This Week's Mission Moment
Three years ago, a group of women met in an Active Older Adult yoga class at the Emilson Y. Quickly, their friendship grew and, in addition to meeting up for their yoga classes, they would meet for lunch, host each other in their homes, meet for book club, and even enjoy the occasional “Girls Day Out” at the spa.
Barbara Palombo still remembers the day she first met her newfound friends. “I read constantly, whenever I’m waiting for class I have a book in my hand,” said Barbara. “One day someone came over and asked, ‘Oh what are you reading?’, so we started chatting about books weekly. We finally decided to get together for lunch one day after class, and we’ve been getting together ever since.”
This group has continued to nourish their friendship by caring for and supporting one another through sickness, injuries, family issues, and even COVID. Throughout the pandemic, they kept in touch and met up for outdoor walks. As soon as the South Shore YMCA began offering classes, they were some of our very first members back through the door.
At the South Shore YMCA, we recognize the importance of our older adult community. We offer programs, services, and opportunities for older adults to encourage social connection and physical well-being. Although the last few years have been difficult, some of our active older adults found a way to continue staying active and social with one another. I had the chance to speak with these women and learn about their special bond, and how it grew at our Y.
“Most of us live alone, so meeting up with each other gets us up and out of the house,” says Y member Barbara Dow, “It’s a push in the morning to get up and active, you’re not going to just sit around and drink coffee all day. It gets you up, dressed, and out of the house to see people. Staying social is so important.”
Barbara McMullen shares how important classes and friendship are to her. “I never would have met these special women without the active older adult classes,” said Barbara McMullen, longtime South Shore Y member. “We stay active because of the classes and each other. We’re so thankful for the Y, and for each other”.
