This is a guest blog post.
I participate in several exercise classes at the Newton Senior Center. During the previous municipal election season I was present when candidates listened to seniors asking for a larger and upgraded senior center. Post-election, the Mayor’s office decided to push for a multigenerational facility called NewCAL – Newton Center for Active Living, instead of a new or expanded senior center. This switch has not been welcomed by folks who frequent the Senior Center.
The proposed name marginalizes seniors who are disabled or limited in their mobility. The rest of the world is built for young, healthy people. It seems reasonable to have one space dedicated to the needs of seniors of all sorts of physical and mental functioning. Two of my favorite people at the Center are a long married couple — he is vision impaired and she is mobility impaired. At the Center he pushes her wheelchair while she navigates. At the Senior Center they can move around freely without worrying about kids running around or younger adults who may become impatient with their relaxed pace in the corridors.
The Senior Center is the most diverse space I’ve seen in Newton. The age range is mid fifties to 100 (thus already multigenerational!); physical abilities range from people who play tennis to people in wheelchairs; and the ethnic mix is wonderful: South Asians, Chinese, Irish, Italians, Jews and more. A multi-generational space may not be comfortable for some seniors and may (inadvertently) chip away at the current rich diversity. I see a level of comfort and humor and a culture of mutual encouragement that could be lost in an intergenerational community center.
Finally, there already are numerous places in Newton where people of all age groups can gather: The JCC, the YMCA, Hyde Community Center and Newton North (which was promoted as a space that the whole community can use when residents voiced concern about the high price of the new building), numerous parks and playgrounds, etc.
Having shared these observations, I want to make it clear that the current Senior Center is inadequate. It is too small; there is not enough parking; and it is not easily navigated by people in wheelchairs or with mobility issues. I believe that Newton either should renovate and expand the current building or convert a school that is no longer used into a Senior Center. Unlike the senior centers in many surrounding communities, the Newton Senior Center does not have a gym and does not have the facilities to adequately prepare and serve lunch to the seniors who depend on the Center for their main meal of the day. Moreover, the current budget is not adequate for keeping the Center open beyond early afternoon hours. Thus, many seniors who work part-time can’t utilize the Center as they might like.
True respect for seniors must include listening and acting upon our preferences and allotting sufficient funds to develop a dedicated space in which seniors can thrive.
Susan Sered is a Newton Centre resident, a professor of sociology at Suffolk University, and a faithful participant in the Zumba Gold class at the Newton Senior Center.
Bait and switch…. if true this is appalling..
Who is pushing for this? Not once have i heard people complain under 50 saying they need a gathering space…
My guess is that some advocates for low income folks are pushing for space and the budget only allows for screwing over the eldery to have both.
How frustrating and maddening!
Susan makes a powerful case that broadening the target population to be served beyond seniors may weaken the potential services those seniors receive. She is right, of course, that the current center’s facilities are beyond inadequate, the staff’s efforts notwithstanding. Everyone agrees that Newton can do better.
I hope that someone in support of the new approach weighs in to explain its goals.
@Bugek – that’s one hell of a leap you just made there seemingly based on nothing more than what’s in your head.
I have lived in Newton for 29 years, and now that I’m in my 50’s, I’ve begun to consider where and how I will live during my retirement years. I like the idea of “aging in place,” and up until recently, was certain I would live out the remainder of my life in the Newton condo where I live now. This plan was predicated upon assurances Mayor Ruthanne Fuller made during her Mayoral campaign to address problems with the Senior Center and to make Newton a welcoming place for Seniors. I am now having second thoughts about whether I will be able to stay in Newton as I get older.
I do not see the problem of the Senior Center as solely related to whether someone is disabled or not. It’s not simply a question of mobility, but of the overall needs of people as they get older.
Some of the biggest problems Seniors face, even those who are in good health, are isolation, loneliness, and lack of access to meaningful daily activities. Many older people are single, the majority being female.
As a single woman, I was hoping to have a facility in Newton which was dedicated to Senior Citizens. I envisioned a place where Seniors could drop in to socialize, share a meal, exercise, take classes, or participate in an event, such as a lecture or musical performance.
