Brooke Wohlrabe

FAIRMONT — Volunteer Organization CREST has several new programs for seniors in the works. CREST has also expanded its Winnebago Avenue office.

CREST’s caregiver support services director, Joyce Peterson, said, “We have the front room on the east end, too. That will be where most of the activities happen. It’s a larger room and gives us more space.”

This space is in addition to two other rooms CRESt has in the office building.

Peterson also spoke about CREST’s new “Out and About program.”

“We were playing with it when we had a summer intern and it turned out to be a great success,” Peterson said.

She said it’s a social event available free of charge to seniors. It takes place at the CREST office.

For the first meeting, she said they showed some old TV clips, including Carrol Burnett and Laurel and Hardy. Peterson said they had a good response for the first one with 22 people attending

“People were just laughing their head off,” Peterson said.

The date for the next one will be Sept. 23 at the CREST office. They’ll show some old-time TV programs again.

On Oct. 14th, Peterson said they’ll show the movie “Hocus Pocus.”

“We’ll serve popcorn, coffee, lemonade, cookies. Last time we sat and talked a little about it afterward and it was fun,” Peterson said.

The other fairly new program is Spice of Life, which is for those who live with Alzheimer’s or Dementia and their caregiver.

“We have a day for them to come to the office and we do something fun,” Peterson said.

The meet on the third Thursday of every month.

In the past they’ve decoupaged flower pots, decorated cupcakes and had a carnival with games like plinko, bingo and ring toss.

Peterson said the event allows people to be with others who are in the same boat, get out of the house and do something different. She said the event also allows both parties to take some time to do something fun.

“Caregivers just don’t do that when they’re home. They don’t take time to do something fun. Here they might create a memory together and laugh and have fun,” Peterson said.

“It’s a really nice program. I’d like to see more people participate in it. t’s open to anyone in the community,” she said.

In addition to these programs and CREST’s ongoing caregiver support programs, CREST is working on providing some new programming that will be available after the first of the year.