Redefining Senior Programming with the Baby Boomers

"I do believe it’s a mindset shift of viewing and treating older adults as people with potential and possibility, rather than people with limitations and problems.” 

~Peter Thompson, Exec. Director, Senior Center, Inc.

As the Baby Boomer generation moves towards retirement, they are redefining for many in society, but specifically for those in the senior care industry, what it means to be a “senior citizen” and what the needs of this community are. This cultural shift can be seen perhaps most dramatically in the senior center itself.  “We are social being and as we age we lose a lot of our social connections,” says Peter Thompson, of the growing trend towards senior centers that are defined by spaces that present opportunities for social interaction and “intellectual wellness,” places like cafes, fitness centers, community gardens, and technology-enabled classrooms. [1]

Museums and other cultural entities interested in taking advantage of this growing demographic should also take note of the change in self-perception among the senior community. The 55+ community traditionally known as ”senior” frequently are no longer the oldest generation still living in their families. With their own mothers and fathers still living and being cared for by “senior care,” the modern senior increasingly does not identify with the term “senior.” Additionally, this new generation of seniors is not the same as the generation before them that lived through the Great Depression and at least one world war. This generation is willing to spend money on cultural pursuits, but they look for high quality content from recognizable brands.[2] Such a change in perspective is valuable to note for museums interested in pursuing the modern senior audience. The inclination for participation, even monetary participation is there, but the quality of programming should be high and targeted towards the “modern senior,” not traditional stereotypes.

One very successful example of a program that engages modern seniors is Elderhostel, a company with over 2000 locations across the country and abroad, which offers week-long educational and social vacations to the modern senior community. Over 300,000 seniors participated in Elderhostel programming in 1996 and many of the Elderhostel programs feature museums and other cultural institutions as the basis for the educational fieldtrips they offer.[3] Of the thirteen Elderhostel programs advertised in the Washington D.C. region, all 13 attend at least one museum, national park, or cultural institution for an educational purpose.

While studies have found that around the age of 70, people begin to participate less in recreational activities, it is important to realize that seniors have a lifetime of established interests that they have been unable to freely pursue owing to work and family commitment. While working adults have approximately 45 hours of free-time a week, retired adults have on average 86.25 hours of leisure time per week.[4] It is in the age of retirement that they are able to follow those intrinsic interests that make education so powerful. Indeed, multiple studies have shown that modern seniors are increasingly turning to educational opportunities during their leisure time, as it provides intellectual stimulation, engages them in a life outside the home, helps them meet new people, and allows them to contribute to the community[5].

Museums stand to benefit from this growing audience as the senior age group considers educational enrichment as a critical element of their recreational choices. But there are certain factors that make programs particularly enticing for this audience, specifically:  

• Explanatory text: seniors are interested in learning the reasons and circumstances behind museum exhibits. 
•  Environment: the facility should be accessible, safe, and comfortable.  
• Programming: programs should allow seniors to complete the activities at their own rate and should promote social contact, particularly with multi-generational interaction.  
• Approach: as modern seniors do not necessarily identify with the label of "seniors," they do not want to be stereotyped as “elderly.”[6]

Conversely, there are identified factors that tend to limit the participation of seniors in educational programming, including:

• lack of an accessible educational facility, 
• time limitations, 
• the lack of a “buddy” to with whom to participate, 
• financial limitations, 
• low confidence, 
• lack of awareness of available programming, and 
• irrelevant programming offered. [7]

Several of these barriers can perhaps be eliminated and participation increased by offering programming through the new community-driven senior center. Additionally, some scholars suggest that educational providers consider programming that parallels some of the self-directed learning popular among seniors, including genealogy and collecting[8].

Programs that are providing rich programming for seniors within the senior center environment include: 

• University Without Walls (Dorot; NYC): this program offers classes in music, performing and visual arts, book discussions, play readings, and museum exhibit discussions over the phone to homebound seniors. Participants receive binders of materials to study at home and support discussion.[9]  
• Elders Share the Arts (NYC): In this program, a senior center will recruit a multi-generational group of learners through a senior center to learn a new art form that helps them explore local history and culture, while bridging generational, gender, cultural, financial, and educational gaps. Generally, senior centers are paired with a specific school from which the learners are selected.  
• Arts for the Aging (Maryland): This program brings 85 monthly artistic outreach programs to over 50 senior citizen communities in the D.C. area. Programs include art lectures and cultural field trips, as well as drawing, sculpture, painting, and music classes.  
• Levine School of Music (Washington, D.C.): This community music school supports the Senior Singers’ Chorale, which has drawn 130 seniors from a variety of senior centers across the region since 2004 and performs at major venues in the D.C. area.  
• Liz Lerman Dance Exchange (Maryland): The professional dance company hosts community workshops in community settings, including senior centers and healthcare facilities. Learners engage in performances that combine dance, spoken word, and personal experience to explore topics like aging and community history.[10]

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[1] Beard, Elizabeth. “Rejuvenating the Senior Center.” Parks and Recreation 47.5 (May 2012): 41-45.

[2] Beard

[3] Finnegan, Lisa. “Never Too Late: Elderhostels offer an opportunity for seniors to get together for learning and fun.” Baltimore Jewish Times 233.3 (Jan 17, 1997): 73.

[4] Calver, Stephen, Wolf Vierich, Julie Phillips. “Leisure in Later Life.” International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 5.1 (1993):4.

[5] Ostiguy

[6] Calver

[7] Ostiguy

[8] Ostiguy

[9] Sherman, Andrea. “Programs Bring Art of the Aging Brain to Homes and Communities.” Aging Today. 28, 2. (March/April 2007): 6.

[10] “Creativity and Aging: Best Practices.” Jessica Thomas and Katie Lyles eds. National Endowment for the Arts. January 2007.