Senior Wellness Fair Reimagined
Last winter, the Swarthmore Senior Citizens Association (SSCA) was gearing up for what they expected to be their best-ever Wellness Fair.
That was in January, before the pandemic.
Now, the Wellness Fair has been reimagined for the virtual world of COVID-19 precautions. It’s scheduled for Saturday, November 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and it will be held on Zoom. Wellness Fair Committee Chair Bill Davis explains that this arrangement will offer seniors the chance to see and hear outstanding presentations “in the comfort and safety of their own home.”
To begin the program, psychologist and author Barry Jacobs will give a talk entitled “Emotional Consequences and Implications of the Coronavirus Pandemic.” Jacobs, who lives in Swarthmore, speaks and writes nationally about family caregiving for elders, and other aspects of aging.
A panel discussion entitled “Senior Housing Options in Swarthmore” will follow. Mayor Marty Spiegel will offer introductory remarks on the current status of Swarthmore senior housing. Beth Murray (of the Swarthmore Centennial Foundation and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School) will talk about town center development in Swarthmore, and Lynn Gaffney (a Brooklyn-based architect and founder of Cohousing Opportunities Group) will speak on the topic of cohousing in Swarthmore.
The following day, Sunday, November 8, at 10 a.m., SSCA will offer two workshops via Zoom, enabling residents to delve deeper into senior housing options. They’ll run simultaneously: Murray will facilitate one and Gaffney the other. Both facilitators will answer questions and suggest specific ways that workshop participants can start working toward their personal goals.
Davis hopes people will not be scared off by the prospect of using Zoom. “Sounds mysterious and hard to figure out?” he says. “Not at all!”
SSCA will email invitations to everyone on their mailing list, and to anyone else who requests one by emailing them at swarthmoreseniors.com. The invitations will include a full explanation of how to use the online platform. “Once you have the invitation,” Davis says, “at the appointed time, all you have to do is click on the underlined numbers and letters that follow the words, ‘Join Zoom Meeting.’ And you’re in!”
For more information about the Senior Wellness Fair, or about Zoom meetings, call SSCA at 610-544-3876.
