Area offers much to seniors; seniors give back

I’m often asked why so many people choose to stay in Charlottesville or relocate here after careers wind down and children are launched. The better question is: “Why not?” We are a great community, so why wouldn’t a person at 55 or 75 or 95 enjoy living here?

Indeed, the greater Char-lottesville area is often cited as a world-class community. From Charlottesville’s recognition in 2004 as America’s best city in which to live, to the University of Virginia’s consistent ranking as one of the nation’s best public universities, to the John Paul Jones Arena’s award as the nation’s best new concert venue, we take pride in being the best.

And we have resources that are particularly inviting for people in the second half of life. The Jefferson Area Board for Aging is one of America’s most respected and recognized agencies of its kind. The UVa Health System and Martha Jefferson Hosp-ital consistently rank among the best in their fields. The Senior Center, celebrating its 50th year serving our community, is the reigning Pin-nacle of Excellence Award winner as America’s premier community center addressing all aspects of senior wellness: physical, intellectual, emotional, social, vocational and spiritual.

Founded 50 years ago today, it is also Virginia’s first nationally accredited senior center.

In the Charlottesville area, seniors made up 14 percent of the population in 2000; their numbers are projected to rise 41 percent by 2025, according to our region’s 2020 Plan on Aging. This booming demographic is an asset for our community that we must celebrate. For it is by creating a community that is friendly for people age 50 and better that we are developing a community that is a great place for all of us to age.

Aging in the 21st century has moved light years away from the days of creaky porch rockers. Longer life spans have given rise to a new life stage. We now have many more years, even decades after our roles as workers and parents wind down. Alternatively referred to as “third age,” “middlescence” or “mid-course,” this next chapter in life can be an enjoyable, productive time of new pursuits, new goals and even new careers. But longer life spans, especially when combined with the aging of 77 million baby boomers in America, present great challenges as well opportunities.

As individuals we are not planning for how we will spend these bonus years. The Vital Aging Network found that while the average American spends 90,000 hours working in a lifetime, we spend only 10 hours planning for how we will live in our post-career years. In part because of this disparity, it also found that 65 percent of people struggled through their transition into “retirement.” Perhaps this is in part because we too often regard this transition as retiring from something instead of focusing on what we can retire to.

We can retire to a great life here in Charlottesville because we have many of the resources necessary for a high quality of life. Studies consistently show that the biggest challenge facing American communities as we age is the need to help seniors maintain their independence. Further research shows the key ingredients for independence are maintaining physical and mental wellness, continuing to have a purpose in life, and maintaining social connections and support.

Fortunately, our community has many great opportunities for people to access the resources necessary to add quality to our later years. To remain physically fit, we have fantastic outdoor recreation options and a wide variety of fitness clubs. To maintain mental fitness, we have excellent and accessible lifelong learning at the Miller Center and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (both associated with UVa) and at Piedmont Virginia Community College. There are countless options for staying socially engaged.

In America, we often find purpose through our work and more of us are working longer both for financial reasons as well as for the psychological benefits of work. An AARP study found that 80 percent of baby boomers, today age 46-to-64, plan to work at least part-time past the traditional retirement age of 65. Fortunately for all of us, millions of boomers are launching Encore careers, seeking meaningful work in their 50s, 60s and beyond at a time when we need more teachers, nurses, ministers, nonprofit and social workers, and others who make a difference in our communities. And every employer benefits from the experience that veteran workers bring to their organization.

For those who don’t want or need paid work, the United Way, JABA and the Senior Center connect people with volunteer work with almost every nonprofit in town such as Habitat for Humanity, Charlottesville Free Clinic, Friends of the Library, Meals on Wheels and hundreds of faith-based organizations.

By providing resources for those 50 and better to remain independent, we all benefit from the wisdom and experience they provide. Our youth and young adults benefit from the wisdom of their elders and there are many opportunities, such as the Music Resource Center, Computers for Kids and programs through the Senior Center and JABA, for people of all ages to come together and learn with and from each other. The positive reciprocity of such interactions is priceless.

The baby boomers have a long history of working to improve our communities including working for civil and women’s rights and launching the environmental and peace movements. And with diminishing government resources for human services and the arts during a time of growing demand for such programs and services, we need the talents of our seniors more than ever to help build even healthier communities for today and for future generations.

Today, many of us are seeing aging more as a journey than a destination. This will have a positive impact on how we improve the vision of aging in our community. For with a lifetime of talents to share with our community, these valuable, active citizens make Char-lottesville a better place to live for all of us.