Local Seniors had a special New Years Celebration in Round Rock, TX
It was noon instead of midnight, but the party at AGE of Central Texas Thrive Social and Wellness Center rang in the new year "with just as much style."
The Statesman reports, "A TV screen displayed fireworks as seniors clinked glasses of sparkling cider and played kazoos to ring in 2020 alongside members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Pi Omega Zeta Chapter" in Round Rock, TX."
"For the last five years the Round Rock-based sorority chapter has partnered with the organization, which provides daytime care for older adults with physical or cognitive needs. The second annual New Year’s Eve event hosted by the sorority featured a balloon drop, games, dancing, music and a special lunch. Chapter President Sheronika Denson said the event is part of the sorority’s Zeta’s Helping Others Excel program, which serves to empower people from all walks of life, including those in need of elder care. Denson said the sorority loves to serve a part of the community that is often forgotten during the holidays. “When people do service activities they’re usually targeting youth or families in need, but we often overlook the elderly. We think their family will take care of them or they’re in a nursing home,” Sheronika Denson said.
AGE Activity Coordinator Naomi Dalsbo said approximately 90% of its members have some form of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. She said these seniors often feel like a burden or are frustrated with themselves for being unable to do things they did in their younger years. “When community members come in and they’re like, ‘We’re here to have fun with you,’ they feel like they are worth something and it gives them that little bit they need to carry on, knowing they are still important, needed and wanted,” she said. Dalsbo said members at AGE also often reminisce about parties and events they used to celebrate when they were younger. “It relights and reignites what they used to do and they start reminiscing within each other,” she said. “It’s just amazing.”
During this year’s event, the local sorority chapter presented Dalsbo with a special gift: laminate paper and a room divider — items she said were desperately needed at the center. “If we have someone fall or someone sick and we have to move them fast, we can use it as a screen to keep anxiety levels down for other members,” she said about the room divider."
The center holds a special meaning for its members and caregivers. Yolanda Gary-Fisher, who provides care for her 96-year-old father, said serving at the center "is just a way to give back and see how they live their lives and how they’re able to enjoy their days doing things and interacting with their peers.” Gary-Fisher said her favorite part of the event is getting to know elderly members of the community. “They have so much history and we can learn so much from them,” she said.
The Wellness Center and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority are great examples of community organizations supporting our local seniors, and BrightStar Care solutes them. Socialization is key to seniors' health and wellbeing, and BrightStar Care provides companion care for Austin area seniors. At BrightStar Care of Greater Austin, our senior companion care services focus on helping your aging loved ones so they can get the most out of life. We strive to get to know our clients’ unique histories and personalities so we can plan activities that will be both stimulating and enjoyable.
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