Meet Our Client: Dorothy Campbell
Dorothy Campbell has always liked to go, go, go. She’s very social, loves to travel and try new things.
In 2020, the COVID pandemic forced her to stay home. Then her husband became ill, and she took care of him until he passed away in 2021. She continued to stay home for a couple of months after that but began to feel like the walls were closing in around her.
“I decided I had to get out of my house before the whole world started passing me by, so I stopped into the East Cleveland Rose Center to talk with the center director and decided to give it a try,” says Mrs. Campbell.
On one of her first visits, another participant invited her to play dominoes. Though she knew nothing about the game, she joined in and began going to the center every day, where among other things, she learned the trials and tribulations of dominoes.
“They welcomed me in, and made me feel good,” says Mrs. Campbell, who also tried her hand at knitting and quilting classes offered at the center (not really her thing), as well as Tai Chi, yoga, bingo, a variety of card games, jewelry and wreath making, and more. “I love the Tai Chi and yoga classes – I never knew that my body and mind could be so relaxed!”
Retired for 23 years from her job at PPC Airfoils, Mrs. Campbell drives herself to and from the East Cleveland Rose Center almost daily, but also enjoys group trips on the Benjamin Rose bus to area restaurants, theaters, and attractions like the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “The Center director, Tracey Kirksey, does a great job of planning activities, and she tries to accommodate our requests as to places we’d like to go,” adds Mrs. Campbell.
Mrs. Campbell is also enrolled in the Connecting Our Seniors to Technology (COST) program offered by Benjamin Rose, through which she’s learned enough to use her tablet to play solitaire, spades and Candy Crush.
“I encourage others to get out of their house, to not sit there looking at those four walls,” says Mrs. Campbell. “Every day at the Center, we’re active, we talk and laugh, and enjoy lunch together. It means so much and makes a difference if you stay involved with people and communicate.”
Learn More About the Rose Centers for Aging Well
The Rose Centers for Aging Well offer chances to learn, socialize, create and volunteer. They’re open to everyone, from recent retirees to older audiences!
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