OKEECHOBEE — After a long sabbatical due to covid, the Young at Heart Senior Center is back in full swing.

According to program manager Debra Austin, the center closed on March 17, 2020. In December 2021, they reopened to a small extent, contacting only those who had been attending prior to the closing. “We had plans to open fully in January of this year,” said Austin. “But, then covid numbers spiked again.” Because of this, they did not reopen completely until February 28.

“Covid really took a toll on our clients. Not that they all got sick from it but more the isolation they all experienced.” They lost a lot of their clients, some to covid, many to other things. “It’s been a really sad time here since we reopened. A lot of familiar faces are not here anymore.”

Many of the northerners who used to attend did not even come to Florida this winter, let alone come to the center. "We hope they will be back next year, but we just don’t know.”

The atmosphere in the center has been different since they opened the doors again. “Not bad. Just different.”

Austin said there were multiple reasons the center did not open earlier. They cannot mandate a vaccine. As a matter of fact, they cannot even ask the clients if they have been vaccinated. “They can discuss it among themselves. They can tell us, but we cannot ask. We cannot even discuss our own vaccination status with them.”

When the center opened in December, things really looked different. There were plexiglass dividers on the table. The clients could not serve themselves drinks or get silverware. We used hand sanitizer. There were no volunteers. “I promised the clients as soon as I felt comfortable with it, we would open fully.”

Opening was a step in the right direction, but Austin said you could tell the clients were just not happy. They were looking at each other through cloudy plexiglass. There were no activities or programs coming in. “We were still so limited. I kept telling them to just hang with me. We were going to get there.”

When the clients left one Friday, she told them to be prepared for changes when they came back on Monday. She and the staff took down all the dividers, brought out more tables, put tablecloths back out. “We kind of flipped it. It was AMAZING! Seeing the clients when they came in the door. It was back to normal. Or whatever normal is for us now. I saw a change in the clients. It was like, OK, we have put this behind us now.”

Austin said she does still remind everyone there are hand sanitizer stations available and most importantly, if they are sick, they should not come.

The center is back to serving breakfast, including the clients’ favorite, biscuits and gravy. They are doing full activities with a new activities’ director, Emma Bryan. “She’s been doing a remarkable job.”

They have bingo games, ice cream socials, crafts, movie days with popcorn, line dancing, yoga, senior swim, corn hole competitions, etc. “We are trying to enhance our afternoon activities.”

Masks are not mandatory but are a personal choice. Right now, they are averaging around 25 clients per day.

While the center was closed, they still provided the in-home services they provided prior to covid. Meals were still delivered and some of the clients who were going to the center each day began receiving meals at home. Some of the clients did not need this service and were attending more for the socialization, Austin explained.

Any senior in Okeechobee County, 60 and older, is welcome to visit the center. There is no cost to Okeechobee residents, but there is a donation box for anyone who chooses to pay for their meal. Anyone who is not an Okeechobee resident is asked to pay $3 per meal.

The center is open from 8-5 Monday through Friday. A calendar of events is posted on their Facebook page or can be obtained at the center. The Young at Heart Center is located at 1690 N.W. 9^th Avenue.

“We’ve been wearing all kinds of hats for sure,” said Austin. “We are really happy to finally get back to normal.”