By Valerie Baldowski
vbaldowski@henryherald.com

Shirley Norton, Barbara Antonik, and Elsie Nix settled back comfortably in their chairs. Antonik shuffled a deck of cards, and dealt out a specified number to her two friends.

The three woman, seated at a table in the dining room of the Heritage Senior Center in McDonough on Monday, studied their cards, and thoughtfully began playing a game of “Skip-Bo.”

“It’s two decks together, and you deal out five cards apiece,” said Norton, 71, of Locust Grove. “You make your stack out of 15 cards. Then you just start playing and more or less just follow suit.”

Wild cards can be placed on the table, and the object of the game is to get rid of one’s stack first, she continued.

Norton said she stops by the Heritage Senior Center, sometimes, every day, at various times. In addition to playing cards, she goes bowling with other seniors at the center. “They keep you going,” said Norton. “They take you shopping, and on different little trips.”

Some of the trips the center organizes include: shopping at Southlake Mall in Morrow, attending the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon, and excursions to Savannah, Ga., and Myrtle Beach, SC., she said.

“It’s a lot of fun. Sometimes, we go to the park and have a cookout,” said Norton. The best part of the social activities is the friendships formed, she added.

Norton, Antonik, and Nix are among the frequent visitors to the Heritage facility, one of two senior centers in the county which offer a number of activities and trips for older residents. In addition to the Heritage Senior Center, located at 1050 Florence McGarity Boulevard in McDonough, Henry County Senior Services also offers activities at the Hidden Valley Senior Center, located at 600 Spraggins Memorial Parkway in Stockbridge.

At the facilities, seniors have regular access to group exercise classes, crafts, and leisure activities, said Senior Services Program Coordinator Diane Reed. In addition, health screenings and seminars on a variety of topics, such as accident prevention, heart disease, diabetes, diet and exercise, are provided for free, Reed said.

“We hear constantly the successes of people who participate in the exercise program, and/or attend the educational seminars –– blood pressure readings becoming consistently lower, medications that are no longer necessary...,”said Reed. “It is widely recognized that exercise can prolong life, but more importantly, it enhances it.”

As people age, she said, physical activity becomes more of a challenge.

“Most people, when they get to be about 50, are not as likely to go to the gym,” continued Reed. “But they will come to a place where their peers are, and participate in activities with people their own age, who are experiencing the same things.

“One of the myths out there is that it is just for low-income people, or really old, sedentary people,” she said. “If you come, you’ll see that people are really very active here. They become a family.”

An arthritis exercise class is taught twice a week by volunteer, Alma Pointzes. Pointzes, 64, of McDonough, has led the class since 2006.

“What got me involved is my passion to help seniors,” she said. “As we age, our bodies change, and it’s important to continue to exercise.”

The arthritis exercise class focuses on range of motion, muscle strength, and endurance. Regularly exercising the muscles in the body is important, she said.

“As I say, if you don’t use it, you lose it,” added Pointzes.

In addition to exercise classes, Reed said the facilities also offer hot meals. Monday through Friday, both centers offer nutritious and affordable cafeteria-style meals for breakfast and lunch, said Reed. Nix, 75, of Stockbridge, said she often shares a meal with other seniors at the center.

Nearly 300 home-bound seniors receive home-delivered meals through the Meals on Wheels program, said Reed. In addition, in-home services, caregiver support, referrals and information related specifically to issues affecting senior citizens are provided.

The department also helps coordinate day trips and overnight tours to a variety of places, she said.

Activities at the Hidden Valley Senior Center include bowling and Bingo, the first and third Monday of the month; an ice cream social and crafts activities on Wednesdays; and ceramics classes, as well as Bridge and Bunko games on Tuesdays, said Nelda Dunson, activities coordinator for the Hidden Valley Senior Center.

For more information about senior services, call (770) 288-7000.