Program gives San Angelo seniors reasons to look forward Mondays

TGIF!

For those of us who work an 8-to-5, Monday-through-Friday job, Fridays at 5 p.m. are sometimes our favorite time of the week. Many people may be heading out of town, or have big plans to attend a special event, or are simply ready for a relaxing weekend with family and friends. 

Working at the senior centers, I see the opposite of TGIF.  Our senior participants look forward to Mondays. I guess you could call it “TGIM” (thank goodness it’s Monday!). They arrive at the centers first thing Monday mornings ready to spend the day (and week) exercising, playing games, enjoying a cup of coffee and lunch, and engaging in lively conversation.

Many of our seniors anticipate the enjoyment of sharing the company of others. Yes, many of them have families with whom they spend time throughout the week. But there are also many whose families have migrated to other locales and/or who stay busy with work, children, and other activities and commitments. This often leaves them spending their days alone. San Angelo’s seniors centers give them a chance to get out of the house and stay active, both mentally and physically.

Dora Burgess has been attending the senior centers since 2011. When her husband passed away, she needed something to do so she would not feel lonely at home. One son lived out of town and the other was busy working.

For the first few years at the senior centers, she stayed busy in the puzzle room. It was comfortable, and she could have conversation with the other participants who worked on the selected puzzle for that day. She was even able to reconnect with people she had worked with before she retired. 

MORE:Leisure Time: San Angelo centers help seniors keep active, fit

Then she decided to play cards in the afternoon at Station 618. Dora eventually found herself staying every day until it was time to close the centers. On Friday evenings at 5 p.m., she often says, “I don’t look forward to this time of the week.” Dora said she dreads the occasional three-day weekend even more. That’s because she goes home and misses the company of her fellow seniors and the fun she has playing cards with them.

Many seniors come daily to the centers at 618 and 702 S. Chadbourne St., so they don’t have that feeling of wasting their day at home in front of the television and not accomplishing as much as they would like. 

Attending the centers becomes a daily routine – and almost a necessity – as they get to interact with other seniors, who end up becoming their friends (and sometimes like extended family), and they engage in a wide range of activities. You can learn more about those at cosatx.us/Seniors.

So while those in the workforce are anticipating 5 p.m. Friday, some of San Angelo’s senior citizens are already looking forward to 8 a.m. Monday.

Sandra Aguilar is the Recreation Supervisor for the City of San Angelo’s Senior Services program. Contact her at 325- 481-2798 or sandra.aguilar@cosatx.us.