Mary Tony is a senior citizen and although it’s unlikely you know her personally, she’s far from alone on this planet. Many elderly individuals all around the world lead sadly lonely and isolated lives. Mary Tony is just one example of such a person. Voyager is a film company that not long ago stopped by Tony’s Pennsylvania apartment with the goal of taking footage of a typical day for Tony, who is 98 years old.
As the cameras roll, Tony honestly discusses the details regarding her solo life. She mentions that she doesn’t communicate too much with her family members, and that her life doesn’t involve the friendships that are so common in nursing home environments, though she says that being alone doesn’t bother her. Since Tony is by herself at home all day, she constantly has to come up with different ways to stay occupied, so she keeps herself entertained by stripping the junk mail she receives.
Once she strips it, she uses scissors to slice it up into tiny pieces. She then places the pieces inside of bags and sets them aside as trash. After she detailed the process, she laughed… she said that if she didn’t force herself to do at least something, she’d go completely insane. Thankfully, Tony has a place to go Monday through Friday every week. That place is called the Easton Area Lifestyle Campus. It was previously known as the Easton Senior Center. An employee of the lifestyle campus said that senior citizens tend to get ignored and as a result, visit the facility.
The center is a hub for many different recreational activities for elderly persons. The many activity options include Wii bowling and shuffleboard, and “Senior Prom”. Apart from those activities, the campus has an abundance of food and conversation opportunities. It’s a terrific place for senior citizens in the area to socialize with each other. These things are all exactly why Tony anticipates heading to it every day that it’s open. She just can’t get enough of it.
The Voyager team asked a few of the Easton Area Lifestyle Campus employees to stop by Tony’s apartment. They wanted the workers to have the opportunity to learn about what Tony does when she’s not visiting the center. The employees were very moved by the visit to Tony’s apartment. It taught them the value of simple human contact for people who don’t have that luxury all of the time. Tony was also very appreciative of the visit. She told the center workers that she loved them, and that the visit was an experience she’d remember forever. Although Tony’s life is indeed solo, she’s in good company.
It is pretty common for women in her age bracket live all by themselves. In fact, close to half of them actually do. We’re grateful for places like the Easton Area Lifestyle Campus and what they do for people like Mary Tony, it’s crucial for people to continue enjoying their lives no matter how many years they have tucked beneath their belt.