Chat Transcript - Building Great Programs for Seniors

1. Chat Transcript:BuildingGreatProgramsforSeniors
MarketingSeniorProgramsandBestTimes
• We advertise all of ourpretinent programswiththe local senior'sassociationandtheypass
the infoalongto all of the senior'shomes/interestedpartiesinthe area
• Our senior'steaisalwaysona fridayafternoon.
• consistencyhelps - if theyknow thatwe alwayshave thingsonthe firstMonday,theycome
• nightdependsonthe age of the adults50-60 are still workingsotheydrive atnight. 60-70
mostare retiredsocan come duringthe day.
• we do lobbystopsinseniorlivingfacilitiessortof like apop uplibraryidea: if there isa
popularprogramday at the local seniorcenterwe goand take our flyers,orinfoanda
varietyof materialstodisplayona table we take a udedmovingtruckand put 7 librarycarts
init -strappeddown- andunloadthemata centerand the patrons can choose theirown
items we checkout vialaptopwitha mobile hotspotorpaperwhenthe wifi wontwork:)
• I occasionallydropoff flyersatthe local seniorcenteralso.
• We make remindercalls1-2 days before all programstoremindpatronsof the programs
theyregisteredfor.
• You couldhave youroutreach people (whomaybegotothe retirementcenters,etc) totake
flyersforthese programs,etc. Alsocheckwithgovernmenthousing - theyshouldhave lists
of seniorsinthose areasandtake flyersoutthere as well.
• We contact our local unitedway- mealsonwheelsprogramtopassout flyersaboutour
homeboundserviceaswell asgivingflyerstolocal travelingnursesthatsee people inrehab
or seniorlivingcenters- theyalwayslookforfree optionsfortheirclients.We diditonce last
yearand our homebounddeptadded65poeple in3 months!
• Church bulletinsare agreat place to putthings
• our seniorsreadthe local papercommunityeventscalendar.it'sfree forusto advertise
inthere.
• Good programtime is10 and2 for us
• Sendthe informationtoyourlocal radio!
Outreach:
• We have a deliveryservice forseniorswhoare nolongercapable of gettingtothe library -
(thoroughlyvetted) volunteersdeliverandspendtime visiting
• We have an OutreachLibrarianwhodoes"Mobile Library"at local 55+ residences.
• our outreachdepthas 2 mini vansthat deliveritemstohomeboundpatronsevery21days
and a box truck (moving) thatstrapsin7 librarycarts that goesto local retirement
communitiesandnursingfacilitiestovisitseniorsintheirownlobbyarea
• One of ourbranchesis locatednexttoa local veteranshome. We do multi-genstorytime
and otherevents. Worksgreat.
• Our libraryprovidesamonthlymusicprogramat all 4 of our local nursinghomes. Residents
reallylove the musicprograms!

2. • We have "BookClubina Bag,"10 paperbackcopiesof the same title anda laminated
leader'sguide all packedintoazipperedbag. The whole bagchecksoutlike a book. Senior
residenceslike thembecause theydon'thave tobuythe books. Easy way forthemto setup
a book club.
ClubsLibrariesare offeringseniorsalready:
 knitting/crochetclub
 AdultColoringClub! (several people hadthis)
 sci-fi bookclub
 Our monthlythingisa movie thatputsagingin a positive lightanda discussionafter,with
popcorn
 We domovie nightsandadultcoloring - the moviesare more popularlol
 We have a retirees bookclub
 We doafternoonmovies.EveryotherTuesdayisanew release andalternatingFridaysare
classicmovies
 We have a knitting&crochetingcharitygroupthat meetsweeklyandhasforthe last 6 years!All
itemsgoto local charitiesinour community.
 Mah Jongand Canastaare prettypopularwiththe seniorstoo.
 "CookThe Book"was prettypopularhere fora while.We diditonce a monthfor a while. A
theme ispickedforthe monthand everyone stopsatthe libraryandpicksa recipe andtheyall
make that recipe andtaste each recipe.The librarianrunningitmade abookup of all the
recipesthatwere made thatday.
 We have a storytellinggroupthatmeets,it'sstartingsmall,butit'sgoingwell!
 We doadultcoloringas a passive program, butthe sheetsandbookmarksdisappear. Wish
more folkswouldleave theirfinishedworkforusto display
 We have a memoirgroupthat hasbeengoingstrongfor about3 yearsnow!
TechnologyPrograms:
 "SpeedFriending"plannedforMarch
 seniorcomputerclasses
 E-readersandOverDrive are huge forus!
 Our teensearncommunityservice hoursbyteachingthe seniorstechnology.
 we have a 80 iPadmobile lendingprogramforolderadults- we goand dothe classesin6 week
sessions- all grantfunded!
 People love helpwiththe technology
 we offerone onone Tech Helpappointments
 We juststartedofferingTechTutors - teentutorshelpingwithvarioustech,mostlybeingused
by seniorsatthe momentandgettingexcellentfeedback
 WirelessWednesdaysfor2 hours

