Senior Centers - Enriching The Life of Seniors

As part of a school assignment, I recently visited the Cary Senior Center. I’m pretty sure that I’ve never been inside a center like this before, and have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. The place was bright and cheerful, well laid out, and every single person I saw and met seemed friendly and cheerful. What was that place all about?

The brochure from the lobby gave their Mission Statement which included “enriching the lives of the citizens”. Our tour guide mentioned that many of the seniors that came there were not native to the area and in fact, many had moved there just to be close to their children and their families. This got me thinking about the older people I know who made a move like this around retirement age. Many of them found it very hard to leave their familiar surroundings - their neighborhood, their friends, their social circles etc. Certainly moving to be near family would seem like a good idea, but often I’ve seen that not work out. The children/grandchildren have lives of their own and often it is difficult accommodating the grandparent(s) into their schedules. I’ve known several people in this situation who actually moved back to their previous “home”. Our tour guide told us that the Senior Center often filled the gap in these seniors’ life. I recently read an article that supports this point (http://www.helium.com/items/71524-the-benefits-of-senior-centers-in-helping-elderly-parents-find-community) where it talks about the moral support this social outlet provides seniors. They make friends, learn new skills and get involved in the community, all through the Senior Center, which gave their lives new meaning and purpose - “enrichment”.

So here are these people in Cary, possibly struggling with the loss of their roles as they retire (or are getting ready to retire) and perhaps are bored and lonely. Being 55 and/or retired does not necessarily mean “old” and may of these people can and will live another 30 or 40 years - what a thought! Looking through the brochure it reminded me of when my kids were young and the parks and recreation sent us the camp brochure. The senior center offers SO much stuff!! Performances of every sort, field trips, health fairs, arts and crafts, multiple exercise classes and games too (apparently Bridge is the favorite). But here is where it got even more interesting, they actually have foreign language and computer classes! Talk about breaking stereotypes! Wouldn’t most people think that retirement age is a bit late to be learning that? How about Job Search or Makeovers?

I left there thinking “this is great!” If this is what I have to look forward to when I get older, that is not so bad. I don’t have to imagine myself sitting home alone, bored and lonely. I will have plenty to do that I will love. For the first time in my life I felt really happy about the prospect of getting older. I sort of wished that you didn’t have to be 55 to go to some of these things because I wouldn’t mind trying some classes out now.