Active senior centers available to help keep seniors cool

WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — As the temperature rises, there are growing concerns about area residents who are at a higher risk of heat-related dangers, namely, older residents.

Outreach efforts are underway in Luzerne County to make sure those residents are safe.

It’s all about making sure that older residents are aware of the services that are available to them, including safe havens where they can spend the day out of the heat.

“Yeah keep your eyes on your neighbor, especially in these conditions, hydrate, drink water,” said Wilkes-Barre Active Adult Center Director Maria Linso.

That is the message being sent out Tuesday to all older residents of northeastern Pennsylvania from Area Agencies on Aging.

We spent some time at the Wilkes-Barre Active Adult Center, a safe haven for seniors, who might otherwise be alone.

“It’s a place to gather, to get you out of the house. These centers are not for ‘older people,’ so to speak, the 60’s are the new 50’s,” Linso explained.

There are 16 active adult centers in Luzerne and Wyoming counties, places where older residents can spend the day and seek out services they may need to stay safe in this heat.

Many of those residents don’t have air conditioning.

Mary Roselle is the executive director of the Area Agency on Aging for Luzerne and Wyoming Counties.

“We have offered that we can keep the centers open longer if they need that. We’ve sent out heat stress information, you, knowing telling seniors you know to stay hydrated. As they’re calling our offices for other services, we are reminding them about other things they can do to stay healthy during this real hot spell,” Roselle said.

For folks like 81-year-old Watt Singleton from Wilkes-Barre, the senior center is a place where he feels safe among friends.

“I think it’s very important because you can stay cool, you know, you can be hydrated here. We play bingo we have different activities that we do,” Singleton said.

The Area Agency on Aging is urging everyone to check on their elderly family members and neighbors.

To find the closest Area Agency on Aging to you, click here.

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