The Good Life - Travel, Leisure & Fun for South Valley Adults

Six down, two more to go.

Community Services Employment Training, which manages eight senior centers in Tulare County, has reopened the Lindsay Senior Center as of June 5. That leaves CSET just the Exeter and Goshen Senior Centers as its last two senior centers remaining to be reopened.

"We are changing the number of activities at the site," said Jerel Dutton, assistant director of senior services for CSET. "We will also have other organizations available to make presentations and tables to distribute information and more exercise-type activities."

The Lindsay Senior Center, located at 911 Parkside Ave. in Lindsay, held a grand reopening event that was attended by nearly two dozen seniors who anxiously awaited the return of the programming, as well as the nutrition program, which is free to those ages 60 and over.

"I know the number (of attendees) has been increasing since, with more like 20 to 25 seniors attending," Dutton said. "The word has gotten out in the community so it's been well received."

The center will be open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with lunch served at 11:30 a.m.

Dutton said it is hoped the remaining two senior centers will open soon, however CSET is not rushing to get them open.

"We are not trying to rush into reopening, we are trying to make sure things at the other centers are running smoothly," he said, adding that while there is no timeline, "we are shooting to reopen Exeter by the end of July."

COVID caused CSET to close all eight senior centers in March 2020, shifting willing seniors to its meal home delivery service until seniors' safety could be ensured and staff to run the programming could be employed.

"I think (the reopened senior centers) are thriving, and in some cases attendance has increased since COVID," said Raquel Gomez-Collins, division director for community initiatives for CSET. "It's part of health and wellness to be a part of a community. People love to socialize and play bingo and exercise. We are starting to partner with healthcare facilities to provide training, and working with the Lindsay Wellness Center to make sure we aren't duplicating resources."

For more information about the Lindsay Senior Center, call Robert Silveira, center manager at (559) 562-5859.