Senior Center News, July 19, 2019

North Central Senior Citizens Center, July 22-26

Monday — Transportation from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tuesday — Transportation from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; bingo at 1:15 p.m.

Wednesday — Transportation from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m; TOPS at 8 a.m.; mall shopping 1:30 to 3:30 p.m..

Thursday — Transportation from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Friday — Medical transportation will be available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. but people must make a request at least 24 hours in advance.

March Menu by Earlene DeWinter

(Subject to Change)

Monday — Sloppy Joes with buns, potato wedges, corn, cookies

Tuesday — Salad, baked ham, mashed potatoes with gravy, sunshine carrots, apple crisp

Wednesday — Chicken chow mein, egg rolls, veggies, brownies

Thursday — Beef tips with onions, rice, beets, fruit

Friday — Soup, salad bar, chef’s choice, dessert, milk

Congregate/Meals on Wheels Price Increase: Meals increased to $5 July 1. This is the first meal increase in price since 2007. It has been more than 12 years since an increase.

Care and Connection — Loneliness Affects All Ages. Human beings are social creatures. Feeling like we’re part of a community helps us to thrive. Being connected to others is important for your health. Isolation is about whether other people are physically there or not. Loneliness not only feels bad; it may also be harmful to your health. Lonely people are at risk of many diseases. These include heart disease, high blood pressure, and Alzheimer’s disease. Lonely people have differences in their biology that make them more vulnerable to disease. Loneliness may alter the tendency of cells in the immune system to promote inflammation. Inflammation is necessary to help our bodies heal from injury. People who feel lonely may have weakened immune cells that have trouble fighting off viruses. It can be hard for people to talk about loneliness. They may feel like something is wrong with them even though feeling lonely happens to everyone at some point. Researchers are looking into ways to help people break the cycle of loneliness. Studies have shown that loneliness can be reduced best by helping others. Having a sense of purpose in life may be another way to fight the effects of loneliness.

• Serving meals or organizing clothing donation for people in need

• Helping an organization send care packages to soldiers overseas

• Caring to animals at an animal shelter

• Volunteering to run errands for people with disabilities

• Helping with gardening at a community garden or park

• Volunteering at a school, library, museum or hospital.