, but I know there are others in the community that may or may not have that type of connection,” he said. “We certainly would like to offer them a friendly person they can talk to about what they are going through.
“This is a pandemic,” he continued. “It’s something most of us have never experienced. As most everybody knows, our age group is the most vulnerable to the effects of the virus. It’s a serious thing that’s going on and it’s overwhelming the hospitals’ capabilities. There’s not a whole lot we can do about it. We just need to stay smart and stay home.”
Bishop said area senior citizens do not have to be a member of the Salamanca Area Senior Center to join the phone group. He said any local senior who is feeling a bit isolated can find help and some moral support from a friendly voice on the other end of the line. Any senior citizen in need of someone to talk to for reassurance can call him at 945-1524. As soon as he has their name and phone number, he will connect them with the phone group.
BOARD MEMBER Mary Ellen Giblin said having the senior center closed is hard on everybody. She and her husband, Joe, are missing all the camaraderie and activities the center has to offer.
“We miss going to the senior center and Joe loves to go there,” she said. “We love the get-togethers, the meals they have every Friday and the games — especially Bingo.”
According to Giblin, quite a few people who attend activities at the center come because they are lonely. She said a lot of the members can have Meals on Wheels delivered to their home, but they prefer to come to the senior center on Fridays to enjoy their lunch while socializing. They are looking for people to talk to and do things with.
“A nice, little group of about six of them come in and exercise a couple of times a week, play Bingo and attend the luncheons,” she said. “A couple of them are up in their 80s, so they aren’t ‘spring chickens’ anymore. Joe and I are both 77.”
Giblin said Bishop initially didn’t want to close the center. She didn’t want it to close, either, because she thought about all the people that might become even more isolated.
“It’s hard because you don’t know what’s going on with them,” she said. “You just wonder if they are Ok. I hope things get back to normal soon so the center can reopen. We miss seeing everybody.
“We’re lucky, because we have daughters that come and help us out, check on us and make sure we have enough of everything,” Giblin added. “They tell us not to go anywhere, to stay in our house, and we have done just that.”
The Salamanca Area Senior Center is open to senior citizens 60 years of age and older who are from the city of Salamanca and surrounding area. The center was founded by Eugene Puvel in January 2007. Since that time the center has operated from various venues including the Salamanca Youth Center, Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church Hall and, finally, its present location at 18-20 Main St.
Prior to its closure, the Salamanca center had been a place where its members have gathered each week, Monday through Friday, to enjoy some fellowship and interesting things to do together.
When the center is open, it offers a full, five-day schedule of activities to its members including Friday lunches, an exercise program, recreational activities, guest speakers, educational programs including AARP Safe Driving classes, entertainment, crafters night, games (chess, pool and Bingo), Bible classes and card games.
Ordinarily, the center is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays. It’s closed most Saturdays and Sundays. The center posts a link to a full schedule of monthly events on its website at salamancanyseniorcenter.org.
(Contact press reporter Deb Everts at salpressdeb@gmail.com)
