Explore the unique ways the senior center of today celebrates the moments, connections and opportunities that help older adults age well. The focus on purpose and community resonates in different ways for senior center attendees and consequently senior centers are always reinventing themselves to better serve their communities. Fountain Valley Senior Center recently brought in a new Executive Director to partner with their seniors and move the Center to its next iteration.
Aging with Altitude is recorded in the Pikes Peak region with a focus on topics of aging interest across the country. We talk about both the everyday and novel needs and approaches to age with altitude – whether you’re in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida or Leadville, Colorado. The Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging is the producer.
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Transcript
MELISSA MARTS:
September is Senior Center Month, a time to recognize the connections, moments, opportunities senior centers provide in their community and often in their very neighborhood. Our guest is Rebecca Brown, the director of the Fountain Valley Senior Center here in El Paso County, Colorado. The National Council on Aging’s theme for this month is Happier Birthdays Happen Here. And today we will explore how senior centers elevate and celebrate many things.
VOICEOVER:
This is Studio 809 Podcasts, informing, connecting, and empowering the residents of the Pikes Peak region.
MARTS:
I’d like to take a moment to thank our ongoing wonderful sponsor, Beacon Senior News. Beacon Senior News, you can pick a copy of their publication up just about anywhere in the Pikes Peak region, which includes down in Cañon City and Pueblo. And we are grateful for their sponsorship and continued support of all that we do.
You can look forward to great articles, events, they have a calendar, all the good things to do in the Pikes Peak region. And so make sure you pick up your copy of Beacon Senior News today at grocery stores, libraries, thrift stores. And again, thank you, Beacon Senior News for your ongoing support.
Welcome to Aging with Altitude, a podcast providing information, advice, and resources for seniors, families, and caregivers to help you live your best life, courtesy of the Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging. We’re coming to you from the Studio 809 Community Podcast Studio at The Next Us, a professional cooperative environment for small businesses in downtown Colorado Springs.
I’m your host, Melissa Marts, with the Pikes Peak Area Council of Government’s Area Agency on Aging.
Hello, Aging with Altitude listeners. I am happy to have in the studio with me today, Rebecca Brown. She’s the new director at the Fountain Valley Senior Center here in El Paso County, Colorado.
And this episode, we are honing in on senior centers, because September is a month to acknowledge, recognize, talk about, get the word out about senior centers. And we could not be more excited to know that Fountain Valley Senior Center has just brought on their latest director. And she comes to us with lots of experience, lots of insight, and lots of enthusiasm to be serving those folks down there in the Fountain Valley of our region.
And so welcome, Rebecca.
REBECCA BROWN:
Thank you, Melissa. Yes, thank you for having me.
MARTS:
The National Council on Aging likes to remind us that this theme for this year is Happy Year Birthdays Happen Here, which at first, I wasn’t a big fan of that kind of theme. But then I dug into it a little bit more and realized there’s a lot to be celebrating at senior centers.
So it’s not always just that typical, oh, great, a senior center is celebrating somebody’s birthday today. But it’s about celebrating community. It’s about celebrating unique opportunities that are happening. And this Happier Birthdays Happen Here is wonderful. However, we’re also going to be building a lot on that in terms of senior centers and what we do.
But before we talk all about the Fountain Valley Senior Center, I do want to hear more about you and what brought you to Colorado. I know you got some great history serving older adults and have done some really interesting things.
But tell our listeners a little bit about where you’re from, and where you went, and what you’ve been up to for the past couple of years.
BROWN:
Thank you so much, Melissa. Yes, so I grew up in Colorado. I actually grew up in the Monument area, spent quite a bit of time out there. And I attended school down at UCCS. And so Colorado really is my home. And collectively, even though I’ve been traveling all over in my adult years to various states and doing work there, Colorado is still very much home to me. And it’s really where I started my career in the aging sector. But even previously, before that, I was always around older adults. I have much older parents.
marts:
Let me comment on that for a second, because the other day you said your mom was 83. Is that right?
BROWN:
Well, 82. She’ll be upset if I add another year on there.
