Karsyn Lemmons

December 2023

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Feelings of loneliness and isolation are not uncommon reports among elderly populations across America. In fact, according to a BMC Public Health study, “approximately 50% of individuals aged over 60 are at risk of social isolation and one-third will experience some degree of loneliness later in life.” As America’s ‘baby boomer’ population grows older, these numbers are anticipated to grow along with more anticipated reports of isolation and loneliness. 

Studies have shown that isolation can incur a number of health complications, from mental and emotional health issues to a body’s physical response to isolation in the form of heart and brain complications. To combat these issues in our nation’s aging population, doctors recommend a myriad of defenses – from healthy eating to regular exercise. And, as this paper will address, community engagement. 

Staying engaged and participating within one’s community has been proven to protect against depression, anxiety, and increase life expectancy, according to The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community. There is one resource that provides senior citizens with all of these opportunities and more – senior activity centers. These often government sponsored community centers gear toward providing numerous resources for a city’s aging population from fitness classes to art lessons and healthcare services. Senior activity centers not only offer ways for older individuals to spend their day learning new skills, but provide a sense of community and togetherness for many who may not feel that outside of the center. This paper will explore senior activity centers as a community of practice with specific attention to domain and purpose.

Practice Level 2 – Purpose and Goals

The goal of senior activity centers is primarily to serve the wellbeing of aging populations. This can present itself in multiple ways. These center’s services can range from cooking class to counseling / medical examinations to dance lessons. And member’s reasons for participating in senior activity centers can also be for any of the aforementioned reasons, although they still largely fall under the umbrella of wanting to care for one’s own general wellbeing. 

According to research by Saint Onge in Leveraging communities of Practice for Strategic Advantage, there exist common running themes among communities of practice. For example, they are supported by corporate resources, encouraged by the sponsor through recognition of the members’ efforts, promoted by the organization and industry as an example of best practice, and valued by senior management for their contributions. In this case, senior activity centers are supported by government resources, encouraged to continue their work through the continuation of provided resources, promoted by society as effective ways to remain inclusive of elderly populations, and are valued by many for the contributions and results enacted by these centers.

Individual and Community Characteristics

According to Saint Onge in the same published work cited earlier, communities of practice often share common compositions. This includes utilizing productive inquiry, self-management through government structure, generation of knowledge that supports practice, assuming accountability for supporting one another, as well as receiving support from the community. With this understanding, let us analyze the characteristics of senior activity center communities.

Membership of this community is often composed of individuals aged 60+ with an interest in engaging with their nearby elderly community. Aside from that, community composition can look very different from center to center and even from member to member. To join a senior activity center, age is typically the only standard one must meet and no other restrictions. This can lead to very diverse communities with individuals of different races, ethnicities, educational backgrounds, socioeconomic levels, and various other factors participating in perhaps the same book club or drum circle. Ultimately, this limited barrier to entry allows for members from all walks of life to join and share in community alongside someone who has perhaps a very different life experience than themselves. As a side note, however, it is important to mention that the composition of senior activity centers often reflects the demographics of the community the brick-and-mortar structure exists within and in this instance geographic positioning can be a hindrance in truly diverse representation. 

The potential for knowledge capital and knowledge sharing is immense, with decades of lifelong learning and diverse life experiences behind many of these community members and an environment primed for discussion. Members within senior activity centers do not often hold different roles or titles within the organization. Those positions are left to the individuals employed by the center and in charge of facilitating regular operations. Instead, members are simply encouraged to come as they are and arrive with a willingness to learn and engage with those around them. And more often than not, it appears they are happy to do so. 

Protocols, Conventions, and Methods

This particular community of practice is entirely voluntary. No one is required to prepare materials, attend meetings or even stay for the full length of any event. The duration and intensity of participation is entirely at the discretion of the member of the senior activity center. There are no harsh protocols, conventions or methods. Members of the community are often simply asked to follow community rules of respect and kindness with other community members. Being that the main purpose and goal (Practice Level 2) of senior activity centers is to protect senior citizens against isolation, the protocols, methods, and conventions (Practice Level 1) appear to be structured in a way that is accessible and agreeable to as many senior citizens as possible – in an effort to encourage participation and achieve the Practice Level 2.

