Aging in Paradise masters health and friendship

Executive Director Donna Dunio made this realization when she offered to move a TV into a room where people were waiting to use a bone-health machine. The six people there looked at her and said “we can watch TV anytime. We come here to be with other people.”

Since its inception, Aging in Paradise has followed its mission of providing “quality solutions and exciting opportunities for local seniors, enabling them to live with dignity and the highest possible level of health, independence and quality of life,” according to its website.

For the second year, the center will offer the Aging in Mastery Program beginning Jan. 23, which will teach participants how to maintain meaningful changes in their health, finances and well-being. Topics such as quality sleep, fall and injury prevention, relationship building and community engagement are included in the 10-session course.

“The Aging in Mastery Program is like a unique gift to this community, in that it’s very unusual for us to be presenting something of this level,” Dunio said.

The program, a partnership with the National Council on Aging and The Patterson Foundation, will feature special speakers on each of the topics. Last year, Aging in Paradise was just one of three centers selected to pilot the program.

“Once you change your habits, you elevate your life. So that’s exactly what this does by having all these wonderful different topics,” Dunio said.

In addition to the Mastery Program, Aging in Paradise hosts a bevy of classes and workshops throughout the year. In 2016, the center hosted more than 300 programs. From such fitness classes as Zumba and yoga, to workshops on making homes safer and more accessible, the center aims to engage the community.

“The No. 1 thing we do here is bring people together,” Dunio said.

Along with recurring events such as  bridge and the Shifting Sands Support Group, Aging in Paradise also hosts one-time events. 

For Valentine’s Day, the center will host a tea, “Your Destiny is in Your Closet,” which reveals who you are by what you wear. For St. Patrick’s Day, the center always hosts a celebration with corned beef and cabbage.

Margaret Noble, who has been going to Aging in Paradise for 10 years and has served as a board member for two, said Aging in Paradise is a hidden gem that has the potential of exploding into something even bigger.

“I think this is like a flower in the buddings,” she said. “It’s a bud now, and I think it’s going to just expand into a full bloom. And as it does that, we will be able to reach more people, and we will be able to offer more services.”

And while all the classes and workshops are low cost, the money is important to the resource center, which raises all of its own funds.

Along with money from classes, the center also hosts a fundraising gala each year (see box for more details). Aging in Paradise Resource Center is located on the 2nd floor of the Longboat Island Chapel, 6200 GMD.