skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Illinois Senior Centers: Not Just for Aged

play audio
Play

Monday, June 5, 2023   

Some Illinois senior centers aren't just focusing on the 65+ demographic but are beginning to include people aged 50+.

The U.S. Census indicates the population aged 45 and older accounts for 42% of the total population, up from 27% in 1940.

Tracey Colagrossi, senior center manager for the Village of Arlington Heights, said the aging population in Illinois is changing and people are looking for more engaging community involvement.

"As people want to age in place, the majority of us will not go into nursing homes," Colagrossi explained. "It is not the norm to go into communal living. So just as you go to schools when you are younger, there is school for that and then there is work, and then senior center is that third place where people still have that opportunity to gather and learn."

Some senior centers across the country such as The Village of Arlington Heights in the Chicago area offer free drop-ins. Colagrossi noted people aged 50 and older receive priority registration for programs and special events, while persons younger than age 50 may register at no additional fee, provided space is available at the center.

Aging in Illinois can have its perks too. Many older adults can take advantage of discounts and free services offered by the Illinois Department of Aging and also services offered by volunteers at senior centers.

Colagrossi pointed out her facility offers many options for older adults to get resources and help in their day-to-day life, but also offers so much to the slightly younger population to be more involved in the community.

"We should be talking about Gen X, frankly," Colagrossi acknowledged. "That is a population who's 55 and growing older. That opportunity to give back is appealing for Gen X as well as more active ways like kayaking, hiking, indoor sky diving so more of like adventurous types of things like that, and it breaks the mold of what you think a senior center is."

The Village of Arlington Heights Senior Center offers ways for individuals to give back to the community. In 2022, more than 1,600 people volunteered a total of more than 14,000 hours.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021