Keeping Older Adults Active and Vital
Seniors stay fit with a yoga class.
On the day Ron Cohen, 75, went to JASA Club 76 in Manhattan, which is run by the Jewish Association Serving the Aging (JASA), a UJA-Federation beneficiary agency, a whole new world opened up for the recently retired senior.
"I started doing things I never did before in my life because I was always working and my mind was focused on making a dollar," he says. "At JASA, the director got me into a walking group, then yoga, martial arts, and a toning class. I took creative writing classes and acting classes. I was improving my mind and body."
Providing an active and engaging meeting place for older adults is what JASA's 22 senior centers are all about, explains Elaine Rockoff, JASA's director of community-based programs. JASA also provides a wide range of programs for older adults, including case management and mental-health services, housing, and adult day care. But the centers, located in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Long Island, are especially designed to keep older adults active and vital.