Senior Centers Anticipating Arrival Of Hip Boomers

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Senior Centers Anticipating Arrival Of Hip Boomers

By KORKY VANN

The Hartford Courant, August 26, 2003

Senior centers turn 60 this year, but the occasion will be celebrated with more than just rousing games of bingo or extra servings of Jell-O.

To attract aging baby boomers, the first of whom hit 60 in a few years, these centers are replacing their stodgy image with a hipper attitude.

Tai chi, reiki and Pilates classes, massage, health and wellness workshops, fitness centers with personal trainers, seminars on financial and retirement planning, cultural activities and travel are just a few examples that, in the words of Bob Dylan, the times they are a-changin'.

Updated programming, upscale, campus-like facilities and even new names are emerging at centers across the country, says Constance Todd, director of the National Institute of Senior Centers.

"The typical senior center attendee now is someone in their 70s or 80s," says Todd. "As we looked ahead, we realized that the programming and marketing currently in place was not designed to reach the next wave of individuals approaching retirement age, starting with something as basic as our name."

Baby boomers may be getting older, but research shows they don't like the term senior. By 2010, they will constitute more than two-thirds of the 50-plus population, and some senior-center planners think such names as "Center for Healthy Aging" or "The Wisdom Center" might have more appeal.

"It's a real dilemma, and not everyone is in agreement" says Todd. "We still have to offer activities to our current elderly population as well as attract the younger seniors. Some feel that the senior center has instant recognition as a place that offers programming and services to older adults. Others see it as a noose around their neck and want to project an image that moves away from activities boomers associate with getting older."

Senior centers are in the process of re-inventing themselves, agrees Dr. Ron Aday, director of Aging Studies at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.

"For starters, they're taking the `senior' out of senior center," says Aday, who has been researching senior centers for more than a decade. "Baby boomers equate senior centers with nursing homes and see them as a place for low-cost meals in an institutional setting. No question, we've got some misperceptions and stereotypes to overcome."

At a U.S. Senate special hearing on aging in May, Josefina G. Carbonell, assistant secretary for aging, Department of Health and Human Services, told the committee that senior centers of the future could feature health clubs and Starbucks.

"The types of senior centers that were familiar to our parents and grandparents 20 years ago will transform to community and family centers of the future with more of an appeal across the generations," said Carbonell in her statement.

To improve first impressions, some senior centers are opting for cosmetic surgery. "Centers are going for more of a country club atmosphere with libraries, media rooms and exercise centers. Heavy noon meals are being replaced with food-service areas where you can get a light meal or snack throughout the day," says Todd.

Along with new coffee and juice bars, cafes and health clubs, senior centers are changing the times and locations of programming. As government funding has dried up, centers have also replaced free activities with "fees for service" and annual membership dues.

"The concept of retirement is evolving," says Pat Schnieder, Glastonbury's director of human services. "Many boomers will continue to work either full time or part time as they age. They're not going to come and spend the day at a senior center. Instead, they'll pick, choose and pay for classes scheduled during evening and weekend hours at different sites including libraries and other community buildings."