Think about San Francisco, and what do you imagine? If you live here, you probably think of the street you live on, your favorite neighborhoods, the traffic, or the buildings. That’s normal; we live in the human environment. But we also live in the natural environment, even if it doesn’t always seem that way.
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.
The expansion of our senior population in the coming decades means new challenges for supporting each individual with their needs and their personal goals in later life. It also means new opportunities as these aging adults look for fitting ways to stay involved and serve their local San Francisco Bay Area communities. With a wealth of life experience and an investment in aging healthfully and vibrantly, seniors themselves may be an invaluable support system to help meet some of the challenges of the growing senior demographic.
Larry was devastated when he lost his wife, Edna. He’d spent almost every day with her for 67 years, and when she was gone he felt as though he’d lost part of himself. Larry had always been a quiet man—he wasn’t one to share his feelings or speak his mind, but over the years he had learned to open up to Edna. Without her, he fell silent and felt isolated from the rest of the world.
Too often when we talk about the disabled population, we focus on what they can’t do. But much more important is what they can do, and that list of possibilities grows all the time as new technologies reverse impossibilities and courageous people blaze new trails. But for those people with disabilities who are not connected to the many opportunities or who lack the confidence to dive in, life can be isolating and limiting.
Here at Institute on Aging, there are few things we emphasize more than the importance of socialization and the positive impact it has, mentally, physically and physiologically. Or, to put it another way: being with people is good. It’s not really groundbreaking. Except for people who genuinely prefer to be alone (and there is nothing wrong with that), being around other people helps stimulate the mind in a number of ways, including:
What do we mean when we say “movement”? It can mean many things. It can be the actual physical act of changing location or position: a shake of the arm, a quick stutter-step toward a partner, a slight gyration of the hips. It could mean part of a symphony, a piece of music that is contained within the whole, a part of something bigger. Or it could mean an uprising, a group of people with one goal in mind: a gathering, a happening, a revolution.
An old Navy man, Ken had a bunch of tattoos on his somewhat-wrinkled but still-strong arms. There were call-signs and images of the ships on which he used to ply the world’s waters, a few Morse code images, the obligatory mermaid girl, and, somewhat surprisingly, a Latin phrase.
Watching a movie in a group is an incredible, life-affirming way to make a solitary experience into something joyfully communal. We sit in a darkened room, processing a film through our own minds, but surrounded by people who are laughing or gasping or covering their eyes or crying.
“I have learned that to be with those I like is enough.” -Walt Whitman
Institute on Aging (IOA) CONNECT is your direct line to us and the starting point for help with your concerns about the needs of older adults and adults with disabilities. IOA CONNECT links you with our services, as well as community services available. Reach out to connect with us.
Phone: (415) 750 – 4111 | Fax: (415) 750 – 5338
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