This story is part of our latest super issue about civic engagement and why it’s important to be part of your community. Click here for our full guide to getting involved.
Having strong social ties not only makes us feel good, but it’s good for our health. As we age, keeping that sense of community and connection with others can be a challenge.
In a 2023 national poll on healthy aging, more than a third of people aged 50 to 80 said they felt lonely or isolated.
The poll, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, was part of a study that found links between social isolation and increased risk of both mental and physical health issues. The good news is the study also found that strong social connections can have a positive affect on our emotional and physical health and even can increase longevity.
Fortunately, Northern Kentucky offers a wide array of resources and opportunities to find and build community with others.
A place to start in Kenton County
Margie Volpenhein is a community liaison at the Senior Resource Center of Northern Kentucky located in the Latonia neighborhood of Covington.
“When I was in college I did research on isolation in nursing homes, and my theory was all these poor people are so isolated but I found it was quite the opposite.” Volpenhein said. “The people in their homes were isolated; the people in the nursing homes were thriving because they had that community to support them.”
Her organization serves as an information resource for seniors, fielding more than 60 phone calls and 20 to 30 walk-ins every month. She and liaison Brittney Landers answer questions about housing, food, health care, counseling and more. Some people just call to talk, Volpenhein said.
The center can connect seniors to food pantries, health care professionals, counseling and senior activity centers. They receive donations of supplies, personal care items and medical equipment that they freely distribute. The center has served 1,700 clients in the past year.
Learn more at seniorresourcecenterofnky.org or by calling 859-261-0746.
An agency dedicated to Northern Kentucky seniors
The Northern Kentucky Area Development District is the support agency for senior services in the region’s eight counties. Advised by the federal Council on Aging, the organization provides aging and disability services across the region and provides partial funding and support for the region’s 10 senior centers.
It also provides direct information for seniors and caregivers through its Aging and Disability Resource Center.
“We’re here for older adults that need help to stay in their homes for as long as possible,” said Anne Wildman, the associate director of Aging and Disability Services. “I think the biggest thing that we do is help fund the senior centers and help them to have the best programming possible so that people can come in and really enjoy themselves and meet with other people.”
Find more information about NKADD and the services they provide at nkadd.org or 859-283-1885.
A hub of activity in Campbell County
The Campbell County Senior Center on the edge of NKU’s campus offers a range of activities for seniors from card games to yoga to line dancing. Open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., the center serves anyone who is 60 or older.
The center has a packed calendar of activities, said Marsha Dufeck, Senior Center manager. The center offers many different card games, line dancing, Wii bowling, tai chi, yoga, belly dancing, computer literacy classes, crafts, book clubs, film showings, health screenings and fitness classes. One of the most popular areas is the Wellness Center.
“The cool thing is here, when you exercise, you’re with a group of your peers,” Wellness Center specialist Jessica Shields said. “You’re not in there with the 20-year-old that’s bench pressing 400 pounds. You’re with people your age, your element. They understand arthritis and everything else, so it makes it fun. And, people make new friends that way.”
Member Cindy Rilling said she looks forward to coming to the senior center because she always runs into someone she knows. And if she doesn’t, then she makes a new friend.
“So it really connects us,” Rilling said. “There’s all different ages of seniors, as you can see, and everybody has a story they tell…It’s like a family. And they do make it pretty easy to be able to get in here and just meet people. We do enjoy the exercise, you’re getting healthy while you’re making connections.”
Find out more about the Campbell County Senior Center at bit.ly/3ZmGdyq or 859-572-4300.
Three centers in Boone County
Boone County has three senior centers that the YMCA manages: The R.C. Durr Branch in Burlington, Florence and Walton. Burlington and Florence are open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Walton is open the same time Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.
In addition to a wide range of activities, the centers offer educational presentations from the county extension office and other experts. They offer health screenings and exercise classes such as yoga, chair yoga, tai chi, line dancing, cardio drumming and more. They help organize day, overnight and longer trips as well. Last year they went to Niagara Falls.
“The main thing that we try to do is have quality programming for all ages of seniors,” said Diana Tripp, senior program director for Senior Programming. “When people think of seniors, they get in mind that they’re little white-haired ladies, but, honestly, our seniors span from age 60…A lot of people are still working…So you’ve got very young seniors up to people in their late 90s. The oldest participant that we had at Walton was still coming at age 106.”
Learn more about the programs available and how to participate at myy.org/location/rc-durr-ymca/ or 859-534-5700.
Finding community by giving back
Volunteering is a way to make friends and connections while also giving back to the community. Seniors bring with them years of experience to share.
Northern Kentucky has two agencies that offer the AmeriCorps Seniors program known as the Retired Senior Volunteer Program or RSVP. The program at Brighton Center in Newport matches seniors and volunteer opportunities in the more urban counties of Boone, Campbell and Kenton. The Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission offers the program to the remaining rural counties.
Brighton’s Community Resource Center Director Eric Owsley said the focus of volunteer opportunities in RSVP is on three areas — food insecurity, aging in place and access to care. The program has 14 service areas in the community and 244 senior volunteers. If a senior is not interested in the three focus areas, but wants to help in other ways, such as volunteer tax preparation, they can plug into one of the Brighton Center’s 47 volunteer program areas.
“I think it is tremendously impactful,” Owsley said “We have our seniors from the AmeriCorps Senior Program essentially running our food pantry day to day. We serve about 30 to 60 families a day with our food pantry.”
At Community Action Commission, the RSVP program operates with the same rules and goals, but because volunteers are spread out and often must drive to volunteer sites, they receive mileage reimbursement, meal vouchers and personal injury insurance coverage, said Stephanie Gayle, RSVP program manager.
Her program works with 400 senior volunteers over the five counties and has 65 volunteer sites. Volunteering appeals to many seniors, she said, because they like to feel useful.
“They want to know that people are counting on them,” Owsley said. “When you volunteer at a food pantry or something like that you have that feeling that shipments are coming in today; they need me.”
Learn more about the Brighton Center’s RSVP program by emailing Megan Apple at mapple@brightoncenter.com or 859-491-8303, extension 2336.