Romance is in the air at local senior centers

In the spring, youths are not the only ones whose fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love, to borrow from Tennyson.

Many Riverdalians have the good fortune to find romance in their winter years, too.

“We’re constantly kissing and hugging,” said Sandy Brod, who is a regular at Riverdale Senior Services (RSS) along with her boyfriend, Mark Fromowitz. “Even when we’re exhausted,” she added.

Ms. Brod, 69, and Mr. Fromowitz, 68, met among friends at the Hunan Balcony at 3511 Johnson Ave. several years ago. At RSS, they have nurtured their relationship through a shared love of Doo-wop music.

“They do dancing here on Saturdays. Sometimes I get him up dancing too,” Ms. Brod said with a laugh. She added that she and her boyfriend, who live in separate apartments locally, have also been on Doo-wop cruises in Florida together.

Numerous couples have found love at the center, said Bob Rubinstein, a member of RSS’ board of directors.

“I was playing bridge with two people on [a recent] Monday afternoon,” Mr. Rubinstein said. “All of a sudden, one of them asked the other, ‘Do you have the keys?’”

Mr. Rubinstein said while they were his regular bridge partners, it was the first time he noticed the couple had moved in together.

“Riverdale Senior Services is about people building social relationships,” said RSS Executive Director Julia Schwartz-Leeper.

She explained while RSS makes no dedicated effort to foster romantic relationships, she has noticed people most frequently find a match in art classes.

Like everyone else, seniors need intimacy, said Ms. Brod.

The Hebrew Home at Riverdale would agree. It drafted an innovative policy guaranteeing sexual intimacy as a civil right to elders in 1995.