MARTS:
82. And I thought as I’ve met you, I’m like, huh. And so I’m glad you did clarify that, yeah, your parents are a little older, because you’re not old enough to have an 82-year-old mom.
But there you go. All right. So anyway, your parents are a little older.
Monument, traveled back to Colorado. Yeah. What kind of experiences?
Tell more.
BROWN:
You know, I had the privilege, I do see it as a privilege of being raised by older parents. And so I was always around older adults in their community. And I really saw aging as a very engaged and active experience for me, because my parents and their friends, they were always up to all kinds of interesting things.
They were always projects and education and their jobs. And they were just very active and very engaged in their communities and in the work they were doing. So I think that really framed a very lived experience example for the work that I would do later on.
And as I say, I started my aging career, the seeds of that began in Colorado. And I started out as an activities aide. And from there, I was an activities director for assisted living communities, skilled nursing communities.
And I think in those roles, and during those years, they were very foundational, because I learned the importance of not just service, but services, and the power of collaboration within an organization that really informed the work that I would do at state and even federal levels when I worked for Virginia’s largest area agency on aging and the development and advocacy work that I did with them.
And so it’s, my career has really spanned coast to coast, East Coast to West Coast, and then back, of course, here in Colorado. But I think that the foundation was services, and it expanded outward into systems, and really examining those systems that impact older adults and aging issues.
MARTS:
You did mention that you worked for the Virginia area agency on aging. So I want to talk a little bit more about that. But then I also want to talk about some housing things too.
BROWN:
Sure.
MARTS:
But first, what is the largest area agency on aging in Virginia? What does that mean?
BROWN:
Sure. So that is Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia. And as every area agency on aging is very different in what they do and how they operate.
That particular agency, it’s a private non-profit, which there’s benefits to that. And there’s also benefits to being a government entity.
MARTS:
For the government entity.
BROWN:
That’s right.
MARTS:
The Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging.
BROWN:
Yes, yes. But that was a very interesting experience with that area agency on aging in particular, because not just the sheer size, which was about 2,000 miles, but a lot of very urban and very rural areas of Virginia, the whole Southeastern Virginia. So very unique in that sense.
MARTS:
Yeah, in our region, Pikes Peak, we do have our city center of Colorado Springs. And then we have very rural Park County and Teller counties that we work in. So it’s interesting. And I wish I knew our exact size off the top of my head, but I sure don’t. I should.
BROWN
I did a little research on that. And I believe it’s it’s over 4,000 miles. I think is your region. Yes, very substantial.
MARTS:
Okay. Now I’m going to go back and look and then have to pat you on the back.
BROWN:
I think that’s there’s somewhere in there. I don’t have the exact miles in my head. But that’s a huge region. Yeah, absolutely, lots of impact.
MARTS:
Yeah. And our biggest we have transportation issues all over the place and medical issues. And it’s so interesting.
So I’m not sure when it overlapped, but you also have some experience doing housing work. And of course, being in the Pikes Peak region in Colorado Springs, specifically, possibly even the Fountain area too, lots of people struggle with housing, and especially older adults who are on very fixed incomes and lower incomes.
What kind of housing work did you do when you were back east?
BROWN:
Yeah, and thank you for asking that question. I appreciate any opportunity to really speak about the affordable housing crisis and specifically its impact on older adults.
As we know, the older adult population is the fastest growing population in the country. It’s unprecedented levels, really, they’ve recently outnumbered children for the first time in the history of the country. So that is significant. But with that, there’s also the aging homelessness crisis.
And so older adults are also the most rapid increase in the homeless or unhoused population.
MARTS:
Yeah, well, here, just to give you a little update on my work, I was one of the founding members for an organization called the Pikes Peak Elder Justice Center. And that entity actually has an elder shelter program, It has a five bedroom house.
BROWN:
That’s amazing.
MARTS:
And so we house at risk older adults, and do a lot of behavioral health coaching and literally counseling.
And then we also have an elder multidisciplinary team that supports the community too. But that was our small effort to help with this housing crisis for seniors.
BROWN:
It’s amazing.
