{"id":7776,"date":"2024-09-04T14:54:50","date_gmt":"2024-09-04T18:54:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.silvercentury.org\/?p=7776"},"modified":"2024-09-04T14:54:50","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T18:54:50","slug":"senior-centers-are-evolving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/2024\/09\/senior-centers-are-evolving\/","title":{"rendered":"Senior Centers Are Evolving\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first time Sue and Mike Miller visited their community\u2019s senior center in Portage, MI, several years ago, they found a few people playing pool or bridge\u2014and decided it wasn\u2019t for them. But the couple tried again in 2022, when Portage opened its brand-new center. <\/span><\/p>\n

The facility was impressive, but what really appealed was the expanded range of programming. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, my goodness, the things they were offering,\u201d gushed Sue Miller. <\/span><\/p>\n

Now the Millers, both 70, average about three days a week at Portage Zhang Senior Center, working out in the gym, taking cooking and exercise classes, enjoying lunch and volunteering. The 36,000 square foot center was built with public\/private financing and designed especially to appeal to people like the Millers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe like to say, \u2018We\u2019re not your grandmother\u2019s senior center,\u2019\u201d said Kimberly Phillips, director of senior citizen services at the center. \u201cWe are a center for active aging.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Many senior centers around the United States are doing the same: redesigning, upgrading and evolving to meet the changing needs and interests of the newest generation of older adults. They\u2019re trying more eclectic programming: wine tastings, coffee bars, computer courses and speed dating. They\u2019re adding early morning and evening hours to accommodate older adults who work. Some are even dropping \u201csenior\u201d from their names. <\/span><\/p>\n

There are more than 11,000 senior centers across the country, serving more than one million older Americans. <\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Generational differences are driving the change, according to Dianne Stone, associate director of network development and engagement at the Modernizing Senior Centers Resource Center of the National Council on Aging (NCOA). Stone recalls the center near Hartford, CT, where she began her career 25 years ago. At the time, programming consisted of a weekly meeting that opened with a flag procession and Pledge of Allegiance, followed by lunch, a speaker and an activity. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was like a club, and that club model was generational,\u201d she said. \u201cThe Greatest Generation valued that collectivism. They liked potlucks and sing-alongs.\u201d  <\/span><\/p>\n

Today, the Baby Boomers dominate the over-65 demographic, and their interests are much different. Boomers \u201care not joiners,\u201d according to Susan Dillon, community programs director for the Ela Township 55+ in Lake Zurich, IL. \u201cThey\u2019re more selective, and they cherry-pick activities.\u201d Some may join a day trip at one center, then travel to a neighboring center the next day to play cards. <\/span><\/p>\n

Senior centers represent one of the most widely used services among older adults in the United States. More than 11,000 centers serve more than one million older adults every day in their communities and neighborhoods, according to NCOA. <\/span><\/p>\n

As people live longer, today\u2019s community centers serve three different generations: the Boomers, members of the Silent Generation, who are now 79-94, as well as Generation X, the oldest of whom will turn 60 in 2025. Bridge and bingo continue to appeal to many people in their 80s and 90s, but not necessarily to those in their 60s. Senior centers must broaden their offerings to appeal to all three groups. <\/span><\/p>\n

Stone summarizes the evolution this way: \u201cWe\u2019ve gone from a banquet to a buffet.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

More Fitness Facilities<\/b><\/p>\n

The biggest change: more emphasis on fitness. Boomers are more likely to sign up at older adult recreation centers with plenty of exercise options. Centers that once offered a few traditional, gentle, exercise classes, like chair yoga, are drawing new members with pickleball courts, gyms with weight equipment and cardio machines, classes like Zumba, Pilates or strength training, and evidence-based programs like Aging Mastery (NCOA\u2019s course on aging well) and A Matter of Balance (fall prevention). <\/span><\/p>\n

Some are also adding commercial kitchens, high-tech classrooms and comfortable spaces for reading or hanging out. They\u2019re hiring chefs to teach cooking classes and upgrade meal programs and acquiring liquor licenses to offer beer and wine at social events. <\/span><\/p>\n

