Keystone Community Services

Activities

Keystone Senior Services keeps older adults (age 55+) thriving and active through fitness classes, wellness events and social activities.

Older Adults Stay Active

Keystone Senior Services helps seniors “age in place” by providing activities to keeps one’s mind and body healthy. There is overwhelming evidence that shows the importance of fitness and social connections for individuals of all ages. Our programs and activities are designed specifically for older adults and keep our greatest generation engaged as a vital part of our community.

Alert minds, healthy bodies, energized spirits

That’s what the Keystone Active Seniors program is all about! Active Seniors is a year-round program of diverse activities designed to support independence and enhance quality of life. Even in this virtual world, Keystone continues to provide a wide array of exercise, wellness and social/recreational programs to help active seniors stay healthy, independent and socially connected. Participants choose from the program’s many offerings according to desires and interests. All are welcome!

Wide Variety of Opportunities

Keystone’s Active Seniors program is designed for adults aged 55-100+ years old. We offer a wide array of exercise, wellness and social/recreational programs specifically for older adults. Fitness classes, social activities and volunteer opportunities are available.

Staying Engaged and Connected Through the Pandemic

Due to the COVID-19 health pandemic, we have closed senior centers and cancelled our in-person active senior programs. We miss seeing all of you and we look forward to when we can all be together again.

For  the time being, we have shifted to virtual programming in order to help everyone stay healthy and connected! We are currently offering a variety of online activities, including exercise classes and social opportunities. To take part in any of our virtual offerings, read more below or call 651-645-7424 for details.

Get Connected

Our Thriving Times Newsletter is a quarterly compilation of resources and activities.

Fall Thriving Times Newsletter

To keep everyone in the loop, we have a brand new biweekly e-newsletter called “Keeping Connected” that will provide a collection Keystone and community resources for you to participate in and activities you can do from home. Sign up to receive the newsletter below!

Subscribe to the Keeping Connected Senior E-Newsletter

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View the Most Recent Edition of Keeping Connected

Connect with Your Keystone Pals

We may not be able to gather in person, but that won’t stop the Keystone crew! Join us online!

Virtual board games

One of our favorite activities when we’re all together in person is playing board games! Since our virtual programming has been so successful we thought we’d give playing games via Zoom a try! We have so many great ideas about games we can play virtually; Yahtzee, Scattergories, Trivia, Crossword, Pictionary, and maybe even Scrabble! Other ideas are welcome!

When: 1st Thursday of each month at 1:00 p.m. (beginning Nov. 5th!)

How to participate: Call or email Karlene for the Zoom link and instructions

Zoom book club

Keystone’s brand new Zoom Book Club will meet once a month, starting in November! Love to read and talk to your friends about books? This group is for you! Book club will take place on the third Wednesday of each month at 1:00 p.m. You can call or email Karlene to get the link to join. See the list of titles we’ll be exploring together below!

December 16: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

January 20: The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal

Recognize this? on zoom

A new discussion group from Keystone called Recognize This? will be starting October 8! Old photos will help us begin reminiscing about our lives in St. Paul and Minnesota. Through stories and facts, we will learn more about each other and our beloved home town and state. RSVP to Karlene at knivacolgan@keystoneservices.org to get the link to join in!
When: 2nd Thursday of each month at 1:00 p.m.
How to participate: Get the link from Karlene to join in

Meet us at a Virtual Social Hour

Join us for a virtual social hour every Tuesday at 11:00am on Zoom! Say hi, see your friends, make new friends, and get the chance to visit for a little while. Zoom can be used even if you don’t have a computer or camera on your computer. Call in directions are included to join us via phone or join us via computer without camera. We won’t be able to see you, but you can watch and hear and join the fun anyway! RSVP to Karlene at knivacolgan@keystoneservices.org to get the link to join in!
When: Tuesdays at 11am on Zoom
How to participate: Get the link from Karlene to join in

arthritis exercise class

We’re bringing back an old staple of our Senior Program via Zoom! An Arthritis Foundation trained exercise instructor will lead this low-impact, joint-safe exercise class through the use of gentle stretching and strengthening.

