Author: Saratoga TODAY

SARATOGA SPRINGS — For 65 years, the Saratoga Senior Center has helped Saratoga County seniors stay active, social and healthy.  During COVID-19, the Center has continued these essential services by providing continuous critical outreach, care coordination and engagement for all seniors throughout the county. 

They’ve been busy offering free fresh produce and non-perishable foods available for curbside pick-up or delivery every Wednesday, dinners to go and referrals to food pantries; free masks, hand sanitizer, books, puzzles and personal care items for curbside pick-up or delivery; daily check-in and reassurance calls, coordinating care and referrals for basic needs of at-risk and home-bound seniors; grocery shopping and outdoor spring clean-up; 1-1 assistance with Zoom, Facebook & Facebook Live, and the U.S. Census and more. 

“We want seniors to stay home and be safe and we will help in any way we can,” says Lois Celeste, the Center’s executive director.  “To help seniors stay connected, we’ve been conducting free virtual classes and programs via Zoom for our members, including arts, music, fitness, peer support groups and new initiatives such as ‘Talk Horse Racing with Tom,’ writing workshops, virtual museum tours, and a Seniors to Seniors mentoring program, linking high school and college seniors with older adult seniors. More new and unique programs are to come provided remotely by our Skidmore students. We’re also increasing our social media and online communications,” Celeste adds. 

“Our services are critical now more than ever.  In the first four months of 2020 alone, we’ve impacted more than 2,400 seniors, matching what we did in all of 2019 when we were already at capacity and needing additional space”, Celeste adds.  Mary, a senior, says “It has been a tough couple of months, but things that have made it easier are the Senior Center and their great staff. I get phone calls asking if I need groceries, to see if I need anything, and I can log onto their zoom classes to see my friends. I would be completely alone if it wasn’t for all of you.”  Ann says “Thank you for continuing to get information to us. You all must be working 24 hours a day; I’ve emailed about groceries at 8 p.m. and received a message within the hour. You all have been nothing but supportive and kind.”  Don adds “Thank you. You are doing a great job of helping everyone to cope.”

May is Older Americans Month and Mental Health Month. The relevance of recognizing both of these in the same month means something greater during COVID-19.  Older adults are at greater risk of illness – physically and mentally – during this pandemic.    COVID-19 compounds the issue and creates a dangerous combination.  Before the pandemic, Senior Centers provided a place in the community for older adults to socialize, grow intellectually, get information, exercise, and eat a healthy meal. During the shutdown, millions of older adults in North America have suddenly lost that community connection. Fortunately for them, the people who run Senior Centers didn’t throw their hands in the air and give up.

If you are a senior and need help with anything, please call 518-584-1621. We can help seniors with outdoor spring clean-up, grocery shopping, 1-1 assistance with Zoom, Facebook & Facebook Live and US Census completion. We are also distributing free fresh produce, books, puzzles, games, and face masks. To learn more or to help us continue with these vital services please go to www.saratogaseniorcenter.org. 

The Center is in particular need of iPads or laptops for seniors to allow them access to our virtual classes.  Several fundraising initiatives are also in place, including purchase of highly popular insulated wine tumblers and Koozie Koolers and special May Membership promotions as detailed on the website. Please call the Center at 518-584-1621 for more details and follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — May is National Mental Health Awareness month, a time to shine a light on the importance of mental health self-care. Statistics show that 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness during their lifetime; however, with the seriousness of the COVID-19 outbreak, it is extremely important to note that many more people will be experiencing mental health issues. 

Prolonged isolation, social distancing, and constant worry over finances, family, and personal health, all play a large part with growing anxiety in Americans during this unprecedented time. 

For some people, a full treatment plan is necessary to maintain good mental health.  For others, there are simpler measures that one can take to assist with more of an immediate relief.  The National Mental Health Association provides the following tips: 

1. Allow yourself to feel. 

Everyone has emotions, they are part of the human experience, and you have every right to feel them, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, socio-economic status, race, political affiliation or religion. 

2. Don’t ignore how you are feeling.

Most of us have heard the term “bottling up your feelings.” When we try to push feelings aside without addressing them, they build strength and make us more likely to “explode” at some point in the future. It may not always be appropriate to process your emotions at the very moment you are feeling them, but try to do so as soon as you can. 

3. Talk it out.

Find someone you trust that you can talk to about how you are feeling. You may find that people are eager to share about similar experiences they have had or times that they have felt the way that you are feeling. This can be helpful, but if you are really only interested in having someone listen, it is okay to tell them that. 

4. Try journaling. 

Each night write down at least three feelings you had over the course of the day and what caused them. It does not need to be a “Dear Diary” kind of thing. Just a few sentences or bullet points to help you practice being comfortable with identifying and expressing your emotions. 

5. Consider the strength of your feelings.

By thinking about how intense your emotions are, you may realize that what you thought you were feeling at first could better be described by another word. For instance, sometimes a person might say they are stressed when what they are really experiencing is something less severe like annoyance; alternatively anger might really be a stronger, deeper feeling like betrayal. 

6. See a mental health professional.

If you are taking steps to be more in touch with your feelings, but are having trouble dealing with them, mental health providers like counselors and therapists have been trained to help. Your employer might have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that offers a limited number of free counseling sessions, 

and your Human Resources department can help you access this resource. At Saratoga Center for the Family, professional therapists are available by appointment.

There is also completely free help available.  During a press conference, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that New York State is providing free online mental health services to anyone who needs them amid the state’s coronavirus outbreak.   New Yorkers can call a toll free hotline at 1-844-863-9314 to schedule a mental health appointment “totally free.”

“For each of us, the tools we use to keep us mentally healthy will be unique. Saratoga Center for the Family wants everyone to know that mental illnesses are real, and recovery is possible. Finding what works for you may not be easy but can be achieved by gradually making small changes and building on those successes,” says Rebecca Baldwin, Executive Director of Saratoga Center for the Family.

Saratoga Center for the Family offers mental health counseling as well as educational programs on parenting, anger management, child custody stress prevention, and child abuse prevention.  To learn more, visit www.saratogacff.org.  Mental health is essential to everyone’s overall health and wellbeing, and it is important to know that mental illnesses are common and treatable.