Serving the needs of local seniors

The Fallbrook Senior Center on Heald Lane is a popular place. Serving anywhere from 300 to 400 members a week, the private nonprofit organization offers something for every senior.

From health screenings to groceries, tax assistance to recreation, the center’s programs fill the calendar and assist local residents age 60 and older for little or no cost. Whether a senior needs a nutritious lunch, legal help or a friendly game of bridge, the Fallbrook Senior Center is the place to go.

To help seniors take care of themselves, the center provides health tests and exercise classes. Blood pressure tests are done every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m., glucose testing on the second Wednesday of each month from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. and hearing tests once a month by appointment only.

Senior fitness classes are Mondays at 3 p.m.; exercise classes are held on Mondays and Fridays from 10:30 to 11 a.m. while a yoga class is held on Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m.

The center also helps seniors get healthy foods in two ways. The produce program is available Monday through Friday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and allows members to pick out a bagful of groceries from a variety of foods donated by several local grocery stores for just $2.

In addition, lunch is served Monday through Friday at 11:30 a.m. at the Congregate Nutrition Center in the nearby Community Center. Local seniors do not have to be center members to eat lunch there, and while a donation is requested, those who cannot afford to pay are not turned away.

The center also offers frozen meals for the weekend and sponsors delivered meals to the homebound who can’t make it to the center for lunch. Although similar to Meals on Wheels, the center’s delivery program is not funded by that charity but by donations to the Senior Center itself.

Other programs include legal assistance for seniors, by appointment only, on the first Monday of each month, while AARP volunteers will arrive on February 1 to fill out tax forms for seniors as well as moderate- to low-income families, free of charge. Interested residents can call for an appointment.

For those seniors who like to keep busy, the center’s programs include volunteer positions which are currently filled by 80 volunteers, according to center director Irene Flores.

The center’s weekly calendar is also full of recreational activities. Mondays offer cribbage at 9 a.m. and both pinochle and bridge at noon. Bridge is also played on Fridays at noon.

A pool tournament is held every Tuesday from 1 to 4 p.m. with a ladies practice session on Friday mornings. Bingo is played every second Tuesday from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. while mahjong is played on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at 12:30 p.m. (Mahjong players need to call and reserve a spot.) The Knit-Wits knitting group meets at the center on the second Wednesday of the month at 10 a.m.

Literary pursuits and bus trips are also available. A Great Books discussion is held on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at 2:30 p.m. The Senior Center Lending Library operates on the honor system and welcomes donations of books to add to their selection. For the adventurous, day trips are planned to local casinos and longer trips to places like Laughlin, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.

A self-supporting center, the Fallbrook Senior Center depends on donations and fundraising for a major portion of its budget. About a third of the cost to run the center is funded through the County from monies supplied by the Older American Act Fund.

Although membership is not required for all of the services, the fee is just $15 a year and there are currently almost 800 members. The rest of the funding comes from private donations, grants and the sale of donated items in the Senior Center Thrift Shop.

Although the thrift shop is small, it sells a wide variety of items. From household necessities like tablecloths, glassware and small appliances to decorative furnishings such as lamps and paintings, bargain hunters find it a good place to shop.

Open from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday, the shop on the north side of the Senior Center also holds an assortment of both men’s and women’s clothing, a small collection of books, videos and CDs as well as record albums and a record player.

Opal Dering, the shop manager, says that knickknacks sell the best and that they do sell a lot of clothing. Donations of items to be sold are always welcome. The thrift shop even sells furniture and received a truckload of estate sale leftovers last week for anyone looking for a good deal.

The volunteers say they have the cheapest prices in town and a lot of repeat customers. With its diverse selection of goods, the Senior Center Thrift Shop not only helps to fund the center’s programs, it serves the whole community.

For more information on these programs, including those available to residents between the ages of 55 and 60, call (760) 728-4498.

The Fallbrook Community Center is located at 399 Heald Lane (at the corner of Fallbrook Street and Heald) with its parking lot across the street on Heald.