Baltimore County, MD Time of Your LIfe, 5 Aug 2020

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From YouTube: Virtual Senior Center Programming--Live Connected

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Kathleen Young, Director, Seven Oaks Senior Center
Baltimore County Department of Aging

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Welcome back to the time of your life., I'm your host ethel rasmussen.

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baltimore county department of aging's 20 senior centers,.

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Has you covered by offering virtual online programs in the comfort of your own home.

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kathleen young director of the seven oak senior center will share more information about the many exciting, and innovative programs that are available to you.

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Kathleen, welcome to the show. thanks for having me.

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before we begin discussing, bcda's wonderful virtual programming,, which is currently available.. Can you share general information about bcda's, 20 senior, centers?

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sure,, so there's 20 senior centers.

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Throughout baltimore county., if you're, 60 and over,, you are welcome to join any senior center, or if you have a spouse that is over 60,, you can join as well.. It is free to be a member of any baltimore county senior center..

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Unfortunately, we are closed right now, due to the governor's, orders, and centers will remain close until the state of emergency.

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Has been lifted, and we're no longer under a catastrophic health emergency., but the great news is we're doing a lot of virtual programs right now to keep our seniors engaged.

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Excellent, as the result of the governor's order, virtual programming creates options for our senior center members to remain socially connected,.

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As well as take advantage of an exciting range of programs.,.

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For those in our viewing audience,, what is virtual, programming?.

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So virtual programming is a program that takes place online.. So if you have a smartphone or a laptop or computer at home,,.

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And even sometimes even just the telephone,, you can participate in virtual programs., most of the senior centers use. What we call zoom, and you're going to learn more about that in the next segment,. But there's also programs like google meets and webex, and there's also facebook live,.

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Which is a little bit different and a little bit less of interaction personally through facebook, live.

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But those are the ways that we're offering programs right, now,, virtually.

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Kathleen,, can you share some of the options that are currently offering, and how viewers can learn about new programs as they evolve?.

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Sure, so right now a lot of our centers.

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Staff are working from home, and we're spending a lot of time trying to get our classes online..

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So a lot of it is kind of what you'll find in the senior center already.. So yoga and tai chi there's even virtual bingo.

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For people that, like that., there's woodworking, line, dancing, zumba,, spanish, craft,, a knitters program,, a journaling program.

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There's so many programs going on, and being offered right, now. and most of them, that we call ongoing programs, have a set schedule., so thursdays you'll find yoga every thursday at two o'clock,.

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And bingo might be every monday at one o'clock., so you kind of have a schedule that you can kind of keep with at home,, which is really important, right, now., but then there's other programs that we call special events or one time programs..

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So those will come out usually a couple days before the start of the month.. So you can go to baltimore county department of aging's website,, which is on your screen..

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You can also follow baltimore county department of aging on facebook, and also all 20 senior centers.

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Now have a facebook page as well,, so you can follow them.

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So we're always posting and advertising classes that are coming up, special events that are coming up..

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Some of our special programs that we might have in the month would be as a recycling program with baltimore county there's, history, programs,, there's financial, and legal programs,. A lot of nutrition programs.

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and we even have a virtual art- show that's going to be coming up in september. That is open to seniors, 50 and older., and we encourage a lot of entries for the virtual art show as well.

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Facebook live,, you can find some live entertainment., there's folks that love coming to the center, and they really miss being here, and performing for our members.. So they're doing virtual facebook live programs..

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The center in parkville does a gardening program. Every week.

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There's live cooking shows as well., so there's really a lot of options. and if you don't have the technology again, a lot of times, you can call in, and at least listen to the program,.

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If you're not able to visually watch the program as well.

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Excellent,, let's listen to a few senior center members.

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To hear what they have to say about the bcda classes.

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I just want to take time today.

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To just say a few words.

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About how important it is to stay connected.

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Our director had called around, and checked on the members.

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And I just thought that was so nice, just to see if we needed anything.

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see if we were okay, offering us resources.

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If we had any needs.

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and yesterday, we had the opportunity to do our biblical.

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History class online through zoom.

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And it was a new experience for most of us,, but we really enjoyed it..

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We had a good time just seeing one another.

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Face to face knowing that we're doing okay.

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And I just thank the center for the opportunity.

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To be able to do that, to make that possible.

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And I would just like to say the senior center.

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Where I attend,, it's like a home away from home to me.

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The members are like my extended family,.

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And I care so much about them., just like they care for me.

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and if I could say anything,, I would like to say, stay home,.

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Stay well and whatever you do, stay, connected.

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Yes, good afternoon., my name is joseph buykin, b-u-y-k-I-n.

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I'm a member of the senior center here in victor villa.

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and I'd like to say a few words about the activities.

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That they have there, and that I'm so thankful for them.

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They give classes on tai chi,, they have bingo.

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They have lunch for the guests that they have here: every day.

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they offer trips, and most important,.

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They have a wonderful staff., the staff there,. While we are in this crisis.

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Have been calling the house., they call all the seniors that they wish, the seniors wished to have them to call.

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and they also send out emails.

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recently,. I got an email from the senior center.

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That sent out several different opportunities.

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For me to do, while I'm home, stuck in the home.

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So it takes the boredom away, just by going online,.

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Doing exercise, tai chi,, they have mindfulness training, things to keep your mind off, of the boredom of being alone.

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Loneliness is terrible,, especially for the seniors.

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While we're at this time.- and this gives you an opportunity just to be welcomed,.

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Somewhere, and to feel that you're not alone.

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So during this, the mindfulness training is exercises.

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That take you in different places in other words.

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You can,, it's mainly music, and it relaxes you,.

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And you can take and think of thoughts like you're in bermuda or several other places.

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And just sit there, and relax, and take your mind away.

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From the terrible things that's happening., they also have exercise.

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of course, at this time, sitting at home. All we seem to do is eat.

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I know that's me just eat,, eat, and eat..

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So with doing that, fatigue sets in,.

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And this fatigue is one of the worst. Things could happen.

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Because you sit there,, it leads to depression,.

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It leads to stress, things that you don't want to happen.

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So by the senior center having these wonderful people.

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In charge, they contact us,, it seems to help.

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Keep your mind from all of this.

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and it's good to know that there are people, and that the baltimore county has this opportunity for us.

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To see that we're welcome elsewhere.

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They also have wonderful bus trips that they schedule.

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They have events inside,, they have the tai chi inside.

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They offer woodworking,, they offer bingo.

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And like I said, they've offer the lunches.

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and I just love going here.

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These testimonials speak to the quality of the programming, and the support of bcda's staff..

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So thank you for all what you are doing.

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And thank you for being on the show today to share the opportunities of bcda senior centers, kathleen.

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thank you,, so I just want to mention.

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If you want to participate,, even if you're, not a baltimore county senior center member,, if you are 60 and over, and you live in the county,, you are still welcome to join in our programs..

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You can contact your local senior center staff..

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They will gather some basic information about you, and then we would be happy to share the zoom links for the programs that we're having..

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If you have any technical difficulties,, even though staff work from home, we're still answering phones, and answering emails, returning phone calls,, you can contact us, and we're happy to help you. and if there's any program providers that want to provide a virtual program for our seniors,.

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Reach out to your center staff, and we would be happy to schedule a program with you.

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That's a great point: kathleen. people can try on our programming for size at home before they want to join.

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When we open back up.

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Absolutely,- and we just asked you to join us when we do reopen.

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There you go. thank you so much, kathleen., thanks for having me ethel. we're going to take a short break, when we return, learn about zoom, your connection to bcda senior, centers and programs.