After years of hard work, retirement brings the well-earned rewards of freedom and time. This stage of life is filled with endless possibilities – from learning a new skill to exploring unfamiliar places.
Deciding what to do with this new freedom can be challenging. The sudden expanse of free time can be overwhelming but don’t find yourself intimidated. Instead, embrace this time and fill it with enriching activities of your choice.
As a retiree, staying busy and social is vital to reducing the risk of physical and mental illnesses. Keeping your body moving and maintaining relationships will help protect your health and quality of life.
CHEER can help. For over 50 years, CHEER has provided a variety of innovative programs and services that promote a healthy lifestyle for Sussex Countians ages 50 and over so they can continue to enjoy a high quality of life and independence in their own homes.
CHEER has seven activity centers located throughout Sussex County – Georgetown, Greenwood, Lewes, Long Neck, Milton, Ocean View and Roxana. These centers offer many opportunities – exercise programs, support groups, craft classes, health seminars, concerts, games, trips and more – for mature adults to stay healthy and active. A delicious, healthy meal is also served daily.
CHEER buses are available to pick up seniors at their homes and take them to and from the centers as well as the bank, post office and drug store, and on any other mini-trips that are planned by the center.
CHEER hosts several special events throughout the year that are open to the public. CHEER’s annual fundraiser, the Wheels for Meals Car, Truck and Bike Show is the only car show featuring a champagne lunch. This year’s show is Saturday, Aug. 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the CHEER Community Center on Sand Hill Road, east of Georgetown. You also don’t want to miss these events – the Trap Pond Fall Festival on Friday, Sept. 6 near Laurel, a Fall Craft Show on Saturday, Oct. 5 and several other veterans and patriotic events.
For those less mobile, CHEER offers its Meals on Wheels program staffed by dedicated, compassionate volunteers. Not only are meals delivered directly to the homebound, but the volunteers are conscientious about checking on the well-being of the seniors they serve.
One of the most notable events sponsored by CHEER is its annual Operation Christmas CHEER through which food and gifts are delivered to homebound seniors on Christmas Day morning. Loving volunteers give a little of their holiday to enrich the day for a senior who has no one to share it with.
CHEER also offers a mini grocery store on wheels that delivers staple groceries to seniors who don’t drive. On a rotating two-week basis, the CHEERmobile takes necessities such as bread, milk, cereal, flour, sugar and other assorted items to seniors who have no one to bring them groceries.
If seniors need a little help in the home with minor housecleaning, personal assistance in grooming or dressing, or just want some companionship, CHEER’s Personal Assistance Agency can provide a direct care worker. Often that little extra assistance is the very thing that allows an individual to continue living a safe and healthy life in their own home.
Perhaps your active retirement years have been interrupted by the responsibility of taking care of aged loved ones. The CHEER Sand Hill Adult Program can provide caregivers with a break from their caregiving duties while their loved one is cared for by trained professionals in a secure, friendly environment.
This program helps improve the quality of life for seniors with dementia as well as their caregivers.
CHEER’s Memory Cafe is designed for those experiencing mild memory loss, cognitive impairment or early stage dementia and the caregivers of those affected. The Memory Cafe aids in the prevention of social isolation by bringing together people for a fun time and stimulates happy memories.
Would you like to have a party to celebrate your retirement or another special occasion? The CHEER Community Center east of Georgetown is available for rent and can accommodate events of up to 600 people. The banquet room can be configured for smaller groups and audio and visual equipment is available for use. Weddings, business meetings, social functions, family gatherings and more can be handled with ease. Professional catering is also available.Do you need something meaningful to fill your days? Dozens of volunteer opportunities are available from delivering meals to the homebound to teaching crafting classes or exercise classes at the activity centers or helping to pack meals for delivery. Volunteering is a wonderful way to feel more connected to others and less stressed from daily life.
Just as life has stages that change through the years, retirement also has stages and CHEER is ready to help no matter what stage of retirement seniors are facing – whether it be the beginning or the end. CHEER provides more than just services to seniors. CHEER provides a lifestyle.
For more information, call 302-515-3040, visit www.cheerde.com, or check us out on Facebook at Cheer, Sussex County.