Knowledge Sharing – Individually and Community-Wide

I would like to argue that there are two levels of knowledge sharing occurring in senior activity centers. There is the traditional sense of knowledge acquisition where members may attend classes and sessions to learn how to use technological devices or learn how to improve their gardening skills from course instructors as well as receive advice from other participating members within their community. This knowledge sharing is the anticipated received knowledge from participants. But I would also argue there is a second type of deeper knowledge being shared amongst community members – knowledge of how to find community and connection at this certain point in their life. Members are also learning how to connect with new faces at a time in their lives in which that might not have been common practice for many years previous. Yes, members are learning to knit or golf or play ukulele but additionally, they are relearning how to find friends and reach out for support in their advanced age. 

The community is learning primarily and largely through verbal communication and storytelling and growing its knowledge of itself and its members through dialogue.

Community Life Cycle and Age

These specific types of communities have existed for approximately 80 years, with the first official senior activity center in the US opening its doors in 1943 – constructed for the purpose of “reaching out to people who had retired but needed a place to gather and stay connected to others.” Being that much of the original mission has remained the same, I would describe the life cycle stage of senior activity centers as a whole to be in a mature stage, with many of the protocols and structures long-established and accepted. However, senior activity centers are still regularly opening their doors to the public for the first time across the country and with these new additions come innovative ideas and approaches to further enhance the existing anatomy of senior activity centers.

Size and Scale – its Effect on Practice Level 2

The scale of this community is entirely dependent on the surrounding area’s senior citizen population as well as each center’s independent capacity for engagement. Exact numbers on classroom size differ across the country but are not expected to be larger than a traditional classroom size to ensure adequate instruction and ease on existing facilities and resources. That being said, I do believe that the size of the community does have an effect on the potential success of the level 2 (domain). If the size of the community is too small, a potential community member may not find a suitable individual/ community to engage with and therefore not frequent the senior activity center. If the size of the community is too big and crowded, a potential community member may feel overwhelmed by the amount of people or unable to benefit from the resources and not be inclined to return. For a senior activity center to prosper, it would appear there needs to be enough people for everyone to be able to find someone to engage with, but not so many people that patrons feel the center itself lacks a sense of shared community and identity.

Community Structure – Place and Design

Senior Activity Centers are often located within the heart of a town or city, typically in places that may be more easily accessible by public transportation. Being that senior activity centers are sponsored by the government and funded by local tax dollars, the physical buildings themselves can differ in size and condition depending on the funding allocated to their development and maintenance. More affluent communities may have more modern equipment, more classes options, and access to a greater variety of resources. On the other hand, less affluent communities may not have access to senior activity centers at all. 

While much of the benefit (and still the large percentage of attendance) is mainly a result of in-person gathering, in the wake of Covid-19 many senior activities centers were forced to quickly transition their structures to online gatherings. This transition was intended to remain available to senior citizens but from the safety of their own homes. Virtual and hybrid courses for senior activity centers still exist today but they are entirely up to the discretion of each independent community. 

Subcommunities do exist within these centers. With a plethora of activities provided, seniors are able to choose the activities most suited to their liking and attend classes with individuals who have also chosen the course for the same reason. In these activities, seniors might be able to exchange knowledge on the subject and share in their potential expertise while also benefiting from the friendship and community exchanged during the encounter. 

I would argue this community of practice could fit the 1-9-90 model dependent on your perspective. The ‘1’ might be the staff and instructors at the senior activity centers – those who facilitate the classes for the benefits of the senior population. The ‘9’ would be the senior citizens themself who attend the classes and benefit from the knowledge exchange and community established at the center. And the ‘90’ would be the friends, family of the senior citizens who see and know their loved one’s life is continuing to be enriched through the classes and activities provided by the center.

Ultimately, throughout the decades, senior activity centers have proved to be valuable resources to aging populations across the country. The classes, community, and accessible structure has long provided a space for the facilitation of knowledge sharing and a sense of belonging to thousands of American’s seeking a place to find connection in their golden years.

Bibliography 

Berg, S. (2023, July 14). What doctors wish patients knew about loneliness and health. American Medical Association. https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-loneliness-and-health#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThere%20is%20some%20evidence%20to,32%25%20risk%20of%20stroke.%E2%80%9D

Fakoya, O. A., McCorry, N. K., & Donnelly, M. (2020, February 14). Loneliness and social isolation interventions for older adults: A scoping review of reviews – BMC public health. BioMed Central. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-020-8251-6#:~:text=Approximately%2050%25%20of%20individuals%20aged,later%20in%20life%20%5B3%5D

Rothman, J. (1964). An analysis of goals and roles in Community Organization Practice. Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/9.2.24 

Saint-Onge, H., & Wallace, D. (2003). Chapters 2,3,4 in Leveraging communities of Practice for Strategic Advantage. essay, Butterworth-Heinemann.