By David A. F. Sweet
In Lake Forest, a century-old Georgian brick building is dedicated to helping seniors with the challenges of aging, which can include increased isolation, decreased mobility, and the struggle to understand enrollment forms for benefits designed to support them.
Located on the Grove Cultural Campus at 100 E. Old Mill Road, Dickinson Hall welcomes seniors into an environment full of engaging activities, compelling lectures, and hands-on guidance. Dickinson Hall creates community, generates connections, and fosters a stronger sense of belonging for seniors.
Tricia Schwall (center), Senior Resources Manager at Dickinson Hall, is flanked by her first-rate team: Brie Teune, Katie Dolan, Britney Marsh and Tara Kolber.
“We give seniors a place to go and feel comfortable,” said Tricia Schwall, Senior Resources Manager at the center. “We want people to continue to learn, be social, and do everything that makes their older years easier. We don’t want seniors sitting at home by themselves.”
More than 1,000 members – nearly 90 percent from Lake Forest or Lake Bluff – pay $35 per year (or $55 per couple) to use Dickinson Hall. They can join as young as 50, though Schwall said most are still working then and tend to start using the space more actively in their 70s. The list of what they can get involved with is lengthy: they can stay fit physically by engaging in strength training or chair yoga, stay active mentally by playing cribbage, Mah Jong, or bridge, and stay engaged socially by attending a party or a luncheon, such as Friday Night Live parties or monthly luncheons. For seniors or individuals with disabilities in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff who are no longer able to drive, Dickinson Hall offers a transportation service that can take them to local appointments or run errands for a small fee. To say Dickinson Hall – also known as the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Senior Center – is a hidden gem is an understatement.
“Word of mouth is the way most people hear about us,” said Schwall. “When people join, they tell us, ‘My neighbor has been nudging me for a year to come.’ And everybody who comes here has a great time.”
This year, Schwall has focused on expanding the number of lectures to keep members engaged. Topics in 2025 include historical events, pop culture, local content, and more.
“We noticed our lectures were becoming very popular, so we’ve added more,” explained Schwall, who noted Dickinson Hall also offers wellness lectures on topics such as Heart Healthy Diet and Senior Scams Awareness. “The more lectures we offer, the more our members can pick and choose what they want. They love learning.”
Dickinson Hall is under the umbrella of the City of Lake Forest’s Recreation Department, which provides programming for all ages. This commitment ensures that residents, from youth to seniors, have access to activities that enhance their well-being and keep them engaged in the community, one of the priority areas of the City’s 2025-2030 Strategic Plan.
While it is a City program, Dickinson Hall’s staff is funded by the City of Lake Forest and the Village of Lake Bluff based on membership from each of the communities. In addition, a foundation supports the center with grants for programs and transportation, and the rest of its funding is from fees and sponsorships.
The Senior Advocate position recently switched from contracted to full-time to provide more consistent support. Britney Marsh was hired to help seniors maneuver through hard-to-understand forms and more. “Medicare is a mysterious beast that touches everyone who ages,” said Marsh. “The ins and outs are a maze; it takes patience and a clear head to navigate.”
“As seniors get into Medicare, Social Security, and new technology, it sometimes becomes confusing,” Schwall added. “It’s fantastic that we have Britney as a sounding board and a resource to find what they need.”
Even non-members can benefit from Dickinson Hall. All are welcome to the relatively new Memory Café, designed to help those in the early stages of dementia and their caregivers. The facility’s lending closet also offers wheelchairs, walkers, shower seats, and other medical equipment to all residents of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff.
“People may need a wheelchair short-term for their grandmother because they’re flying in and planning a visit to the Chicago Botanic Garden, and we can provide that,” Schwall said.
Schwall started as a program assistant at Dickinson Hall in 2008. After a stint at the Parks and Forestry Department, she returned as a program manager before assuming her present role in 2019. She overcame the immense obstacles caused by COVID-19 by pivoting to virtual programming for homebound seniors, including tech assistance to seniors who were not familiar with Zoom, virtual lectures and social meet-ups, along with a Thanksgiving drive-through that provided over 120 turkey lunches to seniors in the area.
As one can imagine, she has seen plenty of heartwarming stories. Schwall’s favorite involves a gentleman who appeared at Dickinson Hall soon after his wife passed away.
“He came in pretty unsettled and was trying to figure out what he was going to do,” she recalled. “He took a tour with our staff to see what we offer at Dickinson, started going on trips with us, and eventually met his girlfriend here. He is very grateful that he found us, and these are the kinds of connections that are the hallmark of Dickinson Hall.”
Learn more about Dickinson Hall:
Sign up for Dickinson Hall’s weekly email newsletter: cityoflakeforest.com/eNews
View Dickinson Hall’s Newsbrief for upcoming classes and programs: cityoflakeforest.com/Newsbrief
Read more about Senior Advocate Britney Marsh here