Aging well isn’t just about living longer. It’s about living better. Building on this foundation, the Pasadena Senior Center marks 65 years of being more committed than ever to helping our community thrive and achieve our best selves through meaningful connections, dignity, purpose, and joy.
National Senior Citizens Day on August 21 ushers in another occasion to recognize older adults’ invaluable contributions to society and to affirm their rights to live with independence and dignity. President Ronald Reagan officially established the day in 1988, 28 years after the Pasadena Senior Center’s founding.
How times have changed since our early years of hosting white-gloved women and suit-and-tie clad men for tea parties and dances. If there’s one word that defines today’s older adults, it’s empowerment—the license to pursue passions, whatever they may be. Whether it’s learning a new language, like French, taking up a new activity, like yoga, or getting up to speed on the ever-expanding world of technology, such as mastering the latest iPhone, we have sessions, lectures, and/or hands-on classes for that. (On a personal note, I’ve always wanted to learn calligraphy and look forward to others joining in the pursuit!)
Empowerment also means combating the detrimental impacts of isolation and taking health into one’s own hands—helping older adults advocate for themselves on the medical front, talking to doctors, managing hospital visits, and understanding medications.
Being part of the Community Engagement Leadership Collaborative at Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine for the past five years has given me something truly special: the chance to sit down with medical students, talk with them, and share what aging looks like, challenges, changes, and all. When Dr. Lori Carter-Edwards, who works to connect medical education with real-world community impact, invited us in for a behind-the-scenes tour of this cutting-edge school, we were honored to host an event that drew a cross-section of new donors, community champions, and representatives from major philanthropic organizations. Keynote speaker Dr. Tony Hou reinforced not only what we’ve learned about aging, but why it matters.
Longer lives do bring new opportunities to pursue passions, participate in community, and partake in exercising both body and mind. However, all of this depends on one thing—good health. By 2030, for the first time in history, adults 65 and older will outnumber children under five. Pasadena is aging faster than most cities of its size, and this demographic shift signals a change in housing, healthcare, employment, and families.
Our work, and the public’s support, matter now more than ever.
Akila Gibbs is the executive director of the Pasadena Senior Center.
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