MARTS:
Yeah. And I have to say that we owe that elder shelter program to a woman by the name of Gloria Horn, who was a retired postal worker, who, she’s the one who put the money behind it and made it all happen. And in terms of that elder shelter program, a shout out here to Gloria and her career and the things that she did in her retirement here in our region.
So I too have just a real interest in trying to figure out ways to house people and make a difference for them. So it was fun to hear you mention that too.
BROWN:
And that’s wonderful. And I think that with the increase of late life homelessness, we’re really seeing more and more aging services and area agencies on aging become involved in this, because housing really is the cornerstone of everything. And it’s the cornerstone of aging.
And the part of the work that I did, or the big piece of the work that I did with Virginia, their area agency on aging, was to help bridge the silo, siloed sectors, right? Everyone’s operating independently of one another, but bridge the siloed sectors of homelessness, housing systems, the aging services network, and then healthcare.
MARTS:
Nice.
BROWN:
Because our missions are so similar. There’s such an integration there. And when you think about the infrastructure that each system has already, it’s really a natural fit for us all to work together to address the crisis. So it’s a beautiful thing.
It’s wonderful to hear that you’re involved in that work.
MARTS:
Yeah. And hopefully we’ll keep seeing great things happen. So it’s definitely slow, but things do get a little better.
And for the five people who are able to be housed in a elder shelter program, that’s five that weren’t housed before.
BROWN:
Absolutely, absolutely. It’s so important that the aging sector really answers that call. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah.
MARTS:
And keep doing it. Keep doing it. Yes.
So now to shift gears to this whole idea of senior centers and acknowledging, celebrating the senior centers in our region. And so you are one of those at Fountain Valley Senior Center. Tell us a little bit about what brought you to the Fountain Valley Senior Center.
What was your kind of excitement to take on the role as the director for this wonderful organization down there?
BROWN:
I’m so excited to be a part of the Fountain Valley Senior Center. And I really saw it as an opportunity to really combine all of the key, kind of highlights in my career, all under one roof, all in one position. So not only do I get to be with the seniors and be part of that community, but I really get to be involved in the development and hopefully advocacy work that Fountain Valley Senior Center will be involved in the future, as a really, an anchor for aging in the community, but also hopefully impactful as we work with our community partners to elevate aging in the region and even the state of Colorado.
MARTS:
Yeah. So you talk about kind of advocacy, you talk about excitement with seniors. When you first walked in the doors there as the new director, what was the one thing that just really struck you and made you say, I am so glad I’m here?
What did that look like for you on your first day?
BROWN:
I think for me, it was community, and the power of community, and really returning to my roots, which are in senior communities.
MARTS:
Okay.
BROWN:
Yes. And assisted living was very different. Skilled nursing even is a different kind of senior community from a senior center and what they provide. But the heart, I think, is there. The sense of community is there.
And so it really did feel like a homecoming for me in so many ways, especially because I’ve spent the last several years working at a systems level, administrative systems, development level. It was really nice to return to those roots and those communities because the seniors themselves really are what drive the work. Yeah.
MARTS:
So talk a little bit about what community means to you. What does that mean? What does that look like?
BROWN:
I think that there’s social community, certainly, which are the hubs of what senior centers are and the purpose that they serve. But I think it’s also a very, community, in the sense of moving forward with intention and purpose to really elevate aging…
MARTS:
So important.
BROWN:
…in the communities, in the region, to really move as one, essentially.
MARTS:
And I think it’s interesting trying to make senior centers be something that is of interest to a changing aging demographic, because we are seeing more people. We’re seeing epic numbers of people turn 65. We’re seeing, soon, epic numbers of people turning 75 and 80.
What are those folks going to want? And what does that look like for them? And what kinds of things do senior centers do to capture people’s interests?
And I guess one of the pieces that for me is real interesting is that, I had an intern. She’s actually the intern who was with me when the podcast recordings first started. And so that was quite a few years ago.
She was working on her master’s in gerontology. And I think at the maybe at the University of Virginia, believe it or not. But anyway, she had brought up the statistic that for a community our size in the Pikes Peak region, we needed 11 senior centers.
