Inevitable change at Blaine Senior Center

There are many things that are inevitable in life. We are all going to get older. We will all eventually pass away. As time goes by, change will always happen. Why? The world changes. Every generation will change usually through new experiences, stronger data, education, medical advances, new technology, new trends, and greater experiences. Ageism is a variable that is prevalent in the lives of many seniors. It is a factor within the senior population. Why? Every generation, even within the senior population is different.

As we get older, we hold onto the things that make us happy: the food we are used to, the activities we know and enjoy doing, and often the beliefs that were strong within our childhood and active lives. Our oldest generations are very different from our younger 50-plus generations.

In talking to many people who realize they are getting older, I understand there is a fear of becoming older. Whether they believe they will lose the things they cherish and enjoy doing, or whether they realize they will soon be the same age as they remember their grandparents or other seniors within the memories of their younger lives. This makes labeling themselves as a senior hard and sometimes makes them resentful of the process. Deniability is understandable. My response: We all get older but getting old is a mindset.

We have 50 years of seniors and three (soon to be four) generations at Blaine Senior Center. This means the center has a diverse population of members that grew up in generations with different wants and needs, expectations of how they want to grow older, interest and taste.

There is not a formula that says once you succumb to the fact you are older that you will want to play cards, pool, or that you will become your memories of what it is to be older. This is generational. The reality of what it is to be a senior is more likely going to take on the variables of your generation. This is where senior centers can help.

When I took my job as the senior center executive director, my first task was to look at the changing demographics of the senior population, understand the differences between our elder generations, and to look at issues senior centers were now facing. I formed a belief that it was imperative that centers change their perspective of seniors to understand the generational differences, to offer progressive resources that all generations could enjoy, and to offer specific resources that could help bring our younger elder generations into the center’s population.

The biggest reason for this is because it became apparent that if senior centers do not change, they will stay old and eventually die out. A senior center is not a convalescent home. It should be a center for active living for those who want to stay busy, enjoy resources that could make life better, and most importantly, have a community. Since my hire, the center has done this. We have doubled our membership. We have embraced every senior generation and the community at large. We have brought in a fresh environment that showcases the vitality of the center. Our center has become a resource for every senior and member of this community.

Change is hard. It was predictably hard for some of my older seniors, but they have been amazing. As time has gone by, the change has been embraced by most. We are proud to be seniors (even though I would like to take the word seniors out of our name).

We still need to grow. The center should make sense in a community that has more 50-plus individuals than any other population.

Seniors are important in Blaine. We need the support of community organizations as we transform ourselves into a much needed “center for active living”.

Pete Nelson is executive director of Blaine Senior Center.