As she ended her volunteer shift at the Gilroy Senior Center,
85-year-old Lillian Broderson had a feisty bunch waiting for her
outside.
”
We kind of dig these old chicks,
”
quipped Mel Plummer, 78, as Broderson came over to chat. Two of
Plummer’s friends chimed right in.
As she ended her volunteer shift at the Gilroy Senior Center, 85-year-old Lillian Broderson had a feisty bunch waiting for her outside.
“We kind of dig these old chicks,” quipped Mel Plummer, 78, as Broderson came over to chat. Two of Plummer’s friends chimed right in.
“Yeah, we’d ask ’em out on a coupla dates, if we dared,” said 80-year-old Mel Bettencourt, followed by a hearty laugh from Wayne Castro, also 80.
With a look of mock disdain, Broderson didn’t miss a beat.
“Oh, so I qualify as an old chick?” she shot back. “I’m not a young chick anymore?”
The friendly, spirited banter among the four is partly why, almost every day, they drive the few miles from their homes at Pacific Mobile Estates on Tenth Street to the senior center on Hanna Street. There, they eat lunch, socialize, play card games and shop in the gift shop.
According to them – and medical experts – keeping active physically, socially and mentally is a vital part of healthy living as one gets older. There are a number of opportunities in the South Valley for seniors to stay active, including everything from line dancing to lobbying local government.
In San Benito County, about 20 seniors participate in an exercise class four times a week sponsored by Gavilan College. The class is one component of Jovenes de Antaño a nonprofit organization that has provided services for seniors in the county for 30 years. Through the program, seniors also volunteer for fund-raisers, attend field trips and play daily games of Bingo, said executive director Pauline Valdivia.
“Activity in general is just so important in keeping healthy. It’s good for them to get out instead of staying home and watching TV all day,” she said. “They’re able to feel that they still have their independence, and it gives them a sense of purpose. As we get older, most of us want to feel like we’re still useful.”
In Morgan Hill, seniors participate in a number of city-sponsored activities including golf, gardening, ballroom dancing, yoga and pilates. The city’s senior center, housed at the Friendly Inn at the Mount Madonna YMCA, also offers card clubs, monthly birthday parties and free health screenings and computer-instruction classes.
The most popular program – with about 40 participants – is an exercise class held every Tuesday and Friday, taught by an 82-year-old woman.
“For a lot of the seniors, this is the heart and soul of their lives,” said Patricia Wyman, director of the senior center in Morgan Hill. “Some have been coming here for 19 years. They all know each other. It’s like a big family – it’s incredible.”
The city also has a senior advisory committee, a seven-member group that lobbies the city council on behalf of seniors. Although there are no requirements that the committee consist entirely of seniors, six of the members are older than 55.
Current issues include expanding Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority’s paratransit services in the area and organizing more city classes and programs geared toward seniors, said Karen Lengsfield, the committee’s city staff liaison. The committee is an example of how seniors have opportunities to stay active not only socially and physically, but also in legislative issues.
“I think it’s important for every group of citizens, whether it’s young people or seniors or whoever, to be involved to make sure they’re being heard,” said 82-year-old Bill Keig, the committee’s chairman and retired assistant superintendent for the Morgan Hill Unified School District. “For me personally, I have a need to be doing something. Part of my motive is I feel I should be doing something that’s socially useful.”
Activities such as Western line dancing, billiards, bowling, puzzle clubs and choir – all offered by the city of Gilroy – are a few ideas for seniors to keep their minds and bodies sharp, said Elizabeth Edgerly, psychologist and program director of the Mountain View-based Alzheimer’s Association. The organization recently kicked off a series of workshops called Maintain Your Brain, offering baby boomers and seniors tips on how they can keep healthy through their golden years. The activities Edgerly suggested include learning a new language, playing chess, reading and, a classic example, doing crossword puzzles.
“It’s about finding something that makes you feel like you really have to work your brain. When was the last time you felt your brain was really challenged? It doesn’t happen that often for most of us, but we need it to,” she said. “It’s important to find something that you enjoy doing, then doing it on a regular basis.”
Diet also plays a major role in keeping healthy, Edgerly said, including consuming plenty of foods rich in folic acid, omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, found in foods such as dark grains, leafy vegetables and berries.
Physical exercise for seniors should include five minutes of warm-ups, 20 minutes of continuous movement at target heart rate and five minutes of cool down, according to Florida-based gereontologist David Demko. Some examples of aerobic exercise include speed walking, swimming, bicycling and aerobic dancing, he said, and also important are strength training and flexibility regimens.
“Seniors need to stay active – physically, socially, mentally and emotionally – because 75 percent of the factors that determine how long and how well you live are determined by lifestyle habits, not the aging process,” he said. “Want to live longer and better? Get moving.”
Margaret Ryan, a volunteer at the Gilroy Senior Center gift shop, agreed. The 76-year-old started working for the center in 1990, when she retired from her job as a tax assessor for Santa Clara County. Over the years, she has created hundreds of needlepoint, crocheted and sewn arts and crafts for the gift shop.
Ryan’s husband died of a heart attack 26 years ago, and she said she finds solace in knowing she can drop by the center and find an activity to do or companionship to enjoy. Ryan also is determined not to fall into the same trap that has ensnared a few of her friends: sitting at home, isolated, watching television or doing nothing at all.
“Some people just lose the will to get out and be with people. Then they get depressed. It’s a spiral – a very bad spiral,” said Ryan, casually knitting white yarn into a children’s toy at the center Friday before lunch. “Others say, ‘Oh, I used to crochet, but I can’t anymore because of the arthritis in my hands.’ Well, we all have arthritis when we get to this age. But if you don’t use the ability you have to stay active, you’ll lose it. Use or lose it.”
Alzheimer’s Association
The Alzheimer’s Association will hold Maintain Your Brain from 2pm to 3:30pm May 6, in the auditorium of the Good Samaritan Hospital, 2425 Samaritan Drive in San Jose. The workshop, recommended for baby boomers, will provide an overview of how simple changes such as increased mental and physical activity can lead to a brain-healthy, Alzheimer’s-free life.