And so when you actually look at how many senior centers we have, we don’t have nearly that many. We have gathering places for people. And if you want to say a library is a senior center, okay, great, that’s going to elevate the numbers significantly, but it’s really not.
And we have gathering places, like you mentioned, at assisted livings and skilled nursing. But how interesting it is for somebody at an assisted living to be able to go to an actual senior center instead of just doing activities at their assisted living. So there’s something different and special about senior centers.
There’s a couple of folks in our region who are communities that are 65 and over, and they have a clubhouse. And so they step up and try to act like a senior center. But then they’re just a clubhouse for their neighborhood.
And I think those are great. And that helps elevate the numbers of how many senior centers do you have, but they’re not an official senior center. But yet, it also still makes me think that there’s just something really special about senior centers.
And you mentioned community. What else makes a senior center stand out and makes it special?
BROWN:
I think services and service comes to mind. But I think in particular, there’s a lot of forward thinking and innovation to be done when it comes to senior centers. And I think the example that comes to my mind is Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia’s senior center out in Western Tidewater.
But it’s so much more than that, because it’s not only the Western Tidewater hub of operations, but it is a historically renovated old school that was in the area. So it’s a renovated school. So it’s a senior center, but it’s also 28 affordable housing apartments that house older adults in that region.
And it’s also a rec center and really a community hub of services and supports and even a medical office space and things like that. And that’s a really…and I’m sure there’s other examples, of course, throughout our country, and I’m sure even in our state. But I think that presents a real opportunity to rethink what a senior center is and what it can be.
Because there’s value in community and value in social activities, absolutely. But then really, I think bringing that outward into the community in a bigger, broader sense, I think, is where hopefully, or what I would like to see, where senior centers are headed, to where we get investments from the surrounding community to really be something more and to be impactful places, not only for older adults, but for everybody in the community.
MARTS:
Of course, there’s always that conversation about intergenerational kind of coming together, whether a senior center is going to a place where younger people are already gathering, or whether the senior center somehow figures out a way to entice and interest younger people to come to them. How does that look? And other places do that better.
I don’t think here in our region, we’ve been doing a whole lot of that. There’s been a lot of talk about it, but we haven’t always been real effective at that with some of our senior centers around the region. So, it’s an interesting piece to kind of explore and see.
And then, of course, there are people who are older who would like to just not have to be around younger people. They’re happy to do their activities and not worry about having a conversation with a younger person and having that. At a senior center, you want to kind of have a little bit for everybody and find that way to make it work.
I also see ideas around economic resources, classes. You talked about services. That makes me think about behavioral health pieces happening for folks.
And so, it’s interesting to just imagine, kind of, senior centers having a little bit more varieties of services, not just an art class and a meal, but a variety of other types of resources that are available to people while they’re there, which is always nice.
Describe a typical day at Fountain Valley Senior Center. What does that look like?
BROWN:
It is a lot of social activities, so scheduled social activities. We also bring in and provide outside services, like ancillary services. I think the foot care, things like that.
Also, community resources. We have a paralegal who comes and gives advice to members. They sign up for that.
We have our vet-to-vet cafe this morning where we brought in a representative from the VA benefits office to speak about survivor benefits. So, we do things like that. All kinds of subgroups of seniors.
I would say veterans, really all kinds of social activities and resources.
MARTS:
Yeah. And then, what about trips?
BROWN:
Yes, yes, trips. They love the trips.
MARTS:
Yeah.
BROWN:
And transportation really, in general, is a big piece of what we do. So, individual trips to essential services, like medical, dental appointments, but then also really out in the community, which really enhances quality of life. Like a trip to the salon, and certainly trips to shopping, things like that.
And I think upcoming, the Fountain Valley seniors, they’re going to the Senior Day at the state fair. That will be big. And yeah, they do various other trips during the month out in the community to really partake in our region’s great offerings.
MARTS:
Yeah. That’s what I think is great about you guys, that you do, actually offer these places to go in terms of, let’s go to the zoo. Like you said, you’re going to go to the state fair down in Pueblo.
