Eden Prairie celebrates its older residents in May

They say age is just a number. In Eden Prairie, that number is 14.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 14 percent of the city’s 64,198 residents, or about 8,987 of Eden Prairie’s people, are age 65 or older – up from 5,225 in the 2010 census.

By proclamation of the Eden Prairie City Council, May is all about celebrating older Eden Prairie residents.

The wording of the proclamation, included in the council’s May 2 agenda, noted that the growing number of older residents in Eden Prairie presents both opportunities and challenges.

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Sue Bohnsack, recreation supervisor at the Eden Prairie Senior Center, noted that some of the people who participate in the senior center’s many educational and recreational activities are people who did not grow up or raise their families in Eden Prairie, but moved to the city from other communities to be near their adult children.

At the Senior Center, 8950 Eden Prairie Road, nobody asks for ID to verify whether a would-be participant is old enough to be considered a “senior.”

“I try not to identify seniors by age, but by their interests,” she said. “And if I have a 50-year-old who wants to go to an event with their 85-year-old parent, I’d never turn them away.”

Bohnsack added that people age 100 and older are among the participants in Senior Center activities, which include bus trips, games, art, crafts, education and good old-fashioned connection with other people.

But getting older is not all fun and games – which is why some of the principal activities planned for Senior Awareness Month focus on services to meet the needs of older Eden Prairie people.

Those activities include:

• A Senior Awareness Dinner, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Monday, May 15, at the senior center. The deadline for registration was Monday, May 8. Sponsored by Edina Realty Senior Services, the event features a menu of chicken and ribs, served by members of the Eden Prairie police and fire departments. Cost is $12.

• Barn Dance and Resource Fair, 4 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 18, at the Green Acres Event Center, 14150 Pioneer Trail. The cost is $15 per person, and the registration code on the city’s website is 371108. The registration deadline is Friday, May 12. Bohnsack said the event will include all kinds of dancing, some for watching and some for participating – square dancing, circle dancing, line dancing, and open dancing. Between dance numbers (accompanied by live music), participants will be invited to a vendor fair featuring services catering to older people, hosted by Eden Prairie Professionals in Aging. Participants are encouraged to park at the Flying Cloud Ball Fields and take a shuttle to and from the dance. The event is offered in collaboration with the senior centers in Edina and Hopkins.

There also are many educational events on tap at the Eden Prairie Senior Center in May. Although they are not specifically designated as being in conjunction with Senior Awareness Month, nonetheless they are designed to increase awareness of issues that face many older adults.

For example, Bohnsack noted that many people have already signed up for a free session titled “Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia,” scheduled for 10 to 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, May 23, at the senior center. (The registration code is 378202.) Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are not considered “normal” aspects of aging, but awareness of symptoms, risk factors and resources can benefit adults of any age. This session is part of the Live Well Health Series. The third session, titled “Can Your Hearing Affect Cognition?” is scheduled for June 7.

Another education program, scheduled for 10 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 17, will focus on paying for long-term care. Register by Wednesday, May 10; the code is 371212. The free event includes a take-home lunch.