As the author of this blog post mentioned, there are already many places in Newton where younger people can go to socialize, exercise, or take classes. I can tell you from first hand experience, that younger people are not always “happy” to have older people using those facilities. In fact, younger people are often very impatient with older people, for example, when waiting for an older person to finish using exercise equipment. And, in the Newton Free Library, which is dominated by younger people, noise is the norm; this makes it very difficult for older people, who are there to read or do research, to concentrate. This scenario has spoiled my enjoyment of the Library on numerous occasions. And, as an aside, I recently read that they added a new Teen Room at the Library, because teens allegedly have special needs, while Senior Citizens, apparently, do not. I have read that the Library’s new Teen Room rules include: not allowing adults to sit at the tables and no limitations on noise.
To be perfectly blunt, when I am in my 70’s and 80’s, I do not want my social activities to be ruined by rowdy, rebellious teenagers or toddlers having a meltdown. I also think that the “multigenerational” facility will be taken over by younger people and the Seniors will be pushed out, with no place to go. This will be the first step in cutting programs for Seniors and forcing them out of Newton.
I see this as a political issue. In recent years, Newton politics have been dominated by people who refer to themselves as “progressives.” People of that political persuasion care about certain minority identity groups, but they do not care at all about elderly people, even though the elderly are the largest group of people living in poverty in the U.S. Even Seniors who do not live in poverty are often unable to age with dignity and do not have their needs met in their old age. One would think that the aging of the Baby Boomers would change how we, as a society, view and treat the elderly, but so far, it has not.
Having listening sessions about the NewCAL project is really not an adequate way to gauge the needs or desires of our Senior Community. If Newton is going to be a welcoming place for Seniors, then there must be serious discussion about how to create a dedicated space for our Seniors. This discussion should include everyone over the age of 50, even if they don’t currently use the Senior Center.
I have been wondering how I can get more involved in advocating for the needs of Newton’s Seniors. So far, I haven’t found a way, which is what the Mayor and Newton City Council are counting on so that they can pretend to be addressing the needs of Seniors, while, in reality, they are in the process of devaluing Seniors and forcing them out of the City.
Jerry,
Someone is pushing for expanding the senior center usage, I’m sure no one is advocating for the middle class/affluent residents to have their own space… so why?
.. so lets be brutally honest, someone PUSHED this idea to alleviate their concerns (which are not the concerns of seniors).
Ubiety,
I believe this is an issue where seniors (and advocates of seniors) need to make a stand. Don’t be afraid to standup under the fear of being “PC”..
I see a name change here which justifiably raises concerns behind its meaning- but is there an actual program change accompanying that?
The only acceptable change would be to open the place with residents with disabilities and people recovering from surgery (doctors note) so we would have a large open space. Anything else would be PC run amok.
I wonder if the city is just testing the outrage to see how much they can get away with…
It is possible that people with good intentions might have imagined that a multi-generational space would be more attractive to the seniors themselves. I remember bringing little kids to the basement of the old Newton Community Service Center to dance and sing in front of the seniors at their drop-in space at Hanukah time. Rather than ascribe sinister motives, I’d like to hear from the planners themselves.
As for seeing the new plan as a plot by progressives, I must chuckle. I am a lifelong progressive who has always fought to protect programs for Seniors like Social Security and Medicare from the depredations advocated by the Right in the name of “cutting governmental waste.” Indeed, I supported Bnei Brith’s plan for Austin Street, a modest, dedicated senior housing project, because the location was perfect: one block from the Senior Center! Too bad that proposal was quashed.
Let’s not pit one group’s interests against another, let alone blame “minorities” and the “politically correct.” That’s playing into the Fox News narrative of a Manichean struggle between good and evil. The world is more complex, and we all need to work together.
Finally, believe it or not, some issues are local, not part of a wider narrative. Whatever your general political perspective, you and I and everyone else must combine our efforts to make Newton a better home for all its constituencies.
What about the Seniors who are clinging desperately to their homes of decades as costs increases, need for supportive services increase, and other urgent needs for help in remaining in place increase ? This revised and probably very costly initiative may well tip many seniors over the edge and make the city totally unaffordable for those who have struggled to live here all their lives?
Brian
The mayor needs be be careful here. She already is open to new development (nothing wrong with that) but when combined with betraying promises made to seniors…. it becomes very easy to create a narrative of forcing out seniors (lack of seevices, increase property taxes) to help developers aquire more land
None of this is true… but perception is stronger than reality
I personally don’t know anything about this initiative but here’s what it says on their web site.
