The month of May is Older Americans Month. As a result, a variety of communities in the Chicago area have proclaimed the week of May 16 – May 23, 2013, as ‘Celebrating Seniors Week.” This concept was born out of the Celebrating Seniors Coalition, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the senior community. To that end, the Arms is hosting a variety of events and seminars.

Celebrating Seniors week activities will include:

Treasure or Trinket: The public is invited to bring up to three personal items for an evaluation by certified appraisers. Experts in jewelry, fine art, textiles, toys, dolls, coins, furniture and more will be on hand to determine what an item is worth from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Thursday, May 16.

Famously Bad Estate Planning: Jim Flanagan of Bentron Financial will use celebrity mishaps and mistakes to discuss and explain last will and testaments, powers of attorney and more at 8:30 a.m. Friday, May 17.

Narrow Gallery Art Opening: A wine and cheese reception will take place for the work of Arms resident Howard McClain along with the paintings and drawings of Nancy Fong’s senior art class from the Lifelong Learning Center at 7 p.m. Friday, May 17.

Repair Café: One of only two repair cafes in the nation, local residents (electricians, seamstresses and general handy people) will volunteer their time and expertise to help members of the community fix broken items. Participants can bring in anything they wish to be fixed from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday, May 18.

Positive Aging: Team members from Sanders &Warren, Geriatric Care Management Inc., will discuss how the aging process is a time of great ability, expression and deeper meanings at 10 a.m. Monday, May 20.

Communicating Compassion: Nancy Flowers from Rainbow Hospice and Palliative Care will explore ways to communicate with others during an intensively meaningful time including how to “be present” with someone experiencing the dying process at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 21.

Healthy Brain Aging: Brains inevitably age, but there are ways to keep the brain resilient and healthy. Dr. Erin Hill will discuss what can be done to maintain brain health as people age at this month’s “Breakfast with the Docs.” Participants will also be served a healthy breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, May 23.

Since its 2010 inception, Celebrating Seniors Coalition has been dedicated to recognizing, honoring and serving seniors. The organization’s three main objectives are:

•    to facilitate cooperation between the business community, government agencies and non-profit organizations for the benefit of the senior population,
•    to promote senior groups and organizations that serve persons 60 and older, and
•    to raise public awareness of issues affecting seniors.

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

All events are free and open to the public. For more information, or to make a reservation, call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040 or visit