The Older Americans Act (OAA), signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 (amended in 2020), was in response to concerns of policymakers about a lack of community social services for older persons. It is considered a major vehicle that provides nutrition and a wide variety of service programs to older Americans. It helps provide funding for local organizations such as the Warsaw Senior Center/Harbor Village, at 17471 N. Dam Access Road, which operates through Care Connection for Aging Services.
“Our senior center provides all kinds of care services,” said Margie Heatherington, Center Coordinator. “We assist with free tax service to those 60 and over, and provide community-based housekeeping, recreation, insurance, and health services. We do crafts, jam sessions, and people come in and offer their services to teach guitar lessons, or other skills. A volunteer couple provides free tax services, and we have support groups such as Understanding Your Grief, and Caregiver/Kinship.”
The senior center also provides nutritious, delicious meals at its Village Café five days a week. All food is prepared at the center. A favorite lunch of the café diners is fried chicken which is served on the third Friday of the month. This month, a volunteer donated funds to provide an additional fried chicken meal on January 5. Heatherington said that anyone can eat at the café, but those under 60 years of age are asked to contribute $9 for their meal. It is suggested that diners 60 and over donate $6 per meal, but they may enjoy lunch regardless of their ability to contribute.
“Our café averages 700 to 1,000 diners a month and we deliver over 1,600 hot and frozen meals to homes of people over age 60 who have mobility issues,” said Heatherington. “The meals sent to people’s homes are the same meals served in the café. Sometimes, if we have food left over from a meal at the café, we will put it in containers to be frozen and used for home delivery. We do not waste any food.”
Activities are provided by the senior center five days a week. They include classes like Joint Friendly Exercise, Pilates, Motivation in Motion, Line Dance; games like Bingo, Pitch, and Hand and Foot; Open Jam Sessions; and group support sessions. From time-to-time special events like fashion shows, banquets and meetings are held in the café or meeting rooms. Check https://goaging.org for complete information.
“We look forward to starting support groups and offering resources to grandparents raising grandchildren,” said Heatherington. “It is a big topic, and we want to help those involved.”
Senior center hours are 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM and lunch is served from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM Monday through Friday. The local senior center can always use volunteers, and donations. Call (660) 438-3300 for more information.
Harbor Village was opened on October 13, 2013, as a one-stop multipurpose service center for Benton County residents of all ages. The senior center had previously been located at 910 Gunstock, behind Country Mart, beginning as a nutrition site. In addition to the Warsaw Senior Center and Village Café, Harbor Village houses Katy Trail, a Community Health, and Compass Health Network.
Care Connection for Aging Services provides programs for seniors in 21 senior centers in 13 counties in Missouri with the mission of providing opportunities to create positive aging experiences. Services include nutrition, care management, family caregiver support, in-home services, health education, fitness, recreation, disease management, falls prevention, long-term care ombudsman program, benefits counseling and Medicare information and counseling, as well as enrollment assistance in the Health Insurance Marketplace. Care Connection in Warrensburg can be reached at (660) 747-3107.
