September Blog: Boom Boom Pow

Who are the Baby Boomers?

• The population born Post World-War II between the years 1945 and 1964
• 76 million Boomers
• The "new generation" of senior citizens

 

The creation of the Boomers:

• Pre-World War II, couples were hesitant to have children and start families due to the Great Depression. After husbands came back from World War II, couples had faith in the future and that there would be a growth in economic prosperity. The economy did in fact "boom" with growing corporations, jobs, goods, all suburbs. All these factors led to the high rate of baby making and growing populations.

 

Growing up with the the Baby Boomer Genration:

•  The majority of the Baby Boomers grew up in during the 1960s-1970s, during the civil rights movement. This generations lived through the moonwalk, vietnam war, and civil rights movement.
• A lot of these boomers were considered "rebels" for being less traditional than previous generations. They had more liberal ideals, especially when it came to the sexual revolution, drug use, racial acceptance, and the environmental movement.

 

Accomplishments of the Boomers:

• This generation si known to be the largest, richest, and best educated.
• This generation were the first to have life changing technologies like computers, phones, and appliances.
• Some famous and powerful Boomers include Steve Jobs, Barack Obama, Bill Gates, the Clintons, Oprah, Madonna, and Donald Trump.

Why it is important that senior centers prepare for the Baby Bomers?

• Life expectancy for seniors has grown by 12 years
• About 10,000 Americans turn 60 every day
• This new genration of seniors have different prefrences from the older ones
• They are the now and the future of centers, the boomers are comming, and they are coming quickly

What center activities and services do most boomers prefer?

• The reason for the increased life expectancy rate is for the lifestyle of the Baby Boomers. This generation is more cautious about their health. Health, nutrition, and physical fitness calsses asre quite popular amongst the boomers.
• They enjoy being more active compared to the older genrations who like to play cards. Many of these "new seniors" do not want to feel old. They choose to steer away from the stereotypes of senior centers that have "applasauce and bingo".
• A modern trend amongst the boomers is technology and social media. Classes to learn how to use technology are in demand. Apps made specifically for seniors are also quite popular.



 

 



Blog 6: Second Interview Preperation

• My mentor is Augustine Alvarado, the Program Recreation Leader at the West Covina Senior Center.

• My questions for this interview will be :
• What interested you to work at a senior center?
• What have you learned from working at a senior center?
• What skills are needed to work at a community center or with older adults?
• Have you had any experiences while working at the senior center that has stood out to you?
• How long have you been working with seniors?
• What differences have you noticed at the senior center since you first started working there?

Blog 5: Mentorship and Research Reflection

1. Mentorship Question: Describe your experience in how you found your mentorship.

• Over the summer I was in search for a place to get some community service hours, and my parents recommended that I volunteer at my local senior center.  I really liked the environment at the center. Volunteering was fun because the staff was nice and I had interesting conversations with seniors. I had such a great time that I decided to do my mentorship at the center. In June I was still undecided about my senior project. I never would have thought that my senior project would be on City Senior Center Services, but I am glad that I decided to volunteer at the center because I really enjoy it.

2. Research Question: What has been the most important article you have read so far?

• The most important article I have read so far is "The Evolving Role or Seniors in the 21st Century" by Ronald H. Aday Ph. D. Aday is a professor and has studied Aging and Social Gerentology. 

• This article was based on a study of several senior centers throughout the United States. The article provided information and statistics of these senior centers. There was information on the purpose of senior centers and the effect they have on seniors. There was also a section on the key to "successful aging". This article has helped me build a foundation on my topic so I can now decide on which area to focus more on. I now have an idea as to why senior centers are so important and what these centers can do to improve.