The role parks and recreation can play in assisting seniors
By Clarence Thomas, Jr.
Participation by senior citizens at recreation centers across the country has significantly increased over time, and along with it the offerings that beckon them. One example of a successful program is the Georgia-based Macon-Bibb County Department of Parks and Recreation’s Elaine H. Lucas Senior Center.
Opened in November 2018 as part of a $15-million Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax project, the $2.7-million center is located in Carolyn Crayton Park, just outside of downtown Macon, along with the department’s administrative office, skate park, softball and football complexes, walking and biking trails, event spaces, and the historic 1929-built Luther Williams Field—home to Macon’s wood-bat, collegiate, summer baseball team.
This modern facility—named for an active veteran member of the Macon-Bibb County Commission—has rec rooms, a garden, indoor and outdoor seating, and a mini-auditorium. But it’s what happens here Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. that makes the place really pop.
A smorgasbord of activities awaits seniors who are willing to pay the nominal fee of $10 per fiscal year. Choices include chair aerobics, pickleball, and line dancing to get seniors moving. For mind-bending moments, participants can choose from board games, checkers, crossword puzzling, and bingo, to name a few. But involvement is not confined to the center. Members also are invited to participate in shopping excursions, fishing, museum visits, and bowling. There’s even a day dedicated to mental health between health fairs, fitness classes, and out-of-state tours.