The Barton Center, located within the Westerly Apartments, fosters a vibrant community for senior residents by offering a wide range of activities designed to combat loneliness and encourage social connection.
The center’s mission is to provide an engaging environment where residents can stay active, meet new people, and avoid the isolation that can affect older adults.
“I think community-building activities are very important, not just at Westerly, but across our entire portfolio, for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to sort of just adding to socialization and preventing isolation for many of the residents who live here,” said Donald Hecklemoser, CEO of the Westerly.
“I think community-building activities are very important, not just at Westerly, but across our entire portfolio, for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to sort of just adding to socialization and preventing isolation for many of the residents who live here.”
To achieve this, the Barton Center offers a diverse schedule of events, detailed in a monthly newsletter for residents. Hecklemoser emphasized that variety is a key component of their strategy.
“You know, when they get older, they’re very prone to isolating and being lonely,” said Christina Stover, the activities director. “You know, when they get older, they’re very prone to isolating and being lonely. So giving them all these activities to get them out of their apartments, to come down, socialize with friends, learn something about healthcare or healthy eating, or go exercise—I think it gives them an excellent opportunity to socialize with their friends, meet new people, and just get daily socialization.”
Activities include exercise classes, educational presentations, and health fairs that use engaging events like bingo to raise health awareness.
These programs have a clear impact on the residents’ well-being. “There are different activities, and the service coordinators bring presenters here that certain individuals would thrive from, but don’t attend. They do make an impact by getting them out of the apartment and socializing, and they make friends,” said Meghan Curran, the property administrator. “And some of them are a lot of fun!”
While Curran noted that some residents who could benefit from certain presentations do not always attend, the activities successfully create a “stronger bond throughout the whole building.”
Lakewood High School’s Help to Others (H2O) program partners with the Barton Center by having student volunteers connect with its residents while delivering groceries, yet another way the center’s positive influence extends into the broader Lakewood community, fostering intergenerational connections.
The Barton Center proves that a strong community isn’t built from bricks and mortar, but from connecting neighbors, sharing experiences, and bringing everyone a little bit closer together.
