Seniors hang out and do what they want

A senior group so brand new that it does not even have a name yet is currently meeting at the Oakeside Cultural Center on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, noon to 3 p.m.

An outreach program run by the Bloomfield Department of Human Service, but also open to non-residents, it is a fully democratic endeavor whereby the seniors decide for themselves what they wish to do.

The activities so far have been especially diverse and it all began with a group of township senior women in a knitting circle and two particular knitters, Sue Morrocco and Marianne Kissel. According to Kissel, it was her counterpart who had the inspiration for a democracy.

“I come from Baltimore County, Maryland, where they have county senior centers,” said Morrocco, who spoke Monday at the culture center. “I worked in a long-term care nursing home after college and learned that if you want to get people involved, you have to find out what they want to do. When you provide that, they come. It’s simple when you think about it.”

Morrocco contacted Mayor Jenny Mundell who was then her ward council representative.

“Jen asked me what I needed and she connected me to Anthony DeZenzo, the business administrator, who connected me to Paula,” she said.

According to Peikes, Morrocco and Kissel wanted a place for increased senior activities or just to relax.

“They put the idea together and came to us to run with it,” Peikes said. “We had a kickoff luncheon Dec. 4, in the council chamber. I always like kickoffs and we had 100 people. The police department shut down Municipal Plaza for seniors to park. For entertainment, we had an Elvis impersonator, a photobooth, giveaways and lunch.”

“It was so empowering to be heard and to see our requests fulfilled,” Morrocco said. “I thought Oakeside would be a good place and Jen and Anthony pushed for it.”
Peikes said the cultural center became the place for seniors to gather and do their thing.

“It’s a democracy,” she added. “Someone mentioned performing volunteer work. So this week we’ll be packing items from Tony’s Kitchen, for homebound seniors. We have a suggestion box and have had speakers from Alcohols Anonymous and speakers discussing skin care.”

“It’s all driven by what we request,” Morocco said.

“There’s no fee,” Peikes said. “It’s an open place to hang out. One person said they were new in the neighborhood and if it wasn’t for this, they wouldn’t meet people.”
Tony’s Kitchen is a food ministry of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Montclair.

On Monday, lunch was provided by Tony’s Kitchen and snacks provided by the Bloomfield Neighbor-to-Neighbor Network. After lunch, there were chair exercises called whimsically,”chairaoke,” with an instructor and music tracks dear to Baby Boomers.

There in the sunroom, stretching their limbs, were four rows of about 30 seated individuals, six who were new that day, two married couples and several men. In another room, a woman was sewing while another worked on a jigsaw puzzle. Local businesses are encouraged to speak and a field trip is on the radar. A necessity for any outside activity is that it is free. Transportation to the cultural center was apparently self- provided: The parking lot, except for a single spot, was filled. Human services will provide help in filling out various applications and if the people want blood pressure readings, that is what they will have.

“This group is a way for seniors to learn what resources are available to them,” Morrocco said. “But it’s also a way to get out of our cocoons and reach out.”

Funding for the enterprise is from the recreation department, Neighbor-to-Neighbor Network and the township, according to Peikes. Communication is through social media, eblasts and word-of-mouth. Sixty individuals are on the human services’ contact list.

Morrocco hopes the word does get around.

“It’s a good time to work from the ground up,” she said. “So come and provide your ideas.”

“We’re still working on a name for the group,” Peikes said to chuckles. “We’ll vote on it.”

“How’s about the extended youth club?” someone shouted out.

  bloomfield, Senior Citizens