Local senior center a hub of activity

With about 28 percent of the residents of Big Horn County aged 60 and older, it should come as no surprise that the local senior center in Lovell is a popular gathering place for the aging population.

In the 53 years since its creation in 1972, the North Big Horn Senior Citizens Center in Lovell has expanded its offerings to include meals, rides, special celebrations, information, social activities and volunteer opportunities. It’s a place to find help with things like filling out paperwork or referrals. It’s a place to share a nutritious meal with old friends or to make new ones.

The focus of the programs at the center concentrates on three areas of need for seniors: nutrition, transportation and socialization. The idea, explained center director Kim Gifford, is to help seniors live independently in their homes.

Nutrition

The meal program is by far the most utilized offering at the center. According to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), adequate nutrition plays a key role in maintaining physical strength, managing chronic conditions and preventing malnutrition in older adults. At least half of adults living independently in their own homes need nutritional intervention to support or improve their health.

An average of 138 nutritious, low-cost meals are prepared and served five days per week at North Big Horn Senior Citizens Center. Many of those meals are served in a group setting at the center, and the remainder are picked up at the center or delivered for free to those unable to travel throughout the Lovell, Byron, Cowley, Deaver and Frannie communities and to those living in rural areas in between. Group meals are also served a few days per month in Frannie, Deaver and Cowley. 

Though the cost to prepare the meals is about $10 to $12 per meal, those 60 or older pay only $4 for the meal, $8 for those who are not senior citizens. The meal cost is subsidized by funding from state, local and federal sources. For some seniors, especially those with very low incomes, it is their only meal of the day. For many, it’s also their only contact outside the home.

“There are a lot of people who depend on us for their daily meals,” said Gifford. “And, with the cost of living so high right now, they depend on us more than ever.”

Transportation

Another highly utilized program offered by the center is transportation. According to a NCOA survey, one in five seniors 65 and older drive very little or not at all, and more are giving up driving every year. 

“There are people who would not make it to their doctor’s appointments, if it wasn’t for our ride service,” said Gifford. “We are literally the only transportation available to them in this area.”

The center offers rides within its service area (Lovell, Cowley, Byron, Deaver and Frannie) to medical appointments, the grocery store, post office, hairdresser or barber, to the senior center itself or to visit friends and family. For many, the low-cost rides offered by the center are a lifeline. 

The center has seven vans in service. Two of those vans are equipped for wheelchairs. The vans are used for both meal delivery and transportation. 

A Med-A-Van takes seniors to Cody for dialysis treatments three days a week. The cost of the Med-A-Van ride varies, with some seniors qualifying for reduced cost rides.

The senior center’s transportation program gave around 4,000 rides last fiscal year.

Socialization

As seniors age, they often find themselves living alone. According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2020, 27 percent of U.S. adults age 60 and older were living alone. The number is expected to increase as the baby boomer generation continues to age.

The isolation of living alone does present challenges like loneliness, inability to get services and the inability to get proper nutrition. In addition to help with meals and transportation, the center provides numerous opportunities for socialization at the center and for those who are homebound.

“People are getting a nutritious meal every day and (shut-ins) are getting checked on regularly, because our volunteers are making sure they are OK,” explained Gifford. “For some, we’re the only people they see.”

For those who are mobile enough to attend activities at the center, a wide range of activities are available including crafts, quilting, games like cards and Bingo, exercise specifically designed for seniors, holiday, birthday and veteran-specific celebrations. The center also offers several support groups for those suffering from common medical conditions like heart disease and diabetes. It also offers help with paperwork, understanding and filling out forms and even help with researching family history.

Operating expenses for North Big Horn Senior Center are paid through a combination of state and federal grants and local funding, like a mill levy that comes up for renewal every few years through the general election. The seniors themselves also make relatively small contributions when they utilize certain services.

The center operates with a very small paid staff of about 10 employees. Some are part-time. Many of the services offered are made possible by an army of volunteers who act as board members, serve on the nutrition council and in the dining room or delivering meals to shut-ins. They make quilts honoring veterans and others, plant flowers and perform numerous other behind-the-scene tasks.

The center typically serves more than 60 percent of the senior population in North Big Horn County, with most of its new clients coming to the center through referrals from friends and family. The center also reaches out to seniors in the community through various newspaper advertisements and a monthly newsletter. This and the fact that the senior citizen population continues to grow has transformed the center into a hub of activity for senior citizens living in Lovell and adjacent communities.

“I’ve had several out-of-town visitors tell me how lucky we are to have a senior center in our community,” said Gifford. “Many have told me they don’t have anything like this in their hometown.”