News and Info

 
Bring a Friend Promotion
June 1 - 16, 2023

Introduce a friend to all you love about NSSC and our Lifelong Learning Programs, and you will receive a $10 voucher for a future registration fee. 

 
 
Art Gallery a “Hidden Gem” at North Shore Senior Center
by Mary Staackmann, Director of Lifelong Learning
 
You can find a hidden gem of an art gallery at North Shore Senior Center.  Located in the Center’s Atrium, the Art Gallery showcases the beautiful and creative artwork of older adults in six exhibitions every year. Exhibitions may feature a single artist, an arts organization in the community, or NSSC member artists.

Approximately every two months, a new exhibition is installed, many featuring local arts organizations. The Chicago Society of Arts is the oldest artist organization in the county and holds an annual exhibition in the Art Gallery. The Chicago Alliance of Visual Artists (CAVA) is an organization of artists ages 50 and older dedicated to expanding the horizons and promoting the art of older adults. The Chicago Women’s Caucus also exhibits in our Art Gallery. This organization began in 1979 to recognize the contribution of women to the arts and their profound impact on society. Other local arts organizations that exhibit in our Gallery include the Wilmette and Glenview Art Leagues and Oakton Community College.

Of course, North Shore Senior Center members feature prominently in our Art Gallery. Each year we host the Annual Members Exhibition showcasing the work of our sculpture, fiber arts, photography, painting, and collage artists.  There are also special exhibition highlighting the work of one art group or individual artist.

This opportunity to exhibit before your peers is tremendously meaningful to the artist. Member artist Carol Regan states that “Exhibiting my art work at NSSC has given me a special incentive to do my best work. I am honored and proud to have my work viewed by members and guests.” Another NSSC artis, Lindsay Brown, states, “It is a real treat to see thirty of my paintings hanging together in a public place where I can consider how my skills have changed over time, and see what I might change in future work.” These exhibitions prove time and again to be enriching experiences for both artists and those that view them.

Frequently, at the start of a new exhibition, NSSC will host an artist reception, in which the featured artists are available to discuss their work. The artists appreciate the opportunity to talk with guests about their art work and the arts programs at the Center.  And, of course, the guests enjoy meeting the artists!

Much of the artwork is available for purchase, and a portion of the proceeds are donated to North Shore Senior Center. Everyone is welcome to visit our Art Gallery. North Shore Senior Center is located at 161 Northfield Road in Northfield, and is open Mondays through Fridays 8:30a.m. to 5 p.m.  For more information on our art groups and classes, as well as our Art Gallery Exhibitions, contact Lifelong Learning at 847-784-6030, LifelongLearning@nssc.org, or visit www.nssc.org.
 


 
Social Connections are a Key to Successful Aging
by Mary Staackmann, Director of Lifelong Learning
 
Participating in social relationships can help improve your overall well-being as you age, and NSSC offers you an abundance of opportunities.

After people retire, their social networks may shrink. During work years, many people form their identity and social network around their work life, as they regularly see people at work or belong to professional networking groups. When that ends, the effects of this change can be unexpected, and people may start to search for new social connections.
 
Where do older adults find and create new friendships? There are many community organizations to which people can turn to meet new friends. North Shore Senior Center has many opportunities for people in this stage of life to connect with others and find friends and support.
 
An abundance of research has demonstrated the importance of connections through a social network to our health and well-being as we age. A landmark 10-year study by the MacArthur Foundation, published in the book Successful Aging, underscored the importance of social connection to one’s well-being.  Social connection and the support we find through it have direct positive effects on health, and can also buffer some of the health-related effects of aging. The more older people participate in social relationships, the better their overall health.

Friendships are a key factor in helping people stay active and emotionally secure. Relationships with others offer supportive behavior. The experience of being supported has positive effects on health and helps one believe they are loved, esteemed, and cared for.
 
There is no “one-size-fits-all” in social connection, which can vary depending upon person or the situation. For example, you can connect by phone, in person, online, or in large group activities. The key is that they are positive relationships. And not all relationships need to be human relationships. Pets bring quite a few emotional and physical benefits to people as well.
 
There are a number of clubs and recreational groups at North Shore Senior Center that meet weekly and in which members find new friendships with people who share similar interests. These member-led groups may organize around a topic, such as jazz, literature, or humanities, or an activity, such as quilting, dining, or playing cards.
 
There are also different social patterns among men and women. Many men find new social connections in our Men’s Club. The Men’s Club has a number of committees that organize various activities, including a weekly presentation open to the public, and an annual Picnic, which takes place next week. Many women members find new connections in smaller, more fluid groups such as our craft groups or book clubs.
 
People also find new social relationships in our many educational classes and discussion groups. And everyone enjoys our big social events such as our concert and luncheon events. Coming up later this season is our Summer Celebration featuring the Banjo Buddies Dixieland Trio and Barbeque Lunch!
 
