Greater Midland’s 50+ Center has more than 200 regular visitors

DAVE SHANE

For the Daily News

Michigan has a greater percentage of seniors than most states – and its number of elderly is growing at one of the fastest rates in the nation.

The Greater Midland Community Center has a plan for that. It’s called the Barstow/Shipps Wing, also known as the 50+ Center.

Amanda Ewald supervises the wing, where she believes she has found the perfect job. She grew up in Michigan’s Thumb, then graduated from Saginaw Valley State University with a degree in exercise science.

“My passion is definitely in seniors,” she told the Daily News. “I wanted to work in health and wellness, and this is the perfect job for that.”

The 50+ Center provides many ways that seniors can stay active and fit. It also creates opportunities for seniors to meet, compete in activities, attend learning programs, listen to live music, take day trips, and attend outreach programs.

“It’s my goal to create a warm and welcoming place, somewhere they can escape the rest of the world, gain friendships and get healthier,” she said.

There are a variety of ways to exercise that aim to suit a participant’s desired pace. Ewald leads several of the classes. SeniorSneakers is a class to improve cardio, strength, coordination and flexibility and is offered three days a week. Line dancing takes place twice a week. Gentle aerobics class is available three times per week.

The community center also has games to stimulate the mind, such as euchre, Mahjong, and its most popular and most difficult game – duplicate bridge.

Ewald knows many of the 200-plus regular visitors to the senior wing. That's because the staff wants to get to know seniors and be there to talk to them. a lot of good conversations about life. … It’s so rewarding.”

While she is there to serve seniors, she said she also has learned from them.

“There’s nothing better than working with seniors. They’re an amazing group,” Ewald said. “They care so deeply about each other, and me. They treat me well, and I learn a lot from them.”

One of the lessons she has learned is to enjoy life, as it is precious.

“Soak in the moments, soak up life. Life is so fleeting.”

Ewald said she enjoys watching seniors interact with visiting children, who are often fascinated to talk to the elderly.

“Children will look at them with awe and excitement, just like a senior looking back at them.”

She urged seniors to check out her wing of the community center if they want to learn more.

“We impact several hundred seniors each week … in different ways,” Ewald said. “We have a lot of people here multiple times a week. There are a lot of regulars.” Amanda Ewald

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