Apr

9

Aging In Place: Half Moon Bay Senior Coastsiders

Filed Under Aging In Place / Aging At Home 

The party started EARLY. These folks don’t want to be late for the annual Senior Coastsiders Dinner!  Our Dates for the evening made sure we’d be picking them up 1/2 hour before the start of the party, even though they lived only 8 blocks away!

The Senior Coastsiders of Half Moon Bay are a special group of caregivers. A non profit that has been in existance since 1977, Senior Coastsiders has become the focal point for senior services on the coastside. They strive to create an atmosphere that acknowledges and affirms the value, dignity and self worth of seniors and adults with disabilities.

The agency also serves as a resource for the entire community for information on aging, support of caregivers, and development of innovative approaches to address issues of aging. They also do fundraising, and a special Home Repair day where the community’s handy men & women get out and build ramps, stairs, install new doors, windows, locks, fix bathrooms, you name it!

Last night’s Senior’s Night Out was a dressy affair, with community members donating money for the dinner, acting as escorts for seniors with mobility issues, and those who don’t get to go out much at night. Dinner was served by community volunteers, and I especially liked being served by my Financial Advisor, Howard Hayes! This is just one of the many, many services our active Coastside Seniors are part of each week. From Case Management to Thrift Store Management, and everything in between, our Coastside Seniors have a wealth of opportunities.  Their participation led to the room being full of happy, motivated people in spite of their mobility problems, age related illnesses, hearing problems – none of it mattered, it was just socializing with members of the community. And it extends their life…we had 10 people over 90 years and 25 over 80 participating!

Brian, Bob and I attended with our dates, “New York” Mary, and John & Marja Gullmes. We all made plans to meet again, Marja & John, both from Finland, are very interested in hearing the SF Lyric Chorus this month.  And NY Mary was very pleased with her handsome date, who promised to stop by and check out anything she needs doing around the apartment.

We decked our partners out in roses, and the Black + White ball theme was a real hit. But the best part was the lively conversation at our table and the wonderful interaction between young & old, and such divergent interests that combined to make our Aging In Place community center the brightest spot on the coastside this week.

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