Celebrating Seniors Week Comes to Oak Park, River Forest & Forest Park

Marking the 12th anniversary of its creation, the not-for-profit group that honors and supports older adults has scheduled nearly 50 events for Celebrating Seniors Week in mid-May throughout Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park.

A Thursday, May 11th luncheon at Concordia University in River Forest kicks off the week. Keynote speakers will be Gail Zelitzky and Catherine Marienau, co-hosts of the “Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined” podcast.

The luncheon will honor recent “Seniors Over 60” honorees and will help preview the events held at local libraries, colleges, senior living communities, park districts, businesses and elsewhere.

Those activities are aligned with Older Americans Month, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living.

This year, the theme is “Aging Unbound,” which Celebrating Seniors Coalition founder Dr. Jim Flanagan calls fitting in light of the constraints that have inhibited everyone the past few years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are finally unbound from what was taken by the thief I call COVID,” said Flanagan, who has served on the Oak Park/River Forest Township Senior Services Committee since 2008. “We are back seeing the ones we love, we are back at our houses of worship, and we are back at the library, the park district and the gym.”

One of the organization’s foremost goals is to dispel outdated and inaccurate myths about what it is to be a senior in our society. “Just like their younger peers, men and women over 60 years old are vibrant and valuable to the life of our community,” said Dr. Lydia Manning, a gerontologist and CEO of Circle of Life Consulting.

Nearly all of the Celebrating Seniors Week events, spanning a variety of educational and/or entertaining topics, are free of charge. Likewise, they are open to people of all ages. The Celebrating Seniors Resource Guide, which includes the calendar of events and a listing of this year's Seniors Over 60 honorees, will soon be distributed throughout the communities at various venues; organizers have also been posting Celebrating Seniors yard signs to heighten attention.

Anyone interested in receiving the resource guide, which includes a listing of events, should e-mail info@celebratingseniors.net. To see details online, visit https://celebratingseniors.net/events/.

Among the events to mark on your calendar

• Arbor West Neighbors Asset Mapping: Gaps and Overlaps—Who Offers What Services

From 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., on Friday, May 12th, this program at the Nineteenth Century Club, 178 Forest Ave. in Oak Park, will share what services are plentiful (overlaps) and missing (gaps) through governmental, health and service groups locally. Learn more about Arbor West Neighbors at https://www.arborwestneighbors...

· Writing Your Own Story for Future Generations

On Tuesday, May 16th, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and presented by Dr. Julie Bach of Dominican University, the session will be in Room 107 of Parmer Hall on the Dominican campus. As described on the Celebrating Seniors calendar of events:

“As you think about your life, what stories do you want others to remember? This workshop will encourage you to complete a brief life review and then choose a story you would like to share with others. This is your story about how a special event, someone or time in your life made an impact on you.”

· Right Size Your Next Move

On Tuesday, May 16th, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., at American House, 703 Madison St. in Oak Park, Realtor Dorothy Gillian, professional organizer Patty Mullin and Certified Senior Living Advisor Julianne Rizzo provide insights on the process of selling your home and the available options for senior living residences.

Celebrating Seniors Week sponsors include:

• Bentron Financial Group, which has provided financial guidance to people at or near retirement age for over 30 years. Online: www.bentron.com.
• Dorothy Gillian, Realtor and operator of the Gillian Baker Team.
• Circle of Life Consulting, led by Dr. Lydia Manning, a longtime gerontologist and educator.
• Home Instead Senior Care, 6901 W. North Ave., in Oak Park, owned by Richard and Tia Harrison.

In light of their focus on serving older adults through the shared Senior Services agency, Oak Park Township and River Forest Township are key partners. In addition, Celebrating Seniors has built robust partnerships with other government bodies throughout Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park, as well as Dominican University, Concordia University Chicago, social service agencies, businesses, and individuals.

Celebrating Seniors has helped dozens of people to meet the basic needs of daily living such as a new refrigerator, help with repair work around their home, or the addition of a necessary piece of furniture.

In addition, the organization has honored over 650 older adults who have made, and continue to make, significant contributions to the community. That tradition continues in 2023, with 30 men and women selected for this year’s “Seniors Over 60” Class.

Ranging from 60 years old on up—some past honorees have been over 100 years old—these individuals have long been featured on the Celebrating Seniors website and in other community outreach.

To see this year’s calendar of events, the Celebrating Seniors Resource Guide and to learn more about Celebrating Seniors, visit www.CelebratingSeniors.net or e-mail info@celebratingseniors.net.