Never a Dull (Senior) Moment

Senior centers put fun and care front and center

By Geri Dietze | Nov. 5, 2022

All people have one thing in common: We’re getting older day by day. Then again, Mick Jagger is 79 and still tours with that band of his…so clearly, this is not your grandfather’s retirement. While Jagger’s lifestyle may be anathema to the lives of most seniors, in the 2020s, aging in America looks and feels quite different than it used to.

Northwest Michigan, specifically Traverse City and Petoskey, has become one of the nation’s preferred regions for retirees. And, why not? These vibrant locales meet all the criteria for those of a certain age: cultural and educational venues, walkable neighborhoods and downtowns, stunning natural beauty, and easy access to top-tier healthcare. Plus, solid programs catering to their interests and needs.

Grand Traverse County

Growing by the Day
In Grand Traverse County, the Senior Center Network includes Traverse City, plus Fife Lake, Interlochen, and Kingsley, collectively offering over 100 programs focused on sports, health and wellness, enrichment, travel, and all-around fun.

Activities are as varied as anything one would find at a resort, country club, or athletic club: golf and tennis, cycling and hiking, kayaking and paddleboarding, plus skiing and snowshoeing in the cold months. Indoor games include billiards, poker, Mahjong, euchre, and more. There are fitness classes for all levels, from yoga and cardio drumming (a fun workout with drumsticks and large exercise balls) to zumba and Pilates.

But wait—there’s more! There are social groups who discuss topics both serious and light and plenty of opportunities for volunteering and civic engagement. Free online learning offers hundreds of class choices. Some members come regularly for lunch, served three days a week. And travelers enjoy guided day trips or locations farther afield: Mackinac Island or Ireland; Great Lakes lighthouses or New York.

As one might imagine, the Senior Center Network is hopping.

“People come and go throughout the day,” says director Michelle Krumm. “[There’s] morning coffee, billiards, lunch, computer use in the member lounge, [and] the hustle between the various classes and programs throughout the day.”

The network is also growing—and fast: There are 5,000 Senior Center Network members with an average of 40+ new members joining each month, with no sign of slowing down. Such growth requires funding, and the Grand Traverse Senior Network relies heavily on the 2022 election to renew its previously authorized millage for the next 10 years. (The Senior Network does not receive funding from the $7.1 million grant awarded to the city for a new building.) And, while the millage is considered a low impact tax, costing just $10 for every $100,000 in property value, its effect is far reaching.

Currently, the network serves three generations of older adults, 50 and above, and is positioning itself for further growth.

“We are developing new programs and opportunities for this dynamic generation of older adults, and [we] have an eye towards the future, with the leading age of Generation X turning 60 in 2025,” Krumm says.

Those intergenerational members are easy to find. For example, Pat Hall was a nurse for many decades, finally retiring at age 80 to take care of her husband. Now widowed and a dementia patient, Pat, at 84, lives with her daughter Sue.

Mother and daughter do two classes weekly, cardio drumming and Move and Shout, a seated activity combining exercise and vocal elements particularly effective for those with Parkinson’s, dementia, and Alzheimer’s. But that’s not all the duo is up to.

“We did a six-week art class at Interlochen,” Sue adds. “We go to parties, and we are looking at taking some of the shorter day trips.” And, while there are more active classes that interest Sue, right now she is focused on her mother’s well-being. “Everything I do involves my mom,” she says.

Emmet County

You’ve Got to Have Friends
The Friendship Centers of Emmet County include the Petoskey location and the Huber Senior Center in Brutus. “Our seniors are pretty active and get around,” says Char Delis, director of marketing and development. “They love to have fun.”

The Friendship Centers of Emmet County also acts as the county’s Council on Aging, making it responsible to the state for a range of vital senior services, including in-home health care, light duty housekeeping, and respite care, in addition to vaccination clinics, hearing screenings, fall assessments, blood pressure monitoring, and much more.

Plus, the center is also the only organization that administers daily Meals on Wheels, now in its 50th year in Emmet County. And, while a special grant from MDOT helps fund the Friendship Center buses to meet transportation needs of the senior population, the majority of funding comes from millage requests. The last request was particularly fraught because it included other entities requesting funds which could have had a severe impact on the Friendship Centers.

The Emmet County Board of Commissioners agreed to fund 100 percent of the center’s request, but executive director Deneen Smith hopes for some changes going forward. “We want the board to create a policy to guarantee a certain percentage of the millage for the senior centers or to change the language on the ballot to [make it more] transparent.”

Smith indicates that the population of Emmet county has been growing by 3 percent annually, and while she says it “doesn’t seem like a lot,” those over 65 already make up about 32 percent of Emmet county’s roughly 33,500 population. She says there is no end in sight as Baby Boomers continue to enter retirement and choose Emmet County as the place to live their best lives.

And they certainly are doing just that at the Petoskey and Brutus centers. Fitness classes serve seniors age 60 and older and are designed to accommodate almost all fitness and skill levels. Certified yoga instruction focuses on easing stress, reducing pain, and increasing strength and flexibility There are also classes in swat ball (seated balloon volleyball) and line dancing. Golfers have regularly scheduled tee times, and hikers enjoy Emmet County’s expansive preserves and conservancies in every season.

Presentations, entertainment, holiday parties, and special events are regularly scheduled. (The Veterans Coffee and Donut Hour recently had presentations on the Edmund Fitzgerald sinking and D-Day and the Normandy invasion.) Talented musicians and singers often perform before lunch, which serves 40 to 60 clients daily Monday through Friday. The number goes up to 80 or more when the favorites are on the menu: baked chicken, meat loaf, cabbage rolls. (Who doesn’t like comfort food?)

The RSVP program offers opportunities to those interested in volunteering for area nonprofits. “Our volunteers work all over,” says Delis. “Some work here as well, helping package Meals on Wheels or acting as greeters during lunch.”

Annetta Zink, 77, is a good example of the typical client. She began coming to the Friendship Center with her husband Ernest about nine years ago. “He grew up with a lot of these people,” she says. After he passed, in July 2022, she carried on with her friends and favored activities. Most days will find her and her group hanging out after lunch, playing euchre, or Wii bowling.

“We’re here almost every day,” she says. “That’s what the center is for—to enjoy life.”