SENIOR LIVING Community, healthcare, pickleball: a slice of senior life in 2023

By Brian McKeithan bmckeithan@mdjonline.com

For June Van Brackle, 2023 will be another year of advocating for seniors, which became one of her main hobbies in retirement after she tried dancing, playing cards and golfing.

“I’ve been an activist all my life, and I needed somewhere to channel my energies,” she said.

Van Brackle, 81, is the president of the Senior Citizen Council of Cobb County, which looks to address issues like healthcare, housing, and loneliness for seniors. The all-volunteer organization works primarily by advocating for seniors with city and county governments, though they also host social and educational events.

Van Brackle said she’s looking forward to the council’s second expo event featuring vendors who offer low- or no-cost services to seniors, after the success of their first expo of the same kind in 2022.

“That was very successful. In fact, I was awestruck because I was so afraid nobody was going to show up, and at least 198 people came,” she said.

Gathering with peers isn’t something to be taken for granted. Seniors are living longer and are more likely to live alone, Van Brackle said, which means that some seniors can become socially isolated, especially if they don’t have family nearby.

Van Brackle does have family nearby, but she said volunteering helps keep her engaged. She recommends other seniors volunteer their talents to stay connected and active in their communities, or take classes with Cobb County Senior Services, which offers classes ranging from yoga to kombucha brewing to thyroid health.

Van Brackle praised Cobb Senior Services, which offer myriad other social events and resources, but said she’d like to see more transportation provided to the county’s six senior centers.

“Accessibility is one of the biggest problems I see,” she said, adding that some seniors can’t drive, or can’t drive after dark.

In 2022, Ionna Bovo-Nicolescu became Cobb’s new director of senior services. She said the department is still in the planning stages for most of 2023, but that the “Share the Care” program, which debuted in 2022, will return. The grant-funded program provides financial assistance to seniors who need dental, hearing, or vision care.

“These are things that typically tend to be quite expensive for folks, and a lot of people don’t have the resources to get hearing aids for example, or to get dental work, and that’s crucially important for a person’s wellness,” Bovo-Nicolescu said.

Also returning after a success in 2022: the pickleball tournament.

“We had a lot of great, great feedback, we kept hearing from everybody that they wanted more,” Bovo-Nicolescu said.

Part of the appeal is the sport’s accessibility, which has made it popular among people of all ages — more than 4.8 million people play pickleball in the U.S., according to a 2022 report from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association.

“Nobody feels like ‘oh my gosh, I’ve got to be an expert in pickleball,’” Bovo-Nicolescu said.

As for ex-golfer Van Brackle — she hasn’t tried pickleball, but she said she might consider it.

“Everybody seems to be excited about it, so I’m going to try to take a swat at it,” Van Brackle said.

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A Continuing Care Retirement Community offering comprehensive services for your needs now and in the future. For couples, the continuum of care provides increased health support if that becomes necessary while allowing both of you to remain in the same community.

With a variety of care options, Presbyterian Village can be your home for a lifetime: Residential Living • Supportive Living • Memory Care • Skilled Nursing