So, you’re actually traveling a little ways to go to a real adventure. An art museum, different things where you’re really giving people an opportunity to do some things that they might not do, and they get to do it with people that they hopefully know, or maybe will get to know better as a result of going out and doing these things. So, it’s not just staying in the walls of Fountain Valley Senior Center. You guys are going out.
BROWN:
Correct, yes. They are mobile. Yes. They’re out and about, and it’s a great thing.
MARTS:
Yeah. Very good. And you guys have a meal there. Is that right? You guys feed people, too?
BROWN:
We do. We are considered a congregate meal site. Our meals, I believe, are through Silver Key.
MARTS:
Okay.
BROWN:
So, yes, it’s a place where members and even non-members can come and get a hot, nutritious meal. And so, that service, is provided. Absolutely, yes
MARTS:
You mentioned the word member. And so, in this day and age, Fountain Valley, at one point in time, was, I believe, part of the City of Fountain. As Fountain Valley has evolved, you’re now your own standalone nonprofit. Is that right?
BROWN:
That’s correct yes.
MARTS:
Yes. And so, talk a little bit about why being a member is important, because there is a little bit of a cost with being a member, right? But then, of course, other people can pop in or do certain things.
But talk a little bit about what being a member means and why that’s so important for a senior center that’s its own nonprofit.
BROWN:
Sure. Our membership and our membership dues are really very important to the work that we do, the work that supports the center, because we are a private nonprofit. And every dollar goes back to the operations of the center and the activities that we do and our general operations, including transportation. And being a member, it’s nice to officially be a part of the community, absolutely.
But I believe that the members also get benefits like priority sign up for a trip, for example. They get some discounts on some of the events that we offer.
But I will say, nobody is turned away for their inability to pay. It’s just something nice that we offer. And that is a way for the seniors to really take ownership, I think, of the center, if they have a part of themselves in it.
MARTS:
Yeah, that’s really good. And so, how do you hear from your members to know what’s working or what’s not working? What does that look like to engage them on that level of connection with their senior center?
BROWN:
We recently had our annual Fountain Valley Senior Center meeting. We had a really nice turnout for that. And it’s an annual meeting, but in the future, I might look to have a twice, a biannual meeting, I think would be helpful.
And it’s an opportunity for us to really communicate with our members. We do have a monthly newsletter. We do a weekly email blast.
And we’re currently updating our systems and supports on the website so that it is more, I think, convenient for some people to access our services, to sign up for things, request transportation. So, we’re really attempting to get ahead of where we think things are going, which is online, a lot of online engagement. So, we’re working on that.
And it’s been, I’ve just closed out my 10th business day. So, I’m very new in this role, but my impression really has been that it’s a very open door policy. The transportation department, their door is always open.
The seniors are very free to stick their heads in there and bring up any issues. Same with my front office. Absolutely. They come in there all the time just to visit or touch base. And even my own office, they’re welcome to drop in and communicate with me. So, I feel like the communication is pretty strong.
And we really just try to communicate all we can. I’m not sure there’s such a thing as over communicating with the seniors and even within the aging sector with one another.
MARTS:
Yeah, yeah, that’s very good. And I can attest to that from being at the Fountain Valley Senior Center, because you guys, your main office is right there at the front door.
BROWN:
It is. Yes. And it’s glass. Very visible, literally and figuratively. Yeah. It’s a great thing.
MARTS:
Yeah. So, people really do know. There it is. And we’re going to walk right by. And consequently, you guys see what’s going on.
Now, there is a back door. People could sneak out the back door, probably. But, you know, coming in, at least, you’re pretty much seeing everybody coming and going, which is great.
And so, I have two final questions here. One of them, I did give you a heads up to think about. But the other one, this is an easy question. But the first one that I want to ask is just, what is your favorite way to celebrate things?
How do you like to celebrate and have a moment of acknowledgement and celebrating something great happening? What’s your favorite way to do that?
BROWN:
Oh, that’s a good question.
MARTS
I know, and sorry I didn’t give it to you ahead of time.
BROWN:
That’s okay, that’s a good question. I’m think that my favorite way is probably,, and this is probably a common answer, I would imagine, but with food.
MARTS:
Okay. Okay. That’s a good start.
