South Pasadena Senior Center Helps Members Stay Young At Heart
Staying “young at heart” is more than maintaining heart health. It’s a state of mind with benefits beyond physical health. The South Pasadena Senior Center offers programming to support seniors physically, mentally, and emotionally. We’re proud to support this critical hub for seniors and the programs that help them stay young at heart.
Let’s start with the body.
Sound nutrition is at the core of maintaining heart health and overall well-being. The Foundation’s fundraising efforts help the Center provide healthy meals for dining at the Senior Center or for meal delivery at home. Exercise is also essential to maintain independence, and it can lower the risk of Alzheimer’s, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, and certain cancers. The Center’s offerings include Functional Fitness classes designed to make sure seniors maintain everyday fitness. A walking group meets twice a week, which is excellent for the body and provides an opportunity for the Center’s members to socialize and create community. Tai chi and Yoga provide low-impact ways of moving that create mental balance and increase energy, and the Center offers beginning line dancing for those who love to shake a tail feather!
Push-ups for your brain.
Seniors who stay mentally sharp may have less of a chance of cognitive decline, which keeps them more independent. The Center hosts groups that play challenging games like bridge, canasta, and mahjong to give their brains a workout. Getting older is also a great time to learn a language, and the Center has French, Italian, and Spanish to choose from. For those who want to get their tech on, the computer basics class and a computer lab to keep seniors in touch with technology. These activities exercise the mind and keep seniors vital by helping them maintain a sense of curiosity and wonder.
Socialization, community, & having fun!
Regular socialization for seniors provides a host of mental health benefits, from preventing cognition to enhancing mood and memory recall. The Center hosts regular social hours, so seniors have time to get together and laugh while seeing old friends and meeting new ones. When the center is fully open, seniors can come in for lunch daily, chat with the staff, or hang out in the library. In addition, weekly curated movie screenings allow the members to gather around a common interest. These activities come together to give seniors a solid sense of community and belonging.
The programs and activities at the South Pasadena Senior Center provide every element seniors need to maintain their body, mind, and well-being, which are all essential to staying young at heart. The Senior Citizens’ Foundation of South Pasadena’s role is to subsidize the Center’s limited budget from the city, providing this extensive programming so the seniors in our community can fully enjoy the present and their future.