Letter: Amherst Seniors Grateful for Planned Renovations to Bangs Center

The Amherst Senior Center is pleased to be the recipient of $2.5 million in ARPA funding, to be used for building renovations. These funds represent more than their dollar amount. They are an investment in the needs of the ever-growing population of older adults. Older adults were at the highest risk of illness during the pandemic with 80% of COVID-19 related deaths occurring in individuals aged 65 and older. In the post-pandemic landscape, older adults still face increased rates of depression, anxiety, suicide, and social isolation. Loneliness caused by social isolation increases a person’s risk of developing dementia by 50%. For heart disease and stroke, those rates increase 29% and 32%, respectively.

The fragmented design of the Bangs Community Center makes it challenging for the Senior Center to be the welcoming space it strives to be. Our over 45 monthly programs are spread throughout multiple levels of the building, presenting a challenge for those with mobility impairments. ARPA funds are an eagerly awaited investment, the effects of which will benefit not only the Senior Center, which saw nearly 900 visits in March 2024, but the fellow town departments and groups who call the Bangs Center home.

I want to thank the Town Manager for this allocation and recognition of the needs of the town’s senior population, I also wish to thank the Amherst Town Councilors, Friends of the Amherst Senior Center, and all those who advocated on behalf of the Senior Center. We’re in this together!