JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — First Coast YMCA is starting 2020 off with its new “Benefits to Belong” program. It’s meant to connect vulnerable seniors with others at the YMCA to reduce loneliness and depression.
Brenda Griffin spends half her week at the YMCA in Riverside.
“I’ve met a lot of new friends through the Y,” Griffin said. “Some of those relationships have extended outside of the Y.”
She participates in its “50 and Better” program, and enjoys doing Zumba and yoga. But, said it was not always this way.
“I had a lot more time on my hands,” Griffin said. “It would be very boring and very depressed, I think [without the YMCA].”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide rates have continued to rise across the country, hitting the senior population hard. Of the more than 47,000 suicides in 2017, 8,500 involved people 65 and older.
“Chronic disease is running rampant and the suicide rate is up with our seniors,” said Tim Burrows, the executive director of the YMCA.
First Coast YMCA recently received a major grant from the Partnership for Mental Health of Northeast Florida to expand its senior program and make portions of it free. Burrows said the YMCA will host 500 social, education and fitness classes each month. JTA provides free transportation to anyone 65 or older.
“We’re going to train an army of volunteer coaches that will basically be trained in adult mental health and first aid,” Burrows said.
Those interested in the program can find more information here. To sign up, participants must go in person. Insurance may cover the membership fee and for those it does not, there is a special senior discount.
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