Inspiring older adults to live their best lives is a key mission of the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan’s Wechsler Center for Modern Aging. Introducing the wider Modern Ager community to the JCC’s many offerings is a primary goal of the second annual Week of Wechsler, which takes place May 14-20 at the JCC, located at 334 Amsterdam Avenue at 76th Street.
The Wechsler Wellness Fair, in the JCC lobby, on Thursday, May 17, from 10 am to 2 pm, anchors the event. Free and open to the public, the fair is cosponsored by the JCC and its partners at the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Recovery Physical Therapy, P.C.
Themed days throughout the Week of Wechsler provide a small glimpse at the wide range of both stand-alone and ongoing programs run by the JCC for Modern Agers throughout the year. Highlighted classes and offerings during the week are as follows:
Tuesday, May 14: Great Outdoors + More
Join us as we explore the world around us with the first of a series of Awe Walks in Nature from 1-2:30 pm. Get your hands dirty and enjoy the company of other like-minded urban farmers at the Rooftop Herb + Vegetable Garden Club from 3-4 pm. Finally, join friends and families of members we have lost as they are memorialized with a special plaque and tree dedication from 4-5 pm (with a rain date of Mon, May 20).
Wednesday, May 15: Social Connections
Social opportunities abound on the seventh floor of the JCC. Chat with members of the games community at our Games Players Meet + Greet from 11 am-12:30 pm. Discuss topics of interest in a group setting at the Older Adult Lounge from 1-2:30 pm, or just mingle informally with others and learn about our wide range of program offerings in a casual New Member Reception from 2:30-4 pm.
Thursday, May 16: Wellness + Supportive Communities
Take part in wellness-related activities and more in the JCC lobby and throughout the building. Get a check on your health at the Wechsler Wellness Fair, including screenings for glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure, and hearing. A mammogram van is back for the second year to offer off-site screenings from 8:45 am-3 pm. For mammogram appointments, call 646-477-7846.
Pre-register for a lineup of breakout sessions: Intro to Yoga for Back Health, Intro to Sculpt + Align, Intro to Fall Stop…MOVE STRONG, Intro to Chair Yoga, Intro to Tai Chi, Rewire Your Brain and Sharpen Your Awareness. and Jazz it up with Broadway Tunes.
Mount Sinai’s geriatrics team and a wide range of service providers and neighborhood resources will answer questions in the lobby. Among those scheduled to participate are representatives from the Office of City Councilmember Gale A. Brewer, Medicare HIICAP: NYC Department for the Aging, LiveOnNy, Uncluttered, Renewal Memory Partners, Search and Care, and many more.
Also, on Thursday, the first session of the new season of The Memory Cafe, a stimulating and enriching program for families dealing with memory loss, will be held from 1-3 pm. Introduction to Living Well Together, a communal network that brings together individuals to help each other in medical situations (referring doctors, meeting them after procedures, etc.), takes place from 5:30-7:30 pm. Below Surface, a short film about a community that bonds in a YMCA swim water aerobics class will be screened at 6 pm. In addition, the first session of Life Stories: A Memoir-Writing Workshop will take place virtually from 7-8:30 pm.
Friday, May 17: Discussion Groups + Education
Friday is a day for stimulating your brain. Join others interested in news from around the world for a session of the ongoing Foreign Affairs Discussion Group from 10:30 am-12:15 pm. Questions about your personal technology? Register in advance, and an experienced volunteer will help you solve your problems with almost any device in a Tech Soup One-on-One session from 1-3 pm.
Sunday, May 19: Brain + Physical Health
Choose to rest your brain at the Relax, Rest, and Renew Meditation Retreat from 10 am-1 pm, or test your brain at the long-running Chess Club from 11:30 am-1:30 pm. Either is a smart move. Take steps to improve your physical health as well, with Pain Relief with Pilates and More: Relieve Your Arthritis Pain, from 4:30-5:45 pm.
Monday, May 20: Arts + Conversations
Make your voice heard at our virtual Brown Bag Lunch with Age-Friendly UWS. Join the discussion at one of two Older Adult Lounges, virtually from 1-2 pm and in person from 2:30-4 pm. Readers of fiction gather for the Wechsler Center Fiction Book Club from 2-3 pm (register in advance to find out this week’s book). The Center’s popular Play-Reading Series will present Pigeons, (from 7-9:30 pm).
For more information and to register for ongoing and one-time programs throughout the week, please visit https://mmjccm.org/adults/60/week-of-wechsler. “Don’t miss this exciting, fun-filled, and stimulating array of opportunities!” says Susan Lechter, director of The Wechsler Center for Modern Aging.