“The City of Newton’s goal is to build a large, well-equipped, comfortable Center to meet the unique needs of our seniors, a center that fosters a special sense of community and belonging for this growing age group.
Like our current Senior Center, we expect from Monday to Friday during the day, the building will almost exclusively be used by Newton’s seniors, and it will be designed accordingly.
Our goal is also to welcome people of all ages to the Center, especially in the late afternoon, evenings, and weekends.”
In other words, instead of expanding times the center is available and dedicated to seniors (evenings and weekends being important for those of us who are still working), it will be turned into a general community center outside of the “senior hours”. Bleh!
This is a big bait and switch to Seniors. For all practical purposes this just becomes a general community center since working adults and school age children typically wouldn’t be there anyway during the day on weekdays. But Dad, in is last couple of years was at his towns Senior Center almost every day including weekend and evening. Seniors should have a dedicated space that they can use all the time.
As was stated in the story, there are plenty of places where the general public can gather today such as The JCC, the YMCA, Hyde Community Center and Newton North. I would add to that community rooms at the Newton Public Library and auditoriums and cafeterias in any of the Newton public schools
Hopefully the City can provide their rationale. But demographic trends (fewer births, longer life spans, etc.) and the escalating cost of living suggest that most people who are able to live in Newton in the first place in the years to come are those that are older. If anything, there will likely be far greater demand for the services of the senior center. I’m all for considering the needs of the non-elderly, but I’m not sure this is the way.
Great comments. I agree with Bob that there likely is no ulterior motive; no plan to pit one group against another; no “PC” or anti-“PC” agenda. Rather, I think that the NewCAL is a misguided attempt to try to market a new Center to people who tend to object to government spending. I also am guessing that the multi-generational facility idea grows out of a stereotypical notion that “old people love children” or that “being around children makes me feel young.” That may or may not be the case for some elders, sometimes, but it’s certainly not true for all of us all of the time.
What is the case for everyone, old and young, is that we need to have opportunities to create meaningful social bonds. For many Newton seniors, a dedicated Senior Center is an optimal place for that to happen.
@Susan – U was thinking something similar. My guess is it’s a misapplication of the research showing that it can be beneficial to do things like have preschools connected to nursing homes. But that’s a very different case – people in nursing homes are isolated from people of other ages and spend all their time with elderly people. The situation for people using the Senior Center is very different – people who are out in a mixed-age world and need a place to meet others their/our own age.
Its good to see the City makes decisions BEFORE actually asking its target residents WHAT they want. This must be an ‘academically’ led project (my gosh, you actually have to SPEAK to people??).
Perhaps they didn’t respond to their ‘texts’,’tweets’ and snapchats since people outside this bubble don’t exist…
How many seniors are actually asking for this? less than 1% if I had to guess…
As the rebuilding of the elementary schools wind down, move the senior center to the Horace Mann school after HM moves to Carr. Newton needs these seniors to remain in Newton, otherwise Newton really is about the schools and proximity to Boston.
Go see The Center at Needham Heights. It doesn’t say Senior anywhere in the name of the facility, and it’s the best Senior Center money can buy. They cook seniors’ lunch daily, Monday – Friday with an extensive menu with daily choices that are inclusive of a variety of religious and cultural traditions. They have an excellent gym where people in their later years do not have to compete for time with 20-something gym rats. Let’s ask the Austin St. Developer and the Northland folks to kick in. Let’s not call it a Senior Center, but make it a Senior Center that is open to everyone but only programmed for Seniors.
Marie,
Obviously a like-minded group of people are responsible for this decision. Its the new ‘inclusion’ PC policy. Be prepared to be called ignorant & intolerant if anyone dares to make a fuss about it…
@Bob Jampol
We are even. I chuckled when I read your response to my comment because it was so typical of “progressives.” I say this for two reasons: 1) You resorted to the Progressives’ standard ad hominem attacks on anyone who questions them, namely referring to “the new plan as a *plot* by progressives” (reference to any disagreement with Progressives as belief in conspiracy theories) and reference to Fox News (Progressive code for “ignorant conservatives”), and 2) Progressive assumptions that all Seniors require are programs like Medicare and Social Security and their needs are met.
