Summer fun also offered for Sumter's older adults
Summer is the time to have fun and stay busy.
However, about a quarter of American seniors suffer from loneliness and social isolation - the very factors that seriously impact their mental health, according to the World Health Organization. Older adults are at an increased risk of depression, anxiety and dementia under prolonged periods of isolation, which is why as the summer progresses it is important to keep in mind how we can keep our older loved ones active and engaged. Luckily, Sumter offers various programs tailored just for them.
Sumter Senior Services
Sumter Senior Services, at 119 S. Sumter St., offers a variety of programs and activity spaces year 'round for older adults who are members of the center. According to Gail Wilson, executive director of SSS, the center is open five days a week, and people can visit four hours each day. The center offers an exercise program, crochet group, daily devotions and a pool room. Monthly trips are hosted to fun locations, including shopping malls or farmers markets around or near Sumter. People ages 60 and over who are not members of the center can also participate in the exercise and art and crafts programs or use the exercise room independently. For more information on programs or to join Sumter Senior Services, call (803) 773-5508.
YMCA of Sumter
The YMCA, at 510 Miller Road, offers the SilverSneakers program for people 65 years and older. This is an easy, slow-paced workout program for those who want to stay in shape this summer. It runs every week from Monday to Thursday at 11:15 a.m. Members of this program can apply for a SilverSneaker membership, which some insurances will pay for. The Active Older Adult program, which offers activities such as Bible study and movie nights, is paused for the summer but will resume in the fall.
HOPE Centers
All three Sumter HOPE Centers have opportunities and programs tailored for older adults this summer.
North HOPE Center, at 904 N. Main St., offers aerobics on Mondays and Fridays from 8 to 9 a.m., according to Wayne Russ, assistant manager at the center. On Monday, the program features chair aerobics that aid mobility and strength with the chair acting as balance support. On Friday, seniors can participate in line dancing and other aerobic exercises. More activities include crocheting and jewelry making on the first and second Tuesday of every month, bingo on the third Tuesday and either card playing, crotcheting or jewelry making on the fourth Tuesday. All Tuesday activities are held from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. The center also offers pickleball for visitors of all ages from 9:30 a.m. to noon every Tuesday and 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday.
Birnie HOPE Center, at 210 S. Purdy St., hosts a senior quilting and crocheting class every Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, according to Leon Myer, assistant manager of the center. It also has extended hours for summer pickleball, offered to all ages, on Monday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
South HOPE Center, at 125 S. Lafayette Drive, holds crocheting classes every Wednesday from 1 to 4 p.m., according to Tyrone Nixon, manager at the center. It also offers two activities for those interested in games, one of them a card group that meets every Tuesday and Thursday from 12:30 to 4 p.m. The other game group is a triominos group, which plays the variation of dominoes every Monday at 12:30 p.m.
Sumter County Recreation
and Parks Department
While the department does not offer programs strictly for older adults during the summer, it does offer a fan favorite, pickleball, hosted every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 155 Haynsworth St. in the gymnasium. The department offers senior-specific programs between the fall and spring that will return Monday, Aug. 5.