CENTER FOR ACTIVE OLDER ADULTS

Sunnyside Community Services’ lively Center for Active Older Adults enables a multicultural group of active older adults to connect daily with a warm human community and to receive additional services as they cope with the normal aging process. Our volunteer program helps the Center achieve its goals while providing opportunities for seniors to feel useful and needed as they help others.
For information on all activities, call (718) 784-6173, ext. 411 or 412 (TDD/TTY (800) 662-1220).

Social and Recreational Activities

The Center offers about 40 activities each week, including exercise and dancercise, Tai Chi, meditation, ballroom dancing, lectures, bingo and cards, creative writing, billards, swimming, painting, arts and crafts, movies, discussion groups, flea markets, trips to places of interest, and special celebrations including birthday and holiday parties, concerts, and performances.

The Center is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. A hot lunch is available from noon to 1 p.m., with an additional meal available to take home on Fridays. In addition to conversation, cards, and Bingo, the Center is now serving lunch on Sundays from noon to 1 p.m. Bingo follows from 1 to 3:30 p.m.

Educational Programs

Educational programs available for seniors are based on the expressed interest of members each year. These include mature driving, conversational Spanish, health and nutrition classes, and lectures on various topics.

One very popular educational program includes English for Speakers of Other Languages and a civics class, helping immigrants prepare for the examination they must take to become citizens.

Meals on Wheels and Holiday Meals on Wheels

Many physically frail older residents of the community are alone; they have no family, or families live at a distance. To ensure that these seniors receive adequate nutrition, and daily contact with a caring worker, we serve more than 27,000 Meals on Wheels a year, six days a week. Special Holiday Meals on Wheels also are delivered by staff and volunteers on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
If you’d like to receive Meals on Wheels, call (718) 784-6173, ext. 413 (TDD/TTY (800) 662-1220).

Social Services

Seniors (and their families) receive assistance including benefits counseling (information and advice on obtaining Social Security, SSI, Medicare, and other entitlements); mental health services, including individual and group counseling and support groups; emergency assistance (e.g., concerning heat, medical bills, etc.); and other services that address seniors’ basic needs and physical and mental health.
For information on benefits and other social services, call (718) 784-6173, ext. 415 (TDD/TTY (800) 662-1220).