Your Senior Center - Part 1 This past year was one of drastic changes for all of

our nation’s senior centers. It is estimated that there

are nearly 6,600 locally funded senior centers around

the 50 states. Each center is unique to their commu-

nities - what works in Farmington New Mexico will not

necessarily work in Farmington, Minnesota. Some centers are

independent and privately funded, relying on governing boards to

manage them and partially funded by the gifts they receive from the

communities they serve.

The National Counsel on Aging recognizes the critical importance of

senior centers to the well being of the older population as well as the

family members of the citizens who use

them. The NCOA says that “Senior

Centers serve as a gateway to services

and that connecting older adults to vital

community services helps them to stay

healthy and independent.” Today, in what

is left of the COVID response, many

senior centers find themselves needing to adapt to a whole

new paradigm in order to meet the needs of new and returning

patrons. Many of these will be Baby Boomers (those born

between 1945 and 1965) who may have never set foot in a

senior center or who have a misconception of who we are and

what we do. Next month we will focus on what we do.

Visiting a senior center and joining in the activities and social

opportunities provide health benefits such as better physical

fitness and stamina, a sense of belonging, increased access

to healthy foods and lifestyle choices. When we do open our

doors again, the Bonnie Dallas Senior Center offers a wide

variety services, programs and activity that are designed to

improve the lives of our friends in the community.

In This Issue

Your Senior

Center - Part 1

Interesting

Facts About

New Mexico

The

Hummingbird

Cafe

Dad’s Army

Word Search

March & April

Menus

Memories

SPOTLIGHT

Visit the National Council on Aging at www.ncoa.org For Great Aging Related Articles

BONNIE DALLAS SENIOR CENTER, FARMINGTON NEW MEXICO March 2021

According To The

National Counsel

On Aging

Your Senior

Center Is

Recognized As

Being Critically

Important To The

Health Of Our

Older Friends In

The Community

Information and Resources For Seniors and Their Family Members

HOME DELIVERED VERSION

Hello dear friends. If you have not already done so, we invite you to have a look at our Facebook page. You can follow the Bonnie Dallas Senior Center to get news

about activities, programs and even reopening (when the time comes). It would be great to see you interacting with our center, let us know if you need any more

information or assistance locating our page.

www.facebook.com/bdsrctr

Interesting Facts About New Mexico Since I did not grow and mature here in New Mexico, I started digging around in it ’s rich history and discovered some things that surprised and delighted me. For Instance:

Constructed in 1610, the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe is the oldest seat of government in the United States.

On July 16, 1945, the world ’s first atomic bomb was tested at the Trinity Site in central New Mexico. The bomb was the creation of the Manhattan Project, which had been commissioned to build a nuclear weapon in 1942 after receiving intelligence that Germany was developing an atomic bomb of its own. Residents felt the 19 -kiloton explosion as far as 160 miles away.

When a rancher discovered unusual debris in a sheep pasture outside of Roswell in July 1947, Air Force officials claimed it was the remains of a crashed weather balloon. Years later, a series of test dummy experiments designed to improve pilots ’ chance for survival when falling from high altitudes reinforced the view of many that aliens and UFOs were the source of the mysterious occurrences. The town has become a tourist destination for those interested in extraterrestrials ever since. Originating in 1972, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each October who come to witness the more than 600 colorful hot air balloons ascend into the air.

White Sands National Park contains the largest gypsum dune field in the world. The result of water evaporating from transitory lakes with a high mineral content, gypsum deposits are windswept into picturesque white sand dunes spanning 275 square miles.

The Spanish language spoken by close to a quarter of a million people throughout New Mexico and southern Colorado is an ancient dialect that is largely Castilian in origin.

The first atomic bombs were developed and tested in New Mexico during World War II. Los Alamos National Laboratory, which was established for that purpose in 1943, continues to serve as one of the country ’s foremost research institutions.

