By Allison Perrine
RED BANK – The senior center has been a controversial and at times emotional topic of conversation in Red Bank this year.
It’s a valued asset for many borough residents, which is why dozens followed municipal meetings for months as officials discussed what should be done with the senior facility at 80 Shrewsbury Ave. which sits in disrepair.
Its appreciation was exemplified last Thursday at the center’s end-of-year holiday party at Trinity Episcopal Church when seniors shared a toast of sparkling cider and enjoyed each other’s company to send off 2021.
“It’s close-knit. You have a lot of people that you know and live in the neighborhood. It’s a place to socialize,” reflected senior resident Henry Tindal through a contagious smile. Seated beside a longtime friend and former Monmouth Day Care Center co-worker, 91-year-old Ruth Henderson, Tindal said the center gives people a chance “to get out and still have a social life after retirement from their jobs.”
The two have been coming to the senior center for at least 15 years. Jointly, they agreed that the senior center’s resources have been vital for many over the years, ranging from its transportation services to help finding vaccines, educational programs, socialization opportunities and more.
“They form bonds with one another,” said senior center director Jacqueline Reynolds.
During the party, Reynolds interrupted the stream of 1950s music playing from the speakers to address the room. “We truly do love you… you are family to us,” she said, and wished for their continued health in 2022.
According to Reynolds, the center lost “quite a few” of its members in 2021, some of whom died from complications related to COVID-19. Like in 2020, it was a challenging year for everyone because of the pandemic but especially for seniors. At times, programming was limited and social distancing – and for some, quarantining – was required which made socialization and connection that much more important.
“Right now they’re getting out of it but before they were a little scared,” said Reynolds. “We would go to visit them and drive by their houses” to see how they were doing, she said. They would also drop off food and toilet paper to those in need in cooperation with Lunch Break.
Currently, Bingo is the center’s most popular program, but it offers many other options for seniors to enjoy such as book clubs, crafts, movie showings, cards, shopping trips, summer cookouts and much more.
“We’re not like a nursing home. That’s what everybody thinks the senior center is – that they’re sitting around knitting,” said Reynolds. “Yeah, we do have people who knit but some of these people will outdance me and have more energy than I do.”
She now looks forward to when the senior center on Shrewsbury Avenue reopens so programming can expand and seniors can enjoy a larger, newer building with waterfront views. For months, the center has been utilizing Trinity Episcopal Church while the Shrewsbury Avenue site sits vacant and unusable. In 2019, a burst pipe at the center shuttered the site and uncovered a series of other necessary yet costly repairs. Through a series of public meetings, the borough developed a plan to rebuild the center in its existing location with new seating, flooring, fixtures, windows, siding, partial new roofing and other amenities. It will cost an estimated $1.8 million to construct.
“It’s going to be a nice building,” said senior Brooke Trimboli at the holiday party, who shared her excitement for the Shrewsbury Avenue facility to reopen alongside her friend Paula Morton. “The people and the programs are wonderful,” Trimboli added – especially the Bingo – and called the staff and members “warm and friendly.”
According to Reynolds, the Red Bank Senior Center currently has about 75 active members but has about 800 seniors registered with the center. Since the pandemic hit, most of its active members have been Red Bank residents but seniors from other towns without their own centers may join.
Aside from games and other light programming offered to seniors, the center offers programs to satisfy its members’ mental and educational needs. For example, when space allows, the center hosts daily exercise classes, yoga and tai chi, Bible study, art classes, monthly health visits by VNA nurses and more. It also offers door-to-door transportation services for members in need and weekly shopping trips to local grocery stores.
For the homebound, the center coordinates the delivery of over 100 meals daily to seniors with the assistance of Interfaith Neighbors and volunteers. Those who can come out to the center may enjoy a free nutritious meal at lunchtime.
For these reasons and more, Tindal called the senior center “a home away from home,” not just for him but for many in Red Bank.
“I couldn’t wait to become a senior citizen so I could join the senior center,” he said. “There was something exciting about it.”
The article originally appeared in the December 23 – January 6, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
