No doubt you have an immediate mental picture when you read these three words: older adult homelessness.
If you were to visit the Serving Seniors Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center on a weekday morning, that picture might change.
If you show up on Monday or Wednesday, you could join dozens of low-income and homeless older adults participating in one of our most popular exercise classes, “Bone Building Fitness.” It’s specifically designed to help protect older men and women from debilitating broken bones in the event of a fall by building density and balance.
Or you could show up on a Thursday morning and join the Walking Group. Regular walks take this large group on trips from 4th and Beech Streets to the San Diego Bay, or Balboa Park, or simply through nearby neighborhoods.
Serving Seniors is known for its services providing meals, social services, and housing. But on a weekly basis, when I see the many people keeping themselves healthy through regular exercise and socialization, it offers hope and breaks every common stereotype.
Basic nutrition and medical care are critical to older adult health. But exercise and social engagement are just as vital. Both provide low-cost ways to keep older adults active, healthy, and in a positive mindset to avoid the spiral of depression that can lead to unhealthy habits, even addictions or mental illness.
When it opened 12 years ago, the Wellness Center reinvented senior services, providing coordinated resources with over two dozen partners, including the Gary and Mary West Senior Dental Center.
Our experience during pandemic when we were forced to close the Wellness Center brought its value into focus in a new way. It reinforces for us the importance of social engagement as a vital element of health and wellness.
There are more than 10,000 senior centers serving one million older adults every day in the United States. Three-quarters visit their center one to three times per week, spending an average of 3.3 hours per visit. According to the National Council on Aging.
These centers serve a vital purpose. One in six seniors living alone in the United States faces physical, cultural, or geographical barriers that isolate them from their peers and communities. This includes older adults experiencing homelessness.
This isolation can prevent them from receiving benefits and services that can improve their economic security and their ability to live healthy, independent lives. Even for older adults who are struggling with housing insecurity, the ability to be supported and to participate in uplifting, healthy activities can help them become stable. They can better find the resources needed to avoid isolation on the street where unhealthy practices can take hold quickly.
Our Wellness Center offers health education workshops including hearing screenings, fall prevention, blood pressure clinics, and chronic disease management.
Healthy senior center activities such as fitness classes, parties, dances, conversation groups, and congregate meals draw isolated individuals into the centers and help them find companionship and support. National Council on Aging research shows that compared with their peers, senior center participants have higher levels of health, social interaction, and life satisfaction.
Serving Seniors recently broke ground on a new intergenerational housing complex in Clairemont, scheduled for completion in 2025. Among the features we’re most excited about is a brand new and much needed senior center for the area. It will serve all older adults in the area with social services, meals, and the popular fitness classes and special events currently enjoyed at our downtown Wellness Center. This is where a better quality of life starts.
We look forward to welcoming our Clairemont neighbors soon. In the meantime, we invite anyone interested in participating in our current programs to learn more on our website. We also hope inspires our community to help us deliver quality care to keep San Diego County’s low income and homeless adults healthy and thriving as well.
Paul Downey is CEO of Serving Seniors, a San Diego-based nonprofit that helps seniors in poverty live healthy and fulfilling lives.