Many senior centers, especially those in smaller communities, struggle with chronic underfunding, Stone said. But some with limited budgets are experimenting with innovative programming too. NCOA\u2019s Modernizing Senior Centers Resource Center highlights ideas like the Repair Caf\u00e9 in Hopkinton Senior Services in Hopkinton, MA (a daylong event in which volunteers repair household items like sewing machines, lawnmowers and furniture) or Tech Help at Calabasas Senior Center in Calabasas, CA, (a program through which local high school student volunteers provide one-on-one assistance to older adults with laptops, cell phones, smart watches and other devices). There\u2019s also the Road to Happiness at Ela Township 55+, an eight-week class surveying the latest research on what makes people happy, adapted from a course developed by Yale University psychology professor Laurie Santos, PhD. Participants complete a survey, write letters of gratitude and discuss what they\u2019ve learned. <\/span><\/p>\n

Successful centers aren\u2019t just adding more choices; they\u2019re dumping assumptions about what older adults want, according to Dillon. She organized a bus trip a few years ago to see <\/span>The<\/span><\/i> Book of Mormon<\/span><\/i>, a touring Broadway musical notorious for its raunchy dialogue. <\/span><\/p>\n

Co-workers worried Dillon would get fired. The trip was a hit. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe advertised that the show had foul language, and those who might be offended shouldn\u2019t sign up,\u201d said Dillon. \u201cI don’t treat seniors with kid gloves. I never have.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

They\u2019re also treating older adults more like adults, Phillips added. At an NCOA conference, when she shared that Portage Zhang had acquired a liquor license, shocked colleagues responded, \u201cYou let them drink?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

That kind of paternalistic attitude won\u2019t work if senior centers want to attract new members, Phillips said. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to listen to older adults, to figure out what interests them,\u201d she said. <\/span><\/p>\n

Phillips\u2019 approach, along with the new center and the expanded activity calendar, has worked at Portage Zhang. Since the new center opened in 2022, membership has soared, from 1,400 to 4,000. <\/span><\/p>\n

New Generations <\/b><\/p>\n

When the Senior Recreation Center in Plano, TX, remodeled and reopened in 2019, its new name honored a local hero\u2014and dropped the word \u201csenior.\u201d Now it\u2019s the Sam Johnson Recreation Center for Adults 50+.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMany Boomers are very active and don\u2019t consider themselves \u2018seniors,\u2019\u201d said Susie Hergenrader, PhD, assistant director of recreation for the city of Plano. \u201cThey equate the term with a sedentary lifestyle.\u201d  <\/span><\/p>\n

The debate over the term \u201csenior center\u201d has simmered for decades, Stone says, but she thinks thoughtful planning and programming tailored to the community\u2019s needs are more important. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou could change the name to The Best Place on Earth, but if you\u2019ve only got people sitting around watching TV, or napping in the lobby, with limited programming opportunities, you haven\u2019t done anything,\u201d she said.  <\/span><\/p>\n

Even with the renovation and the name change, Hergenrader said, some still think of Plano\u2019s center as a \u201csenior home.\u201d First-time visitors \u201cexpect to see everyone sitting around in chairs and knitting,\u201d she said. \u201cBut when they do come in, they\u2019re shocked to see a recreation center with high-tech classrooms and a 3,000-square-foot fitness area.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s a constant issue, Stone adds.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest challenge that senior centers face is a negative, stereotypical image as glorified bingo halls,\u201d she said. \u201cWe also have this huge problem with ageism in this country. We view getting older as something negative, when realistically it\u2019s something we are all doing. But there are things we can do to age well, and senior centers provide those opportunities for people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Expanding Technology<\/b><\/p>\n

Like many centers, the Princeton Senior Resource Center in Princeton, NJ, shut down in the early days of the pandemic. But not for long. A team of tech-savvy staff and volunteers jumped into action, working round the clock to get the center\u2019s programs online and to coach older adult participants one-on-one on using Zoom. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWithin two weeks, we moved all our programming online,\u201d said Lisa Adler, MSW, the center\u2019s chief development officer. \u201cIn addition to teaching people to get on Zoom, we helped them with online banking and apps for grocery shopping, and how to get on portals to schedule medical care.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The center is again open to in-person programs and, in January, was renamed the Center for Modern Aging Princeton. But that \u201cpandemic pivot\u201d inspired an ongoing investment in hybrid technology. <\/span><\/p>\n

