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Published April 23rd, 2014
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Boomers and Beyond Take Aging in Stride
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| By Laurie Snyder |
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| Energy, healing and fitness. Master Marilyn Cooper of the Little River Kung Fu School teaches Orinda seniors the slow, synchronized movements of T'ai Chi Ch'uan. From left: Delafrooz Mostaghimi, Azam Moini, Erika Bojnowski, Ron Clendenen, Lupe Jimeno, and Tasha Benjamin, social work coordinator, Orinda Senior Village. Photo Ohlen Alexander |
News flash: You're aging. Whether you're keeping Mother Nature at bay with a Botox-filled syringe or are letting laugh lines deepen as you march gleefully forward with Father Time, you will be older by the time you reach the end of this article.
The good news is that you're not alone. According to "Creating Aging-Friendly Communities," a 2009 report by the Center for the Advanced Study of Aging Services at the University of California, Berkeley, the number of Americans aged 65 and over will balloon from 1 in 8 in 2000 to 1 in 5 in 2030. This seismic shift is already being felt in Lamorinda as active baby boomers are making clear that they will not "go gently into that good night." Many will skip the nursing homes of old to age in place, they say, until they age no more.
That tenacity is an ongoing hot topic in Lamorinda, and has recently been fostering lively discussions through "Health Matters for Boomers and Beyond," an educational series offered by the Orinda Library in partnership with the Friends of the Orinda Library and City of Orinda's Parks and Recreation Department. In addition to discussing how to "Prevent Scams, Fraud and Identity Theft" with Shirley Krohn, a member of the California Senior Legislature, participants attending the most recent session on April 11 tried out a Tai Chi workout with Marilyn Cooper of Little River Kung Fu School, and learned about ways to make Lamorinda more friendly to residents over the age of 65.
Having "a reason to be" and a social environment which "allows us to matter," are necessary to age well, said Andrew Scharlach, Ph.D. The Eugene and Rose Kleiner Professor of Aging at Cal cited "Six Cs" identifiable in aging-friendly communities: continuity, compensation, control, contribution, connection, and challenge. By installing simple "compensations" - benches for walkers to take brief breaks, railings to facilitate stair climbing - Lamorindans can help their neighbors continue to engage in the activities they love. By providing cultural and educational opportunities, they ensure that minds remain nimble.
"We are privileged and fortunate to live in a place like this and we appreciate it," said Health Matters attendee Lupe Jimeno, who moved to the Orinda Senior Village in 2004 to be closer to her grandchildren, three of whom attended school in Moraga. "Our senior community has increased the revenues of our town and some of our residents are active members in city committees and activities," said the former employee of Esso Standard Oil who hiked Machu-Picchu and studied archaeology and anthropology at San Carlos University. "Most of our seniors are low income blue collar hard working people, but we do have retiree professionals, professors, doctors, and artists among us."
Many have volunteered for area schools and non-profits, as have other Lamorinda seniors - and that's important, say researchers. By viewing older residents as valued assets, communities aren't just keeping them healthy, they're tapping into wellsprings of wisdom and manpower as seniors give back in ways they couldn't before retiring.
To learn more about the next Health Matters program - a May 16 Health Expo with informational programs about Medicare to palliative care and everything in between - contact Senior Community Librarian Beth Girshman: (925) 254-2184, ext. 15; bgirshma@ccclib.org.
There will also be a free Crime and Fraud Prevention Forum for seniors from 10:30 to noon Thursday, May 15 at the Lafayette Community Center Sequoia Room. For more information and to find other senior activities in Lafayette, visit http://www.ci.lafayette.ca.us/index.aspx?page=172.
California's Senior Legislature
Established in 1979 when California State Assembly Member Henry Mello introduced legislation giving senior citizens a more powerful voice in lawmaking, the all-volunteer, non-partisan California Senior Legislature has been improving the quality of life for Californians over the age of 60 ever since. Praised by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1989 "for accepting the challenge ... to prioritize the needs of California's elderly," CSL's members have persuaded California governors to sign into law 139 out of more than 300 proposals submitted to the State Legislature to improve education, health, housing, recreation, social services, and transportation - and to fight elder abuse.
In 2013, Governor Jerry Brown signed four of the CSL's five proposals, including AB 918, which requires that the State Emergency Plan include best practices for evacuating people with disabilities during natural disasters or other emergencies, and AB 663 mandating that care facility administrators and ombudsmen receive cultural competency training to better serve aging members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.
Comprised of 120 peer-elected representatives from across California, the CSL is identified under Code 402m as the "California Fund for Senior Citizens," and is supported through the state Franchise Tax Board via the California taxpayer signoff option under Contributions (side 4 of Form 540). Tax deductible contributions are also welcome at any time throughout the year. To learn more, visit: www.4csl.org.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA