The Pasadena Senior Center’s (PSC) mission is to improve the lives of older adults through caring service with opportunities for social interaction, fitness programs, basic support and needs services, education, volunteerism, and community activism. With 10,000 people per day becoming seniors, the Center is a leader in addressing the issues of aging in this age of the “Silver Tsunami,” and provides innovative, cutting-edge, nationally recognized programs for this population. As a donor-supported nonprofit, it does so without support from local, state, or government funding.
Because Americans treasure individualism above almost all other values, we tend to hold individuals responsible for solving their own aging challenges. If people make “good” lifestyle choices to preserve their health, like eating well or making “responsible” investment decisions for retirement security, then any challenges in later life may be viewed as their own fault—and theirs to correct or endure. For those of us in the field of aging, a surprising fact is that most members of the public don’t accept the view that aging represents the entire population getting older, but see it as a change that happens solely to individuals. Thus, older adults are often left to fend for themselves.
The Pasadena Senior Center is changing public attitudes about aging today and addressing the numerous and varied needs of seniors in the community by focusing on the following goals: Social Wellness and Healthy Aging. These concepts address all the needs of older adults, which run across a wide spectrum and allow them to age in their homes and communities. PSC is the one agency that provides the most services to seniors in the San Gabriel Valley.
