Camilla and Susan were best friends for more than 40 years, ever since their kids were in school together. Both widowed in the last decade, they grew even closer to each other. Camilla even moved into Susan’s apartment building in the Mission Terrace area of San Francisco so they could spend every day together.
But a year ago, Camilla had a stroke and passed away a few days later. It felt for Susan as if she was losing another lifetime partner. She had come to depend on Camilla’s company, her advice, and her more outgoing personality that helped to keep them both active among their community of friends. Susan found herself becoming more isolated than she had been in a long time, but she didn’t know what to do without Camilla by her side.
Then one day, she got a call from a friend who had recently moved back into the city after living with her son’s family for a few years in the South Bay Area. She invited Susan to join her for a movie night at the senior center nearby. Susan agreed to go, and that evening woke her up again for the first time in a year to the possibilities: she could make plans to look forward to throughout the week, she could meet new people who also live nearby, and she could have somewhere to go to ask for help when she’s living alone and stumbling over certain challenges.
You, too, can find a senior center nearby that offers well-rounded benefits to improve your quality of life. There are a couple of ways you can approach your search:
- Do an online search to find senior citizen centers near me
- Call a local senior organization for help and advice
Some Surprising Benefits of a Local Senior Center
Senior centers offer a wide variety of events and activities that promote physical, mental, and emotional stimulation to keep aging adults active and connected. But you may be surprised by how far the list of offerings and opportunities really extends. Many centers for senior citizens offer classes for fitness, games, artistic expression, and other kinds of enrichment—as well as classes in computers, managing personal finances, healthy cooking, and even foreign languages. You’ll likely find a senior center near you that offers support groups for grief and loss so you can process your thoughts and feelings with others who understand what you might be going through.
How to Find a Senior Citizen Center Near Me
If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, you probably have one or more senior centers close by. And it won’t be too difficult to discover them and to get involved. Here are a couple of different approaches to seeking a senior citizen center near you: by searching the Internet or by making a call for targeted help and advice.
Do an Online Search to Find a Nearby Senior Center
The quickest way to find a senior center near you is to do an Internet search. In the search bar of Google or another search engine, type in “senior center” followed by your home zip code, and hit the button on your screen or Enter on your keyboard to process your search. The search engine will give you a list of centers for senior citizens that are near your zip code. You may have an option of looking over these options in a list view or on a map that helps you understand exactly where they are in relation to your home.
When you see a center that interests you and you want to find out more, click on the name of the center to be directed to an information page or to its website. You can likely find a lot of details about the senior center before you even visit because the website probably has a schedule of events and classes posted, a list of other services, and instructions about how to get involved.
Call a Local Senior Organization for Help and Advice
Another way you can find a senior center near you is by calling an organization that is committed to helping older adults all throughout the SF Bay Area live and thrive independently. This can be a great option if you aren’t as comfortable using a computer or if you’d rather connect with an understanding person right away who can listen to what you hope to find from a senior center and steer you in the right direction.
Institute on Aging is an organization based in the San Francisco area that offers reliable home care assistance, comprehensive health and behavioral care, and an adult day program, among other services and assistance programs. We are familiar with the many senior citizen centers throughout the Bay Area and have partnered with some of them to bring life-changing services to aging adults in our communities. Give us a call at (415) 750-4111 and we can help you find a center nearby that offers the kind of programs and assistance you’re looking for.
At Institute on Aging, the Social Day Program integrates many of the great benefits, activities, and services of a senior center, alongside transportation to and from the center, assistance with personal care, and nutritional meals. It is a vibrant community of older adults who benefit from socialization and energizing activities. The program helps to offer a routine for seniors who are in transition and still seeking a sense of purpose in their later years.
If you have been feeling lonely or bored or in need of help that you can’t find elsewhere, a local senior center may be able to offer you everything you’re searching for and more. Attending a senior citizen center can be a great way to connect with not only people, but also services and resources that can improve and enrich your quality of life.
To get help finding a senior center near you or to learn more about the programs and opportunities we offer right here at Institute on Aging, call us at (415) 750-4111.
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