An event aimed at combating social isolation in older adults saw one local senior center take home a puzzle-solving championship. Organized as a part of Erie County Senior Services’ University Express program, the Amherst, West Seneca and Cheektowaga senior centers raced to complete a colorful 300-piece puzzle in under an hour at the Amherst Center for Senior Services on Friday.
28 minutes and 20 seconds is all that the West Seneca Senior Center needed to claim victory. The team consisted of four experienced West Seneca puzzle solvers: Diane Meslinsky, Amy Lerner, Roger Orszulak and Nancy Wojnowski. Meslinsky said the group developed its strategy over the years of doing puzzles together.
“First, we sorted the border pieces and then the different colors. Fireworks, the cottage, flowers, and assorted greens,” Meslinsky said. “We each kind of concentrated on what was in front of us. I had the flowers.”
A 2019 study from Harvard University found that older adults who interacted with people beyond their usual social circle lived healthier lives. Aislyn McQueen, an external relations assistant for Erie County Senior Services Department, said that’s one of the pillars of this particular kind of event.
“We like to provide as many programs as possible like this one,” McQueen said. “To be able to have people from all over Erie County come and connect with one another and create memories, even if it's for one afternoon, it might be the most interaction that they have during the day. If that's what we can provide them with, and a little bit of happiness, we're happy to do so.”
McQueen said the success of the event will make it a mainstay in the University Express catalog, which outlines all the events open to seniors across Erie County. This past spring and summer lineup can be found here.
