Nacer Hechehouche is 77 and his social life is jam-packed. Five days a week, he comes to the social adult day program at LifePath, where they recently played a word game.

“Well, what I like about it is the opportunity to meet others and to socialize," says Hechehouche. "That's very important."

The programs offer activities like arts and crafts, games, physical activity and even what they call “armchair travel.”

“Coming out of COVID, we've identified a lot of isolation and situations where older adults don't have the opportunity to get out and participate in activities in their community as often as pre-COVID," says Gary March, executive director at LifePath.

Adult day programs help that isolation and loneliness, both of which can have serious health impacts. According to the National Council on Aging, they put older adults at risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, depression and even Alzheimer’s. Helping people like Hechehouche stay social year-round.

“During the summer, people are home. They're taking vacations with older adults. But as the school year begins and the routine kind of picks back up, older adults are often left behind and are not thought of as prevalently as they are maybe during the summer," March said.

“You keep active," Hechehouche said. "You don't like to give up, you know, old age."