DOTHAN, Ala. – A bit of normalcy is returning to the senior citizens of Daleville. After a year of seeing the doors of their center locked, that has now changed.
After closing their doors last March, the Daleville Senior Center was determined to find a plan that suited their members safety.
“When the Alabama Department of Senior Services decided to go ahead and clear all of the centers to go ahead and open, we decided to hold off for a little bit we were unsure if we were going to be able to provide a safe space for them, we wanted to make sure we had all of our ducks in a row before inviting them back,” said Laura Leger – Director of Daleville Senior Center.
But now the center is opening their doors and getting back to serving their members.
“After a year and two months we were just came to the conclusion enough is enough it is time for these seniors to get back to living,” said Leger.
With a new normal that includes a few extra steps.
“They have to fill out a one-page assessment to make sure they do not have any symptoms of COVID, and they have to undergo a temperature check,” said Leger.
Members are just happy to be back and able to reconnect with friends.
“It’s great being back we’ve had a whole year of not being here and things are just so exciting seeing friends see what they’ve been doing and not been doing of course a lot of us have been encapsulated in our homes,” said Linda Martin – Member of Daleville Senior Center.
Their hopes are high for the future of the center once again.
“I get to see some people I haven’t seen, and we can play bingo and hopefully next month or month after next it will be completely open,” said Chuck Thomas – Member of the Daleville Senior Center.
The Daleville Senior Center also had to cut down on the days they will be open. The new schedule is to be open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, using Tuesdays and Thursdays to deep clean.
