What fun! Start the holidays with the annual Senior Center Anniversary Party and Veterans and Christmas Celebration on Wednesday, Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre on Brooks Street, the same location for the Willie Ray Cookout.
There will be entertainment by the Capital Transit Singers sponsored by the Town of Wake Forest, the Ladies of Valor will present quilts to veterans, and more. To attend, call the senior center to sign up by Dec. 5.
Then on Wednesday, Dec. 14, there will be a Meals on Wheels County Wide Christmas Celebration. Sign up at the front desk by Dec. 9 and bring a dish to share on the day.
Also, each year Resources for Seniors sponsors a Holiday Dreams Program to help seniors during the holiday season. To participate, you are asked to purchase a Christmas ornament or more than one at the front desk. The ornaments will be placed on the tree in the lobby. Items will be purchased from participants’ wish lists and they will receive their gifts before Christmas. If you have questions, please call the center.
There are two new interest groups at the center, a drama group which meets Fridays from 3 to 5 p.m. and a contract rummy and golf card games which meets Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m.
Also there is a new support group for Parkinson’s disease, which meets at 1 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. This is sponsored by the senior center (Resources for Seniors) and the Northern Regional Center across the street. The next meeting is Dec. 7 and it will be at the regional center.
The caregiver and grief support group hosted by Heartland Hospice meets the second Wednesday of each month at 2:30 p.m. but this month’s meeting on Nov. 9 has been cancelled because of the Remembrance Luncheon. The next meeting will be Dec. 14.
Whether you are new or an old hand at the senior center, you should check the calendar regularly because of all the offerings which change with each season.
The free health screenings and blood pressure checks are provided at 9:30 each Monday by a variety of local businesses, which are the Franklin Manor, Stay at Home Senior Care and Dr. Casey Baldwin, a pharmacist.
Please see the front office and materials there for all the counseling and assistance programs offered through the senior center. There is one-on-one counseling about eligibility and services for older adults and people with disabilities; there is similar counseling for financial care assistance; and a veterans representative is at the center on the second Wednesday. There will be a Medicaid counselor on site beginning in July and there will also be a workshop about Medicaid.
The Northern Wake Senior Center at 235 East Holding Avenue is owned by the Town of Wake Forest with programming and staffing provide by Resources for Seniors. Most programs are free for all. The center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the phone is 919-554-4111; the website with full information, including the full calendar, about the senior center and Resources for Seniors is available on computers, smart phones and tablets at www.Resourcesforseniors.com and http://www.wakeforestnc.gov/northern-wake-senior-center.aspx