Just A Reminder

A Lot Of People Are Being Vaccinated Now, But The Bonnie Dallas Senior Center Main Building,

Annex and Activity Center Will Remain Closed Until The Public Health Order Is Lifted. Once We

Reach The Reopening Point, We Will Happily Announce The Resumption Of Public Services

The Hummingbird Memory Café Adapts and Expands Programs During the Pandemic

The Hummingbird Memory Café provides social interaction for people with memory loss/dementia and their care partners while leaving the stigma of dementia “at the door.” The café provides a foundation for Northwest New Mexico to move towards a dementia friendly community. The Café Goes Online The Hummingbird Memory Café celebrated its first anniversary in February 2021. We began our journey at the Bonnie Dallas Senior Center Annex February 2020 and quickly pivoted to a virtual format in April 2020 when we were no longer able

to gather in person. 141 attendees of the café engaged in sharing stories, creating poetry and other artwork, and networking with others throughout the US and the UK who support living well with dementia. Café Creativity Collection Distributed Throughout Community 65 monthly Café Creativity Collections were distributed in 2020 via contactless delivery to community members. Activities and supplies included paints, brushes, mat boards, coloring sheets, songbooks, items related to monthly themes, as well as a monthly newsletter and directions for how to use the contents of the kits. Items appropriate for all ages were included to encourage intergenerational engagement. Social Media Accounts Established Facebook and Instagram provide opportunities to connect not only with local community, but also with others throughout the country and the world who support living well with dementia. Emails allow for communication with those who may not utilize social media regularly or at all. Donors Contribute Space, Time and Supplies to Café Programs Volunteers registered with the City of Farmington ’s Mayor’s Volunteer Program and completed training with Dr. Jytte Lokvig about communicating with people with cognitive changes, as well as ideas for creative engagement. 24 volunteers contributed a total of 211 hours to café programs in 2020.

In-kind donations at an approximate value of $800.00 were contributed to the café. Many of these donations will carry over into 2021 programs. The largest expense was ink and paper for printing the newsletters, content and instruction sheets, as well as the resource guides for the Café Creativity Collection. The cost of production for each of the Café Creativity Collection kits averages $8/month. If you know of anyone who would benefit from the social interaction of the memory café, please contact Nicolette Ketchum at 505-787-6322 or email hummingbirdmemorycafe@gmail.com. Thank you for your flexibility and continued support of the café programs! Nicolette McDermott-Ketchum, Volunteer Facilitator Hummingbird Memory Café, Farmington, NM

Monday

, W

ednesd

ay &

Friday

Only

M

onday

, W

ednesd

ay &

Friday

Only

Contact Us

Give us a call for more

information about any of

our services or programs

Bonnie Dallas Senior

Center

109 East La Plata Street

Farmington, NM 87401

505-599-1380

Visit us on the web at:

www.https://

www.fmtn.org/200/Senior

-Center

Or on Facebook at:

https://

www.facebook.com/

bdsrctr/

Due To State & County Health Restrictions, AARP Is Not

Able To Provide Tax Service At The Bonnie Dallas Senior

Center This Year

Please Call 505-599-1380 If You Need Help

Locating A Tax Professional

CONTACT US

Do you know a senior citizen who may benefit from the Home

Delivered Meal or Senior Transportation program? Contact

Patricia Sanchez at 505-599-1380. After an over the phone

interview, qualified consumers will receive a combination of hot

and frozen meals each week.

Aztec Senior Center

101 South Park Street

Aztec, NM 87410

505-334-2881

Bloomfield Senior

Center

124 West Ash Street

Bloomfield, NM 87413

505-632-8351

Blanco Senior Center

7338 Highway 64

Blanco, NM 87412

505-632-9146

Lower Valley Senior

Center

17 County Road 6668

Fruitland, NM 87416

505-598-0054

Thanks For The Memories

Other San Juan County Resources

WE WILL BE BACK!