Plymouth CAL is coming back ‘stronger than ever’ with Senior Welcome Wagon – Wicked Local

This room was thumping, Plymouths Director of Elder Affairs Michelle Bratti said with a turn of her head towarda large open room where a dance class had just finished and women were coming out, smiling widely and toweling their faces and necks.

That room is just one of several at the Center for Active Living(CAL)at 44Nook Roadthat plays host to its 240 programs and activities.

While hundreds of the towns older residents know full well what the CAL has to offer, the center was recently awarded a grant from the Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging to promote its new Senior Welcome Wagon Program designed to introduce newcomers of a certain age to everything both the CAL and the town itself have to offer.

We are a full-service facility, Bratti said. We really run the gamut.

To spread awareness of the center, Bratti said residents turning 60 will receive a happy birthday card welcoming them to the Exclusive CAL Club. The town clerk's office assisted in helping them coordinate the effort.

Each month, the club will conduct a lecture speaker series as well as special welcoming events.

Plymouth has been named one of the best places to retire in Massachusetts, part of the grant proposal read. With over 16 55+ communities, Plymouths senior population continues to grow and a need for a welcoming initiative would not only be incredibly valuable but is also so important for engagement."

COVID-19not only impacted seniors ability to come to the center and take part in its social, physical and educational offerings, but it also kept many people restricted to their homes, a particularly painful situation for people living alone or those who found themselves physically cut off from their families.

With the pandemic receding, at least for the time being, Bratti said the 22,000-square-foot building next to Plymouth North High School is a great place to visit for an upbeat change of pace.

Were coming back, and we're coming back stronger than ever, she said. Its a welcoming place, a light airy place to come.

She adds its a far cry fromthe first senior center that opened in town in the early-'70s in a third-floor space with no elevators.

The CAL was built about 10 years ago, but the name changesenior center happened just a few years back.

More than just a rebranding for modern times, the change more accurately reflects how participants use the building.A recent survey of the centers guests showed that 45 percent take part in the CALs physical fitness progress, and 49 percent said they would like to see even more classes offered.

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In addition to artistic and physical programs, the mind is also kept sharp through a hot topic debate group and lifelong learning courses offered in-house by the Senior College of Bridgewater State University. There are also numerous support groups along with legal and financial services.

The police department, along with town officials, visit on a regular basis to answer questions and share information. The outreach also includes monthly visits from Select Board member Harry Helm, who is the boards liaison to the CAL.

While certainly helpful to existing patrons, those interactions are of particular importance to the people being sought out as part of the Senior Welcome Wagon.

We want people to know whats happening in their new town, Bratti said.

She said new plans and programs are always being added, and opportunities continue to present themselves. She noted, for example, a private grant that will allow the center to offer on-demand rides through GATRA for seniors wishing to come to the CAL.

We dont sit still here, she said.

To find out more about the CAL and its activities, visit its Facebook or YouTube pages or visit plymouth-ma.gov/center-active-living.

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Plymouth CAL is coming back 'stronger than ever' with Senior Welcome Wagon - Wicked Local