Classrooms are now equipped to offer top-notch hybrid classes, with large video screens, sophisticated audio systems (including hearing loops for those with hearing loss) and 360-degree OWL cameras, which auto-track the instructor as well as student participants, allowing remote participants to easily follow along. Now, nearly 50 percent of CMAP\u2019s 5,500-plus participants engage in the center\u2019s programming virtually, with some joining from around the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have people coming to hybrid programs who couldn\u2019t attend programs before when they were only in-person,\u201d said Adler. \u201cFor example, caregivers who can\u2019t leave the people they\u2019re caring for can now join our caregiver support group.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The center also continues to offer one-on-one tech help to older adults, both in person and online. Using a platform called TeamViewer, trusted volunteers can even access an older adult\u2019s computer remotely (with their permission) to set up new software or troubleshoot problems. <\/span><\/p>\n

Combating Social Isolation <\/b><\/p>\n

In 2013, Illinois residents Marcia and James Dewey were poised to move to a resort community a few hours away, but a trip to Cape Cod, hosted by their local senior center, Ela Township 55+, changed their minds. They made so many new friends on the trip that they decided not to move\u2014and became regulars at the center. They joined the Cuisine Club, took craft classes, volunteered and attended lectures, discussion groups, trivia contests, wine tastings and concerts. After James died seven years ago, Marcia joined the grief support group. Marcia, 81, uses a walker now, which she borrowed from the center\u2019s Lending Closet. Recently, a staff member at the center helped her fix the walker and tackle an issue with her email. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou become part of a community,\u201d she said. <\/span><\/p>\n

Programming may bring people into centers, Phillips said, but it\u2019s the social connections that keep them coming back\u2014and socializing doesn\u2019t always need to be structured. Portage Zhang, by design, also offers quiet spaces where more introverted patrons can read or just hang out.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that the impact of isolation is the same as smoking 15 cigarettes every day,\u201d she said. \u201cComing to a senior center is good for your health.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Research confirms this. \u201cOlder adults who participate in senior centers experience better psychological well-being across several measures compared to non-participants, including perceived social and health benefits, lower levels of depression, supportive friendships and lower stress levels,\u201d according to an NCOA report.<\/span><\/p>\n

Social isolation, of course, affects people of all ages; some centers are experimenting with intergenerational activities. In addition to its long-standing Grand Pals program (in which older volunteers read to young students in local schools), the Princeton center is experimenting with intergenerational events like nature walks and hikes. Older adults can bring their grandchildren, but anyone of any age can join. <\/span><\/p>\n

Social connection is what keeps Donna Pollock, 93, coming to the Plano center. She recently moved into an independent living community that offers plenty of activities. But three or four days a week, she still drives to the Plano, TX, center for lunch, bingo and poker. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy friends are here,\u201d she said. \u201cThis place is like a second home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Bud Ainsworth, 81, and Jim Pruett, 71, are two of a dozen or so older adults who keep a pool game going throughout the day at the Plano center. The banter flows as players come and go.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoy the camaraderie and the fellowship,\u201d Ainsworth said. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d come on Sunday, too, if it was open,\u201d Pruett joked. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSenior centers aren\u2019t just activity centers,\u201d said Phillips. \u201cThey\u2019re addressing a public health issue.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first time Sue and Mike Miller visited their community\u2019s senior center in Portage, MI, several years ago, they found a few people playing pool or bridge\u2014and decided it wasn\u2019t for them. But the couple tried again in 2022, when…<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Senior Centers Are Evolving\u00a0<\/span> ›<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":7777,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[49,5,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-getting-older","category-issues-in-aging"],"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":"","source_text":"","source_url":""},"wps_subtitle":"They\u2019re expanding to match the wide-ranging interests of new generations of older adults.\u00a0\u00a0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7776"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7776\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7778,"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7776\/revisions\/7778"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7777"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}