For more information contact Lifelong Learning at North Shore Senior Center at 847-784-6030 or LifelongLearning@nssc.org or visit www.nssc.org.
 


What is a Senior Center?

by Mary Staackmann, CPP, Director of Lifelong Learning

At every stage of life, people are drawn to a community of peers for recreation, socializing, and support from friends.  Children have school and recreational activities such as soccer or dance. Young adults have “hangouts.”  Adults may find this in the workplace, community or civic organizations, and even the local coffee shop.

For older adults, many find a community of peers at a senior center.  Senior centers have been around for decades, and were recognized by the Older Americans Act (OAA) as a community focal point. According to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), senior centers have become one of the most widely used resources among America’s older adults. Today, nearly 11,000 senior centers serve one million older adults every day.

But what, exactly, is a “senior center”?  Senior centers are dedicated to enriching the lives of older adults, providing a place where they can find a community of peers to socialize, learn together, enhance their well-being, access resources, and find support. Similar to the way a park district may provide classes and activities designed for children and families, a senior center is a place with classes, activities and services designed specifically for older adults.

More than just activities, however, senior centers serve as a gateway to the “aging network,” connecting older adults to vital community services that help them stay healthy and independent. At a senior center, older adults and the community at large can access multiple services all in one place, including: 

  • Health, fitness, and wellness programs
  • Educational and enrichment classes
  • Social and recreational activities
  • Volunteer and civic engagement opportunities
  • Information and assistance to help navigate the maze of services
  • Access to social services and support
  • Benefits counseling, including help with Medicare
  • Support groups
  • Financial assistance
  • Meals and nutrition programs
  • Transportation services

Senior centers are dynamic organizations that offer this and more in a welcoming environment. Furthermore, a senior center’s broad menu of offerings can serve adults through the years as their needs and desires may shift throughout this stage of life. For example, a newly retired adult may seek dynamic classes, new friends, and adventure, while an older senior may also seek more support and assistance.  NCOA reports that older adults who participate in senior center programs experience measureable improvements in their physical, social, emotional, and economic well-being.

North Shore Senior Center is such a resource for the northern suburbs. An accredited senior center recognized as a “New Model of Senior Centers” by the National Institute of Senior Centers, North Shore Senior Center offers a broad selection of education and enrichment classes, fitness and health programs, volunteer opportunities, information, and support services.  For example, on any given day a person could have an early morning workout in the Fitness Center, take a morning class on “Global Hot Topics” discussing the hard-hitting issues of the day, then enjoy a lite lunch in the A&A Café, followed by a meeting with a social worker to review the many Medicare supplement options. In the afternoon, perhaps a game of cards with friends. 

For more information, explore this website or call 847.784.6030.


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Creativity and Aging: Tap into Your Potential

By: Mary Staackmann, CPP, Director of Lifelong Learning
 
The strong potential for creative expression in the second half of life is not the exception, but the rule.

In his life-affirming book "The Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life," Dr. Gene D. Cohen shows how a unique combination of age and experience can enhance our creative potential and produce exciting inner growth and potential in everyone.
 
Creativity is not just artistic expression, but it is the ability to bring something new into being — be it an idea, a solution, an activity, an object, a perspective, or a representation of something.

Creativity is part of everyone, not just “geniuses,” and we don’t have to be born with any inherent qualities or raised in special circumstances to be creative. Every person is endowed with the spirit of creativity in many forms of expression, such as art, science, politics, hobbies, relationships, advocacy and community involvement.

Our individual potential for creativity is enhanced by qualities such as self-motivation, resourcefulness, independence, curiosity, sense of challenge, and desire to seek something new and different. None of these are set in stone for any individual. Our personality, life experience, and circumstances surrounding us can activate these potentials in all of us. Each of us, because of our unique inner resources and external influences, has the capacity for unique creative discovery.
 
There is a fascinating intersection of aging and creativity that exists in everyday life. As we age, the key ingredients for creativity – life experience and an accumulation of knowledge – are enhanced. Creativity is especially powerful among older adults, who have long been recognized as the “keepers of knowledge” in a society. Older adults can help us clear away the noise of our data-filled world to find what truly matters.

A transition to a new stage of life, such as retirement, can inspire us to a new level of creativity, which can enhance our quality of life and sense of well-being.  And, we not only expand our potential for creativity as we age but also benefit from exercising our “creative muscles.”  For example, creativity:
·         Strengthens our mood and morale in later life,
·         Contributes to physical health,
·         Enriches relationships, and,
·         Can be our greatest legacy to future generations.
 
We use our personal creativity every day: Perhaps it is planning a new garden, generating possible solutions to a community issue, making up a new recipe, figuring out a new way to knit an item, or coming up with a new way to teach your grandson to tie his shoe. The possibilities are endless.
 
So let’s stretch our creative muscles every day to tap into our potentials!
 
Lifelong Learning at North Shore Senior Center offers many classes, activities, and events where you can exercise your creative muscle. To learn more, explore our Courses or call 847-784-6030.