When: Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. (beginning Oct. 5, no class Nov. 3)

How to participate: Call or email Karlene for the link to join

Virtual fit and Fabulous class

Log on for Virtual Fit and Fabulous class with Jill, hosted by Keystone
Clear a space in your home and join us for 45 minutes of stretching, cardio, and mindfulness training. You will want to have a stable chair, a couple of weights or cans of soup, a stretchy band (or long scarf or bathrobe tie), and a fitness ball or small pillow to participate fully in the class. And don’t forget your water bottle! Email Karlene at knivacolgan@keystoneservices.org to get the link to join us!
When: Classes are happening every Monday and Wednesday at 10 a.m.
Cost: Free
How to participate: Get the link from Karlene and then drop-in anytime.

Watch Previous Virtual Fit and Fabulous Classes

In case you are not able to join us live or would just like to try our Fit and Fabulous Class on your own time, we’ve been recording the exercise classes for you! You can view pre-recorded Virtual Fit and Fabulous classes with Jill, hosted by Keystone. Click one of the links below to participate on your own time!

 

Keystone News & Updates

Food Delivery Available for You

During this COVID-19 pandemic, we are growing our services to help more people access healthy food. One of the changes we’ve made is providing free food deliveries for individuals and smaller households. We have partnered with Transit Link to provide this service. If you or someone you know is nervous or unable to go to the grocery store of the food shelf during the pandemic, please read on to learn how to utilize our new grocery delivery service!

  • How the program works:
    • Who is eligible? Anyone unable to easily access food services is eligible for this program. In the early stages we are limiting deliveries to Ramsey County only, though this may change in the future. Our drivers are carrying this, so it is helpful if it is smaller household sizes (4 people or fewer), but we can work with you if your household is larger.
    • How do I sign up? People who are interested in scheduling a delivery should contact the Keystone Midway site at (651) 917-3792. If you have never been to a Keystone food shelf, you’ll need to complete a brief intake questionnaire over the phone. If you have never been to one of our food shelves before, you will need to complete an intake questionnaire.
    • When are deliveries? Deliveries are scheduled on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoons, with a delivery window between 2:00 and 4:00. For food safety, all deliveries will be made within one hour of departing our food shelf.
    • What food will I receive? Each food delivery package will include non-perishable items, produce, bakery items, and milk, and meat if available. Participants will be offered their choice of a Meat, No Pork, or Vegetarian option.
    • How do appointments work? Appointments must be received by 10:00a.m. on the day before the delivery and we will initially keep a limit of 10 households for each delivery date.

New to Zoom?

Wondering how to use Zoom? Check out this tutorial.

This tutorials will have you video chatting like a pro in no time! Keystone staff are also happy to help so reach out to us anytime and we can help get you connected.

Offering Activities to Meet Goals

Active seniors tell us that two things are important to them – maintaining their health and staying socially connected to their neighbors. With those two goals in mind, our senior activities are designed accordingly.

Fitness Classes

All of our Keystone fitness classes are tailored to be beneficial for your physical and mental health. We can guarantee:

  1. You will have FUN
  2. You will meet new friends
  3. You will feel better after attending
  4. You can participate in classes regardless of experience and ability

Tailored Fitness Experience

We guarantee these qualities because we modify classes so each person can individualize their workout though the use of weights, resistance bands, chairs, regular breaks and personalized attention from our instructors.

Programs Get Results

Among fitness program participants, 92% reported that attending our exercise classes has improved their overall health and 97% would recommend our programs to family, friends or neighbors.

Social Activities

In addition to our fitness classes, we have activities that engage people from the community. Current opportunities include:

  • Virtual Social Hour via Zoom
  • Friendly Visitor Calls

Programs Designed by Seniors

Many of the programs and classes are designed by current participants. Participants share ideas and feedback, plan activities and volunteer to help organize events. We are always open to new ideas. Seniors can share ideas or sign up to volunteer to run an activity.