Salt Lake County Virtual Senior Centers provides a community for Utah’s seniors

SALT LAKE CITY — Most of us would love to forget everything that happened during the pandemic, but one thing has stayed. And it’s good for Utah’s seniors.

“We are the one-stop shop for older people in our community,” said Afton January with Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services.

If Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services is the shop, that one-stop can be in person or a virtual space, thanks to the pandemic.

“It saved our lives, literally. It really did because we just did not have anywhere to go. We couldn’t even go shopping, we couldn’t go anywhere,” said Donna Wagstaff, a volunteer at the Virtual Senior Center.

Wagstaff said Virtual Senior Centers are the best way to keep older Utahns active where they live, connected with others, and finding purpose and meaning in their individual lives. January agrees.

“We wanted to make sure that we were still communicating with, offering services and programs, and connecting with the older adults who are members at our senior centers,” she said.

Go to the county’s website and check out the Senior Centers tab; go to Virtual Centers, which will direct you to their Facebook page or YouTube channel. These have posts and videos on a wide range of topics.

“Things that are related to health and well-being, managing chronic conditions, we’ve got recipes, we have sudoku, we have classes where you can get online and paint,” Wagstaff said.

There’s even a monthly newsletter called “The Senior Scoop,” which is just a good old-fashioned publication that will fill your calendar with free courses and offer a whole lot of support.

“They have all kinds of activities for us. The crafts are incredible. And nothing costs us, so for those of us that are kind of a little bit short on funds, it’s incredible for us,” Wagstaff said.

To learn more about the program, visit the Salt Lake County Aging & Adult Services website.