by Geoff Fox
About a year ago, the county’s Commission on Aging made the decision to step away from manning the Hancock Senior Center, but the site is still in operation and looking to draw more seniors to the site.
Without the Commission on Aging, the site is run by volunteers with Dunn as the manager and coordinator.
The Town of Hancock has helped in picking up some of the costs such as electric and internet.
All other funding is by fundraising and donations.
Volunteer Mike Guessford said the county had a lot of stipulations for the senior center sites before because of federal money and such. One such rule was how food for seniors was prepared and how it had to be offered and served.
Washington County Public Schools took over preparing meals for a couple years and Guessford said those meals came from the high school.
“It was a good meal,” said long time director and current volunteer Hazel Dunn.
A catering company took over the meals, and local participation in the lunch offering dropped off. After that, the county stepped away from Hancock’s local senior center site.
Dunn, who ran the site for the county before, is now a key volunteer. She’s been planning activities, trying to keep things moving, playing music, invite people in to do things.
“She basically runs the whole calendar,” Guessford said.
Dunn puts together the activities that includes sewing, putting puzzles together, programs from people in the community, exercise program, and other things going on at the senior center.
Guessford said Dunn still needs a variety of people to come in and help support the senior center.
Dunn has been able to coordinate a nurse to continue to come to the center to provide some health education and checks.
Local churches have also stepped up to help at the Senior Center.
“There’s a lot of activity we can continue to build on, we just want to try to get folks in here to find out what they like to do,” Guessford said.
There are opportunities for people to come help out at the Senior Center.
Dunn said anyone who is interested in helping at the Senior Center can either stop by while the center is open — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday — or give them a call to find out what would be needed.
Students who might need community service hours for graduation can help.
“Even just sitting and talking and having a conversation group is good,” he said.
The center is open for activities to anyone 55 or older.
“We want the community to be part of this,” Guessford said.
Volunteers and attendees don’t have to be from Hancock. While Warfordsburg and Berkeley Springs have their own Senior Centers, folks from those areas are welcome at the Hancock Senior Center.
“It is important for a senior who is by themselves to get up, get dressed, and have a purpose,” Guessford said. “A lot of seniors typically don’t, they just stay in a housecoat all day.”
That lack of activity and engagement becomes depressing and health can suffer when a person has depression. Guessford said everyone at the Senior Center wants them to come out.
“If you talk to some of these ladies, some of them have said, ‘This placed saved me because it’s given me a purpose to get up everyday and come and have conversation and talk,’” he said. “It expands their world instead of staying at home.”
Meals aren’t provided, so Guessford said people should bring a sandwich for lunch.
Fridays are the exception as Guessford and his wife try to bring a hot meal every other Friday and others have also brought meals the other Fridays.
Everything is done on donation to the Senior Center.
A couple of weeks ago, the Senior Center held a craft show that filled the entire first floor of the Community Center.
Guessford said it was also tied in with other businesses and churches in town to get people to come to Hancock.
In total, the Senior Center raised $2,500 from the show. There is another event like that planned for next year.
That money will help offset costs for things like snacks, craft supplies, subscriptions, and basically anything the Senior Center would need, Guessford said.
That type of fundraiser, outside of donations, is the Senior Center’s only form of funding.
Right now, the Senior Center is working on setting up a bank account. People can make a donation made out to the Hancock Adult Activity Center and send it to the Town Hall address of 126 West High Street, and make it to the attention of Hazel Dunn so it makes it to the Senior Center and their account.
Guessford said there has been help from different organizations with donations.
For those seniors who can’t drive and who need transportation assistance, Guessford said there isn’t a service to help anyone get to the center right now but neighbors can carpool or coordinate rides among themselves.
“We want to make sure that our senior population has a place to go for socialization, because we want them to have a little bit of a meal, we want them to have an opportunity to speak to a nurse who comes in and talks when they have questions about certain things,” Guessford said.
When it comes to the future, Guessford said the sky is the limit.
There’s a room off the Senior Center with a pool table that he wants to get back up and running so people can go in and play some pool.
There’s also the possibility of travel to various places, which was previously not allowed under the Commission on Aging, Guessford said.
He said the group recently went on a shopping trip, which for some of the ladies was a big deal since they no longer drive.
Guessford said the Senior Center is getting ready to launch a Facebook page and working with the town about putting something on their website, as well as putting things in The Hancock News, to let people know what is going on at the senior center.
The Senior Center is located on the east end of the Hancock Town Hall and Community Center at 126 West High Street and is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Dunn said there are a lot of people who are sitting at home alone after the passing of their spouse. It can help to get out and be around other people and laugh, and enjoy themselves.
“That’s what brought me back out,” she said.
