Magazine

Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier
Peninsula Outdoor Painters artists worked en plein air at the Palo Alto Baylands in April.

Clubs that meet regularly can provide a fun and stimulating social outlet. One can share hobbies and interests, insights and opinions - and, in the case of Club 55, perhaps even a bottle of wine.

Returning to a regular meeting and encountering familiar faces can provide camaraderie and a sense of security, while meeting new members can add variety and widen horizons. Staying socially active also can stave off loneliness, according to gerontologist Margriet DeLange, project director of the Senior Inclusion and Participation Project.

Photo courtesy of Barbara Callison
Walls full of medals attest to the drive of 85-year-old competitive swimmer Barbara Callison.

Barbara Callison’s walls are covered with medals and mementoes from her international swimming career. Her success is embodied in a tangle of red, white and blue ribbons hanging from the cork frames that line her hallway. Pictures of her with family and friends peek through an extensive collection of badges accumulated at numerous meets.

And at 85, she’s still collecting them.

Courtesy of Larry Partain
The BridgePoint Consortium, pictured after an April presentation, includes, front, from left: Larry Partain, Wayne Douglass and Allan Newlands; back: Shirley and Richard Hansen.

When longtime Los Altos resident and retired engineer Larry Partain moved into BridgePoint at Los Altos, a senior living community, he discovered kindred souls who shared his interest in the impacts of climate change.

"There are a lot of unanticipated climate-change effects that could have drastic outcomes," he said.

Bob Simon

Given your keen interest in poetry, Dear Reader, you must have also been charmed by square-dance callers’ rhymes back in the day. Oh? Still dancing in those wide skirts and cowboy vests? Well - you young whippersnapper, you - you can read along, too.

Our square-dance club finally hung up our boots and flats. As we faded into the sunset, we converted first to annual reunions and then, sadly, to one last adios. The poem that follows was recited at our final gathering.

Courtesy of Margriet Delange
A 2017 Senior Tech Event sponsored by the Senior Inclusion and Participation Project – a program of the Center for Age-Friendly Excellence – matched seniors with students for help with smartphones, laptops and tablets.

Los Altos is home to a unique kind of CAFE.

The Center for Age-Friendly Excellence, a Los Altos Community Foundation program, aims to advance understanding of age-friendly cities and drive transformational change in creating healthy, active, sustainable, inclusive and engaged intergenerational communities.

Most of us want to age in place. But can we? Affordable, accessible and well-located housing affects quality of life for all ages, but it’s most significant for older adults. A report released by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University and AARP claims that these three key points are the cornerstone to comfort and security.

Housing is the single largest item in most budgets, and its costs and expenses directly influence financial security. The home’s location - with access to health and safety, stores, services and transportation - is essential. Without these three components, older adults may experience inactive, nonproductive and isolated lives. For individuals with a disability or chronic disease, location and accessibility are even more crucial.