For the record, I am not a conservative. I am an Independent (I always think independently). I dislike the far left (Progressives) and the far right (Ultra Conservatives) equally. I do not, and never have, watched Fox News. However, you proved my point about Progressive agendas because your comment makes it appear as if you are not really open to hearing other perspectives or working with anyone who does not believe in and support the Progressive agenda.
In my comment above, I said nothing about conspiracies or plots. Support of a “multigenerational” facility is consistent with the Progressive notions of “diversity” and “inclusion.” In recent history, Newton’s Leaders have prioritized policies consistent with these notions. I mention this, not to start a fight with you, but to point out to you that not everyone thinks that such concepts should be primary when addressing one segment of society’s needs (in this case, Seniors). I also do not think that anyone proposing to create a facility for all generations did so because they thought that this is what Seniors wanted. It is what those who made the proposal wanted. We will have to wait for them to tell us exactly why they wanted this.
I also did not “pit one group’s interests against another’s.” I merely pointed out that Progressives focus primarily on the rights of (certain) minority groups to the exclusion of looking for ways to promote the Common Good, i.e. that which benefits Society as a whole. I qualified the minority groups as “certain groups” because Progressives do not support all minority groups, just the ones they view as “marginalized.” Again, please don’t misconstrue my words. I simply want to demonstrate why it is so hard for people who are not Progressives to work with Progressives on a compromise.
As for supporting Social Security and Medicare as sufficiently addressing the needs of Seniors, doing so misses the point that these programs are inadequate to meet Seniors’ needs. These programs do not address the problems of poverty, hunger, homelessness, lack of access to medical care (Medicare does not equal medical care), social needs, transportation, etc. For example, despite the existence of the Medicare program, many Seniors are forced to go without needed medical care because they can’t afford it.
Medicare requires payment of monthly premiums, deductibles, and co-pays for doctor’s office visits and medical services. And, it doesn’t cover many services, including common ones, such as eye exams and glasses, dental care, hearing aids, and long-term care. The Medicaid asset test is so low ($2,000 total assets) that most lower and moderate income Seniors don’t qualify for Medicaid (and the Medicare premium assistance it affords) until they land in long-term care and have exhausted all of their assets. The bottom line is that to receive adequate medical care in old age, one must be able to afford *both* the Medicare premiums and a Medigap policy (which is expensive, but which covers the deductibles and many non-covered services).
Social Security is simply inadequate to ensure that all Seniors can meet their basic needs in old age. Some Seniors don’t qualify for Social Security (due to inadequate work history) and others receive too small an amount to live comfortably.
Where does this leave us as a society? Should we continue to allow Seniors to struggle as they do today? Or, should we rethink what sort of programs are necessary to address the basic needs of this growing population? These are some of the things that we, as citizens, along with our elected officials, should be considering when planning for a Newton Senior Center and Senior Services in the City of Newton.
Marie Johnson @Let’s not call it a Senior Center, but make it a Senior Center that is open to everyone but only programmed for Seniors.
The issue isn’t what we call it. It is what it is. There was a promise of a new and improved Senior Center not a new general community center open to all. Seniors really get short shift here in Newton.
Ubiety,
I believe the conspiracy comments were targeted at me because i suggested the change to senior center was to satisfy a liberal agenda of inclusiveness or targeted to subtly help a specific group of underserved people…
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the change IF the mayor had not promised a SENIOR center during her campaign! Lets lie to one of the most vulnerable residents
We deserve a no BS answer on why the change
Jack Leader,
The old Horace Mann school is a perfect location for a SENIOR center
– 10 min walk to new Washington place downtown. affordable units which seniors are eligible should be popular
– large field, great for low impact long walks. No need to watch for cars/bikes
– long pavements around field, great for wheelchair (assuming trees have not lifted sidewalks)
– summer swimming, great for mobility challenged seniors in summer. May need adjustments for wheelchair access
– nice scenic walk along the brook, again low risk of car traffic
– more active seniors can use the Charles river bike path
.. its almost perfect location
I think if the programming is focused towards Seniors I am not sure how much intergenerational use you will see. Most people with children in Newton are busy with activities already. I don’t really see them seeking out this Center. My gut is regardless of what it is called and/or the marketing they do regarding this terminology that it will still be referred to as the Senior Center. Maybe however some of the space can be rented on occasion and the funds raised could help increase senior programming. It sounds like the best thing would be to talk to seniors to see what meets their needs rather than hoping on a buzz word trend.