BROWN:
Yeah. Let’s go out or let’s cook something special. And I think with that community too, because it’s always nice to celebrate with somebody, right?
Like it’s really, and I think that ties into the whole theme, happier birthdays happen at the center. It’s so much better to celebrate with somebody. And I think the Fountain Valley Senior Center is really representative of that.
But then for me personally, I get it. I understand it. It’s so much better when you celebrate with other people.
MARTS:
And with some food.
BROWN:
And with food. Yes, absolutely.
MARTS:
And what would your favorite food be?
BROWN:
Oh gosh, that’s another good question.
MARTS:
Too many.
BROWN:
The first thing that comes to mind is a really good macaroni and cheese. Like a really nice, well done. Yes. macaroni and cheese and maybe a glass of good red wine thrown in there too.
MARTS:
That sounds fun. Yeah. Like it, like it.
And so the last question I have for you is as the new director for the Fountain Valley Senior Center, what is your wish for the upcoming year as you sit here?
And if I bring you back here next year to celebrate yet another happier birthday at the Fountain Valley Senior Center, but what’s your wish for the year ahead?
BROWN:
The wish that I have for the Fountain Valley Senior Center is also what motivated me, I think, to take the position and to answer the call when they were looking for an executive director. And I think that ties to, I think the value of the Fountain Valley Senior Center, and all senior centers in the state of Colorado, our value isn’t just in our numbers, right? It’s not just in the number of meals we provide.
It’s not just in the number of rides we provide. And it’s not even really just in our social connections and the community that we have. Our value really is in the opportunity that we have to really harness that voice of aging in the region and even in the state of Colorado.
And I keep saying elevating aging, but I think really that’s at the core of it. And that’s what my wish for the center is, is that we can contribute to that conversation to elevating aging to where we and other centers and even the network of aging services is seen as so much more than just services. It’s really about enriching the lives of older adults and elevating aging and having that really reflected in the resources and the support that we get at local, regional, and even state levels.
So that’s the hope that I have, is to really harness that collective voice in our region for all older adults.
MARTS:
Yeah. Thanks for bringing that up and wanting that to happen. And I know you’re still brand new, and I don’t know if you’ve been told about the age-friendly work in the community.
We have some really great committees that I think I’ll share with you afterwards and encourage you to potentially join and participate in these other conversations. It would be great to have Fountain Valley there to just, have that kind of elevated story that we tell about aging and about people who are living, continuing to live their best life, 60, 70, 80, 90. I’ve had 90-year-old people in the seats in this room.
BROWN:
That’s wonderful.
MARTS:
So everybody’s path can look very different. Again, there’s this ageism thing where we hold certain aspects of aging up more so than others. And I don’t want to go down that path, but I absolutely want to honor and appreciate the efforts that people make and the things that they do.
And we call that out as often as we can at Aging with Altitude.
BROWN:
Well, and I think that Colorado is aging, and that is a beautiful thing. And I think the question that really comes to the forefront with that is, what kind of Colorado are we aging into? And what kind of Colorado do we want to age into?
And I think that those important questions are really addressed by the work, the important work, that you are doing with the Pikes Peak Area Agency on aging and the work that you’re doing with Aging with Altitude.
MARTS:
So Rebecca, tell us, where can people find Fountain Valley Senior Center? What’s the address? Where are you guys at?
BROWN:
So we are located at 5745 Southmoor Drive in Fountain, Colorado, and that is an 80817 zip code. You can reach us by phone at (719) 600-2644. And if you want to send us an email, you can find us at info at fvscenter.org.
MARTS:
All right. Thank you so much. And welcome. I know you’re a longtime Colorado person. You’re back and grateful to know that you’re down there at Fountain Valley Senior Center. And I know everybody’s happy to have you.
BROWN:
Thank you so much, Melissa. I really appreciate the opportunity.
MARTS:
Thank you. All right. Listeners, take care. Till next time.
That’s the show. Thanks to all of you for being with us today. Aging with Altitude is created by the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments area agency on aging. Visit us at ppacg.org and click on aging services for more information about the programs of the area agency on aging.
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