Iowa City Senior Center January-February 2025 Program Guide

Create new friendships, find support, boost your resilience, prioritize joy! SOCIAL CONNECTIONS

jan feb 2025

hood involves much more than the accumulation of lived years. Elderhood evolves when those lived years contribute to a special wisdom and vision that are shared with the community and society. In many ways, elderhood is the pinnacle of developing one’s wholeness as a person. Coming into wholeness is a lifelong process, and it continues in elderhood. Our monthly discussion series follows Parker Palmer’s Circle of Trust® approach, which invites the individual soul to show up in a safe space, where it can be heard and supported by a trustworthy community. This is a social group for LGBTQ elders to come together, share stories, and find community. We have meetings on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month and watch movies on the alternate weeks. In addition to organizing social activities for members, the group supports the LBGTQ Iowa Archives and Library through collecting oral histories and gathering materials for the archive. For those with interest, there are also outlets for sharing our experiences with the wider community. For regular updates, join our Facebook page, “Queer Elders of Iowa City.” Queer Elders Wednesdays, 2 pm Location: Room 308

Death Café Fridays, Jan 3, 17, Feb 7, 21, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Location: Hybrid (Room 308 & Zoom) Register to receive Zoom link Facilitators: Michelle Buhman, Mary McCall, Craig Mosher A Death Café is a safe place for people to talk about death in order to make the most of life. New people are encouraged to join anytime. This is not a bereavement support group or grief counseling session. This is open to people of all ages, no membership or registration required. For more information, visit deathcafe.com.

Book Report Tuesdays, Jan 14, Feb 11, 10:30 am - 12 pm Location: Room 309 Facilitator: Cheryl Walsh

A book club that meets once a month for an informal round table discussion and sharing of books you have enjoyed reading. Choose your favorite author, old or new, best sellers or classics, fiction, non-fiction, short stories, or poetry. Feel free to come just to listen.

Original Mature Groovers Wednesdays, Jan 15, Feb 19, 12-1 pm Location: Assembly Room Host: LaTasha DeLoach

This group aims to provide a safe and welcoming space for older people of color to share their diverse perspectives and stories and foster new connections. Through regular meetings and events, members will have the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions and learn from the experiences and perspectives of others. The OMGers group welcomes all people of color age 50+ to join. For more information, contact ICSC Coordinator LaTasha DeLoach at ldeloach@iowa-city.org or 319-356-5225.

Caregiving Support Group Fridays, 9:30-11 am Location: Hybrid (Room 308 & Zoom) Register online or call 319-356-5220 Facilitator: Mary McCall

This ongoing, drop-in group provides a space for sharing experiences, resources, and support related to caregiving, with a focus on self-care. Each meeting begins with a meditation about self-care and open sharing is integrated with learning various self-care practices. Participants are welcome to attend in-person or via Zoom, regularly or as they are able. Outside of the group, individuals can meet with the facilitator to assess and refer to outside resources available in the community for caregiving and self-care.

Becoming Elder Fridays, Jan 17, Feb 21, 1-2:30 pm Location: Room 302 Register online or call 319-356-5220 Facilitator: Thomas Dean

Join us as we explore what it means to “become elder” and how we might bring our life wisdom and unique gifts to others. We base our discussions on short readings by various authors, though no preparation is needed. Elder

Online at icgov.org/senior/registration By phone, call 319-356-5220 In-person at the Senior Center, 7 days/week during open hours

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