Prime Time Seniors Sees Continued Growth, Announces Busy Fall Schedule
Participation in East Lansing’s Prime Time Seniors programming continues to grow, reaching 990 participants in July.
Prime Time Seniors will continue to offer a vast array of classes, activities and more during August and into the fall, Prime Time Seniors Director Alesha Williams told East Lansing Info.
On Aug. 16, the East Lansing Farmers Market will observe Senior Appreciation Day. Williams said this will be the third annual observance and will be twofold. One hundred fifty seniors will receive a $5 coupon they can use with any of the farmers market vendors at any time during the market season. There will also be 12 community partners hosting tables at an adjacent informational fair, including Oasis Senior Advisors, the Alzheimer’s Association and Forster Woods Adult Day Care.
Another returning initiative is the Continuous Learning Collaborative Program. Previously called “Evening College,” it is a partnership with the Michigan State University Retirees Association and the MSU Faculty Emeriti Association that begins Sept. 2.
“These will be higher-end topics,” Williams said. “For this first quarter, we have [seminars] on correcting the mental and physical health crisis, racism in the U.S., constitutional, legal, political and social history, energy efficiency policy in the U.S. and healthcare economics. All very relevant [and] timely.”
Presenters include retired MSU and Cooley Law School professors, a geologist and an attorney. Seminars will vary in length, stretching from two to six sessions, and participants will be charged $10 per session. Sign-up opens with the release of the Prime Time Seniors newsletter on Aug. 20.
The fall will bring a different speaker series, this time focused on holistic health. The theme for the quarter is transportation:
- Friday, Sept. 25 — Maintaining mobility
- Friday, Oct. 9 — Transportation and Mobility Fair
- Friday, Oct. 16 — CATA
- Friday, Oct. 23 — Using rideshare services (Uber and Lyft)
- Friday, Oct. 30 — Aging and driving
- Friday, Nov. 6 — Understanding mobility in the community
At the Oct. 9 fair, Playmakers will host its Stretch, Strengthen and Roll Clinic, focusing on muscle imbalances, myofascial release and other topics.
These sessions are $3 each for members and $5 for nonmembers.
Finally, to mark Active Aging Week, Prime Time has set aside three days — Oct. 6, 7 and 8 — during which seniors will teach Skill Sharing Classes to children.
“Our watercolor classes were the most popular [last year],” Williams said. “So far we have 11 seniors who have signed up to teach various skills, including woodcarving, embroidery, healthy snacks, and map reading.”
Those interested learning more can visit the Prime Time Seniors website.