The existing senior center hours are Monday – Friday 8:30 -4PM. On the NewCal web site it says that the proposed new center would be open ” Monday to Friday during the day, the building will almost exclusively be used by Newton’s seniors, and it will be designed accordingly.”
It sounds like the old senior center would be replaced by a brand new center with the same hours and also offer the possibility of senior resources in evenings and/or weekends when the center would be shared with other users. Maybe that shared evening use isn’t practical for some reason but this plan hardly sounds like “screw the seniors”.
It sounds to me like a reasonable plan similar to what we do in many other city buildings – e.g schools are built for students but the buildings also get used for other non-school functions in the off hours. Why is that such an outrage to many of the commenters here, if the new Senior Center will provide the same or better services and hours to seniors as the old center?
Unfortunately, the City website no longer has Mayor Warren’s speeches easily accessible, but I believe his speech in October 2015(?) talked about Horace Mann elementary school moving to Carr and Horace Mann becoming an intergenerational community center.
“The existing senior center hours are Monday – Friday 8:30 -4PM”
I thought the goal was to do better for Seniors. Certainly a better physical facility, but why should the hours of a Senior Center be limited to M-F 8:30-4PM. That said, in quickly researching other area Senior Centers, those hours seem to be the norm so if it was limited to Seniors during those hours and then opened up to all (including Seniors) evenings and weekends, that would be an improvement over what Senior have not. But I’m not sure it is feasible to limit it Seniors 8:30-4pm and I worry that Seniors will get squeezed out over time.
I would like to see a new Senior Center and a Community Center. In many communities, there is an active Senior Center and a separate Community Center, which we don’t have. Unless you belong to the JCC or the YMCA, you can’t use the gym, nor can teens. I would love a community space where kids can have a gym and hang inside during the winter months, that would also include an indoor swimming pool. North and South do not allow the kids to hang in the gym. For a great community we do not have great community places. We have nice private gyms (Lifetime, Equinox, JCC, YMCA, etc) but nothing open to the public. The Seniors and the Teens each deserve a place to “hang” that is not the library.
NewtonMom, it would make more sense for NNHS and NSHS to change there policies rather than build a whole new facility. We spent more than enough on NNHS and someone here mentioned that part of the justification was that it was also supposed to be a community resource.
I’m sure this isn’t PC to say, but I think Newton spends exponentially more on children than seniors so the priority should be on a Senior Center and I agree Newton Highlands Mom and Susan Sered and ask Seniors what they want.
Amy, Mayor Warren had suggested that Parks and Rec take over Horace Mann, and put in programming for kids that would compete directly with the boys and girls club next door. It was explained that the programming could be accommodated by the boys and girls which is next door.
The John M Barry Boys and Girls club provides gym space, and a fully staffed educational center, and teen center. All for $125 per year per family.
So, we could have multi generational programming, just next door to each other. And a pool in the summer.
I also suggest Horace Mann, since the seniors in Newton paid for this building. It would be nice to re use it for them, .
The common good.
Jack, I was just relaying info about where the “idea” of an intergenerational center at Horace Mann was officially announced.
Having participated in those “mayoral” forums and having been a 20 year member of the City Council and served on the Strategic Planning Committee for the Senior Center – I am well aware of the needs of our senior population and the need for an expanded senior center with expanded senior programming and expanded senior services. I even fought the “re-branding” of the Senior Center when they would refer to it as “345 Walnut” as opposed to the Senior Center.
Another option for a revamped Senior Center (or NewCAL) would be the current police station, if a new station is built at a different site.
West Newton should be much more accessible to pedestrians by then. There’s a theater, CVS, shops, and dining. Reasonable parking. Access to buses. Multiple parks are close by. The Chinese Cultural Center would be a good neighbor.
Gee, I haven’t been here for awhile. This is all new to me. I am horrified at losing the Senior Center. I know this is nit picking but the name New Cal sounds like a new line of food…like Jenny Craig or something (I guess that says more about me).
The seniors are the reason why Newton is so great, they are our history and the reason are services thrive. They deserve better treatment from us than new cal can provide.
I like Jacks idea of moving the site.