Your community's senior center? Is it useful? Do you use it? (55, weather)

[litlux]

It appears that just about every city or town has a senior center. The names and services offered vary from place to place. I am curious as to whether you use it, and if not, why not.

It was a consideration when I chose my current retirement community, but there are lots of retirees who I never see there. Perhaps it is because they still have their husbands or wives, and are pretty independent. My local center has mostly widows, few men, and focuses on what I consider dull things like Bingo, bridge and trips to the mall.

Those of us who are nearer 65 than 95 are more computer-oriented, still like to do different things to keep life interesting, and enjoy a good conversation about more than the weather. Does your local center reflect the diversity of the retired community, or is it stuck in a time warp?

If you have visited your local one to check it out, did you get a warm greeting and made to feel welcome, or did you feel like you were being inspected and judged?

I was just asked to rejoin my local Friends board and am not sure if they are any more ready for me than they were two years ago. I can be pretty feisty and original.

Please help me underrstand what you thhink a senior center could and should be, beyond the usual exercise classes, hot lunches and van trips to the doctor and supermarket which most seem to offer. (And that is not to put down these services at all, they can be a crtical service for many!)

Are Senior Centers doing enough to get you interested? How will they attract the bomers who are coming along? I'm hoping to learn what other people are thinking so I can apply my limited energies to things that are truly important to us.

[yellowsnow]

Here, the senior center is more like adult day care than anything else. I'm not quite ready for that yet. I'm still inclined to think I'm too young to hang out there. I run past there a couple times a week and most of the people I see have some kind of physical or mental disability.

Today, I can't think of anything that would make me want to be there. I'm sure I will change over the next 20 yrs or so.

[Huckleberry3911948]

Originally Posted by litlux

It appears that just about every city or town has a senior center. The names and services offered vary from place to place. I am curious as to whether you use it, and if not, why not.

It was a consideration when I chose my current retirement community, but there are lots of retirees who I never see there. Perhaps it is because they still have their husbands or wives, and are pretty independent. My local center has mostly widows, few men, and focuses on what I consider dull things like Bingo, bridge and trips to the mall.

Those of us who are nearer 65 than 95 are more computer-oriented, still like to do different things to keep life interesting, and enjoy a good conversation about more than the weather. Does your local center reflect the diversity of the retired community, or is it stuck in a time warp?

If you have visited your local one to check it out, did you get a warm greeting and made to feel welcome, or did you feel like you were being inspected and judged?

I was just asked to rejoin my local Friends board and am not sure if they are any more ready for me than they were two years ago. I can be pretty feisty and original.

Please help me underrstand what you thhink a senior center could and should be, beyond the usual exercise classes, hot lunches and van trips to the doctor and supermarket which most seem to offer. (And that is not to put down these services at all, they can be a crtical service for many!)

Are Senior Centers doing enough to get you interested? How will they attract the bomers who are coming along? I'm hoping to learn what other people are thinking so I can apply my limited energies to things that are truly important to us.

great chess club.
great painting instruction.
great french class
star bucks recycled pastry and coffee at a mega discount.
nice people
did i leave anything out?
stephen s
san diego

[RichCapeCod]

Senior Center in Wellfleet (MA) is a large, new, building. Lots of activities and events. I'm a volunteer (board member) on the Friends of the Council on Aging (we raise money for the Senior Center). I don't have much contact with other such facilities, but I believe we have a very good one in my town.


Rich

[Keeper]

BLAH.. I have to agree with OP on this one. The SC in my town is brand new and they spent a lot of money on opening it but they don't do a darn thing there that is of interest to me being in my early 60s.
They have line dancing 2 days a week (whatever that is)
Bingo (whoopee)
Gospel singing
They serve a hot lunch everyday
Have a dance every month at 3 pm.

They do have computers for people to use, treadmills, reading room but you can't take home the books and pool tables. No classes and heaven forbid you try to do anything new as the older seniors (meaning the ones that have been there a while) will pitch a hissy fit. I was told that happened when some tried to start an excercise program. They moved the group across the street to the rec center.
I would love to take painting lessons, play bridge (again) or just learn something new.
I am a widow and fairly new to this small town. It is very hard to meet people my age around here unless you go to a church. I am very disappointed at least right now maybe not in 20 years.

[Waterlily]

We have a Senior Center but I've never been inside it. It's going to sound strange, but it looks like all old people to me. I am over 55 but not that old. I am still active and I just don't see myself hanging out there.

[in_newengland]

Our senior center is pretty good but as the first poster said, most of it is boring and for the older set. They play bingo. They do have computers and art classes and
last year they started a yoga class -- that's the only thing I've ever been to. They have line dancing, knitting, and a few other things that don't interest me. There definitely is a generation gap here.

I would like an exercise room, a cozy living room type of place to sit and have coffee and read and mix with other people, speakers coming in some afternoons and giving talks, and now and then a good movie. It has sort of an unfriendly atmosphere, like WHO are you? People there sort of stare at anyone new and you get the feeling that it's sort of gossipy too. Another thing, I feel these places have a stigma about them, that the only people who go there are decrepit and frail and it's the next thing to a nursing home. I'm joining the Y!!!