Nearly every Tuesday through Thursday, Lori Pear and her friends gather at the Gresham Senior Center and the Meals on Wheels People (MOWP) Dining Center. They meet for good food, conversation and companionship, and lately for a very practical reason: relief from the heat.
“I come here for socialization, to get a meal and also because there’s air conditioning here,” Pear said.
The Gresham Senior Center, located in the Multnomah County Health Building at 600 N.E. Eighth Street has been serving the community for 57 years. It not only offers meals through MOWP but also provides education, recreation, health, and social programs for seniors and their families in East Multnomah County.
“That may be quilting, Tai Chi, line dancing, chair yoga, scrapbooking, origami, ceramics, painting, CPR, or our Friday Speaker Series," said Scott Harden, Program Director.
One of the center’s core missions, Harden added, is mitigating loneliness and isolation, which research shows can have adverse health effects comparable to alcohol and smoking.
“The center is a place where seniors from around East Multnomah County go to avoid isolation, increase companionship, and connect with people outside their home,” said Harden.
For Pear and many others, the center is both a social hub and lately, a cool space during hot weather.
“The highs here can be pretty warm,” said Pear. “As an Oregonian, I've learned to live with it and navigate and know what to do. The best thing to do is get to cool spaces like this one.”
Some regular attendees have heat pumps or even air conditioning at home, but there are still those who don’t. On a hot day or when consecutive days of high temperatures are in the forecast, Pear and others say they follow a “strategic plan.”
“For me, it’s strategic in how I work to stay cool, " Pear said.
“I have a plan for how long I’ll stay in a cool place. Is the car cool enough? Where’s my water? I’ll leave my house at 9:30am, go to water aerobics and stretch, then come to the senior center.”
“We go to the gardening club, bunko, there's such a nice variety of activities," said Dawn, another center regular.
“Fortunately I can get out, but if I could not get out, I would take what’s going to help you stay cool like a cooling towel and put it around your neck,” said Pear.
Anyone over the age of 50 is welcome at the center, which is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. It’s also just a few blocks from the Gresham Library, another air-conditioned spot which is open on weekends.
The Gresham Senior Center is just one of many cool spaces throughout the county. Those looking for a cool space can visit multco.us/hot to learn more. The site includes an interactive map of library branches, community centers, pools, interactive fountains and splash pads: link.multco.us/interactive-map-cool-spaces
“Heat affects everyone but we know that heat does not affect everyone equally,” said Renee Curtis, emergency manager with Multnomah County. “We know older adults — folks 55 and older who live alone and without access to air conditioning are at higher risk,” said Curtis.
“We see people who might try to tough it out instead of seeking resources,” said Curtis.
To help prevent that, the County’s Department of County Human Services shares safety messages with over 700 property managers throughout the summer and before the summer begins, providing educational materials, cooling kits, and information on local cooling resources.
As the county and region face another bout of hot weather in late August, Curtis dropped off cooling kits at the Gresham Senior Center.
“Our valued partners and community-based organizations — like the Gresham Senior Center, Community for Positive Aging, Friendly House and more — take these efforts a step further by helping community members and providing critical resources like water, cooling towels, and air-conditioned common spaces as well as a wide range of activities to attend, she said.
For Pear, the sense of connection matters as much as the cool air.
“We try to help each other out with needs,” said Pear.
“This group has been together for one year and we all sit together at the same table. “It’s like eating at an expensive delicatessen."
“For a long time I had splints on my hand due to an injury and wasn’t able to drive and had to be driven everywhere,” said Pear. When I was able to drive again, I’m so thankful but I'm at least able to drive over here.”
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