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Guest Opinion | Akila Gibbs: Older Americans: Age My Way

Published on Monday, May 16, 2022 | 5:00 am
 
Akila Gibbs

When most adults reach age 65 and older, they finally have more free time to travel, try new hobbies and activities, enjoy exhilarating experiences and take on new challenges. 

At the Pasadena Senior Center, we are grateful that May has been proclaimed Older Americans Month throughout the nation. There is much to be celebrated, and there also are issues related to older adulthood that should be of concern to everyone, regardless of age.

Older adults play vital, positive roles in the greater Pasadena community – as family members, friends, mentors, volunteers, civic leaders, members of the workforce and more. Just as all people are unique, so too are how they age and what they choose to do as they age. 

That is why the theme for national Older Americans Month 2022 is Age My Way. This makes me especially happy because the Pasadena Senior Center’s ongoing theme is #AgeWell, and the two go hand in hand perfectly.

From a local perspective, there are thousands of examples of active adults in the greater Pasadena area who refuse to fit into age-old “elderly” stereotypes and certainly are not the rocking-chair crowd. For most older adults, this is a time of life when doors open and new experiences beckon. 

Here are just two examples of how older adults in the greater Pasadena area are embracing their futures with gusto:

  • The Pasadena Senior Games promote healthy, active lifestyles that keep adults 50 to 99+ young in body, mind and spirit. These remarkable athletes compete in nearly 20 sports categories divided into specific age groups. During the last Pasadena Senior Games, 1,200 older adults participated in athletic competitions. Gunnar Linde set a USA American Masters track and field record for the men’s 90 to 94 age group in the 5,000-meter run, and Kellie-Bea Cooper won the women’s 100-yard breaststroke in swimming for the women’s 50 to 59 age group.
  • Thanks to Zoom, many older adults in the greater Pasadena area participate in the dozens of classes, lectures and conversations hosted by the Pasadena Senior Center via Zoom. Since they now are more computer-savvy than ever before because of this experience, they have told us they want these live, online options to continue even when the center is fully open again after having been closed due to COVID. 

Nationally, more than 10,000 people turn 65 every day. Older adults are living longer, healthier lives than any time in history, and that is remarkable. Conversely, many older adults are frail and/or live at or below the federal poverty level.

According to the most recent Community Health Needs Assessment produced by the Pasadena Public Health Department, 16.3 percent of adults 65 and older in Pasadena were living below the poverty level in 2019 – compared to 13.5 percent in all of Los Angeles County and 10.2 percent in all of California.

While many older adults have workplace and retirement incomes that well exceed the poverty levels, meaning that many can #AgeWell at home, many others face everyday challenges related mostly to affordability, accessibility and, in some cases, assisted living.

Programs have been in place for some time at the city of Pasadena’s Housing Department to assist low-income older adults with finding affordable and accessible housing services, but there is much more to be done due to the potentially dire circumstances faced by this population group. Policy advances and recommendations are being sought and studied throughout the nation to help increase financial benefits for older adults, such as increases in Social Security, that will aid in housing affordability.

The Pasadena Senior Center website has a page for many social services, including housing. Visit www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org and click on Resources, then Resource Directory, then Housing for a list of agencies, complete with links, that provide options for and assistance with a variety of housing categories for older adults, including retirement communities, apartments, assisted living complexes, skilled nursing facilities and more.

While Age My Way and #AgeWell may mean different things to different older adults, there are important tasks everyone, no matter what age, should consider undertaking as soon as possible, such as planning for what they need and want in the future, from affordable housing to financial planning. The Pasadena Senior Center is here to help!

I hope the entire Pasadena community will commemorate national Older Americans Month to celebrate all of the older adults who contribute their wisdom, vitality and civic involvement. After all, communities benefit when people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds are welcomed, included and supported.

Akila Gibbs is the executive director of the Pasadena Senior Center.

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