3.  my colleague isdoinga"cool grandparents"programwhere srscomplete gadgetandtech
challenges
 The Maine State Libraryoperatesa TechnologyPettingZoo -- avan full of the latestgadgets --
that local librariescanbookfora visit. Peopleof all agescan 'pet'and try out the new
technology. State librarystaff presentandexplainitall.
Sports& Fitness:
 Wii Bowlingwasvery popularat a local seniorcenter.:)
 Pickleballispopularhere
 We have Tai Chi 4 Your HealthandweeklyMeditation,aswell asaprogram called"Ageless
Grace."
 ChairYoga isverypopular!!
BenefitsandSupport:
 we had the SS deptcome in andtalk wheneverythingwentonline.
 We've had social security/retirementseminarsandtheyhave beengood
 We have a caregiversupportgroup.
 We hada verysuccessful programonwillsandestates.A local lawyercame andanswered
questions.
 In fact we had a seniorfestival- where alotof agenciescame togethertoshowcase whatthey
offer
 We have an annual senior'sappreciationteaforourpatrons withentertainment,andMC,food,
and prizes
 We are doingMedicare,Soc.Sec.,Long Term Care
 The Dept of Agingdoescome to our libraryonce a monthand hang outin the lobbyto answer
questionsaboutseniorprograms
 i'm a hospice volunteerandhope tofacilitate apartnershipwithourlocal hospice inthe future
MysteryThemes
 Escape rooms are reallypopularuphere rightnow...Idon'tknow if they'dappeal to seniors?
Maybe a ColumboorMiss Marple theme?
 "Real Murder Club"like inthe AuroraTeagardenmysteries?
 Scrabble Tile coasterswithcorkboard andE6000 Amazonhas100-200 piece tilesforcheap,get
cork board from Amazonor craft storesplusE6000 glue to glue tilesonthe cork.Use Mod
Podge to give ita matte finish.
Estate Management/Value of ThingsinHome
 We're planninga 'cradle to grave'moneymanagement,includingexecutorplanningandwills
and estate planning
 We diddo a buying/sellingonlineprogramanditwas a good turnout.

4.  basiceBay sellingverypopular!
 We have a presenterthatdoesanAntique RoadShow.
 MidcenturyModernfurniture isREALLY bigwithcity millennials rightnow.
 We have a local quiltersguildwhichmeetshere andtheywilltake alookat the oldfamiyquilts
and tell youaboutthem
 we invite local antique dealerstocome andprovide anantique appraisal fair
 one of ourbrancheshad an Antiques Roadshow type event withalocal anique guyanditwas so
popularwe had staff inthe middle of the roaddirectingtraffic
Crafts& Gardening
 a popularprogram here forSC isan annual plantswap the patronshere startinggrowingplants
justfor the swap!
 The paint parties have done well here.
 Some of these wouldbe goodformulti-generational program - seniorssharingtheseskillsand
vintage interestswithteensandkids...
HistoryPrograms
 In Decemberwe're havingaPearl Harboranniversaryprogram.Local historianis goingto give a
talkabout Pearl Harbor.
 We are currentlyshowing"Bandof Brothers"overthe course of several weekswithabrief talk
by one of our staff whohappensto alsobe a militaryhistoryprofessor
 Ancestryclassesgooverwell withseniors,usually.
Writing
 Memoir-writingclassesare popularinmylibrary.
 Verypopularmemoirwritingclassfromlocal college
 we are doingthe nanowrimoandthe come write ins.
Local History
A lotof our seniorshave retiredherefromothercitiesandprovincesso the local historydoesn'talways
go overwell.Strangelyenough,architecture doesthough!
Music
We have a ukulele programforadults,verypopular!

5. JobFair:
 Our local JobSource comestodo jobsearching/resumewriting/interviewingworkshops
 We justdid a job fair...hadabout9 local businessesattendingwithabout20attendees
Movies
we have reel historythatshowsoldmovie anddiscussesthe makingandhistoryof it
Animal Programs
 We broughtinthe Humane Societylastyearand theybroughtkittens,cats,guineapigsand
rabbits.We got to cuddle themall,andthe rabbit,kitten,catall got adopted!
 We have an eventaroundHalloweencalledBooWow - a dogcostume contestwhere they
parade around the libraryandwinprize basketsforseveral categories - hugelypopularwithall
ages!