San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
SENIOR LIVarning can help stimulate the mind
Seniors, like the rest of us, don’t come in a onesizefitsall mode. Some need additional care, while others live independently, bolstered by community services. Here are a few providers that offer unique support.
SAN FRANCISCO
San Francisco Village, founded in 2009 as part of a national movement that blossomed in 2002, offers a wellness program, events and, very uniquely, what it calls “neighborhood circles” — small, hyperlocal groups that allow members to develop friendships close to their homes.
The nonprofit, which operates on public and private funds and charges a membership fee on a sliding scale of $ 10 to $ 50 a month, is open to anyone 60 or older. It tallies 400 members of various income levels, races, ethnicities and sexual orientations in 25 different neighborhoods across the city.
Prepandemic, many of the 35 to 45 programs each month were held in public venues — at the organization’s offices at 3220 Fulton St., as well as public libraries, museums, cafes and private homes among the 14 neighborhood circles.
More than 200 volunteers assist seniors with household duties, shopping, tech support
For those with insatiable curiosity and plenty of time, here are three notable organizations devoted to courses to stimulate the mind.
SAN FRANCISCO
The Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning at the University of San Francisco, established in 1976, offers education to adults 50 and older. Classes and ondemand video classes called “Frommcasts” are offered in a variety of subjects, from politics to astronomy to dance, led by experts such as political and foreign policy consultant John Rothmann, retired Foothill College astronomy department chair Andrew Fraknoi and choreographer Melissa Hudson Bell. No tests, grades or academic credits are offered. Each course consists of four classes over a twomonth period. Price: $ 85. ( 2130 Fulton St.,
Vivalon in Marin helps seniors with a variety of services, including the Brown Bag Pantry, which offers free, healthy, fresh produce, meats and staple food items provided from the Marin/ SF Food Bank.
and making time for friendly conversations. The group also provides resources and referrals for legal and financial advisers, geriatric care managers, licensed home care providers, a free home safety assessment and more.
Most programs have moved online to Zoom but some members still meet privately in
San Francisco, ( 415) 4226805, www. fromminstitute. org)
PENINSULA
Avenidas, established in 1969 as the Senior Coordinating Council, offers programs to midPeninsula residents from three locations — a flagship in Palo Alto’s old downtown police and fire department building; from the old Cubberley High School in midtown Palo Alto and the Rose Kleiner Center in Mountain View. Classes are offered in classic literature, lipreading, Cantonese for beginners, art appreciation and technology ( including web design and other tech topics, in conjunction with Senior Planet), to name a few. Fees range from free to $ 150 for creative writing courses. ( 450 Bryant St., Palo Alto, ( 650) 2895400, www. avenidas. org)
cafes and backyards or for walks, observing social distance guidelines. When interacting with members, volunteers observe social distancing protocols, too.
“We recognize that healthy aging is so much more than health care — it requires social care too,” said Kate Hoepke, San Francisco Village’s executive
EAST BAY
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UC Berkeley, OLLI, was established in 2007 and offers courses and lectures spotlighting key academics on campus. It’s one of 120 OLLI programs across the nation ( including the University of San Francisco and UC Santa Cruz). Four academic terms are offered
director. “We are a web of connection at a time in life when many older adults are faced with a loss of independence, social isolation and loneliness and questions about their own relevance.”
EAST BAY
Lavender Seniors of the East Bay was created in San
Seniors can attend a variety of lifelong learning classes around the Bay Area on topics like web design and interpreting dreams.
annually; classes currently are held online. Recent Berkeley offerings ranged from politics and history to how to interpret dreams. Archived lectures on YouTube are free. Fees: $ 120$ 235 per course, membership ($ 10$ 950) is required for registration. ( 510) 6429934, www. olli. berkeley. edu)
Leandro in 1994 by a group of 33 people to serve what they termed the “gay and gray” community across the Bay Area. At the time, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people were not as open about their orientation, faced bias and harm in hospitals and nursing and residential facilities and were denied many legal rights that have been won in the 25 years since, said Barbara Jue, a cofounder and board member.
The goals then are the same today: to educate, advocate, socially congregate and provide direct services and offer resources.
“We knew that together we were stronger and could move on a scale to influence laws or influence the ways that institutions that touch on us could be changed on our behalf,” Jue said.
The awardwinning organization, now geographically focused on seniors in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, has a mailing list of more than 800 aged 55 and up. Its programs, conducted with public and private funds, include a “Scrolls” program with stories and photos of LGBTQ people on lifesized posters to dispel public misconceptions about LGBTQ people and an Emblem project, which offers a list of certified, gayfriendly agencies offering services such as psychotherapy, inhome care, preparation of legal documents and more.
Due to the pandemic,