By Vicki Milliken and Mario Pinti
After half a century of supporting seniors, the West Sunshine Multicultural Italian Senior Citizens is closing its doors for good. The club profoundly impacted many lives, offering a sense of belonging and friendship however, with ageing members and a lack of interest from the new generation, committee members had to make the tough call.
Which raises the question; is it time to re-imagine senior citizen centres?
When it comes to servicing the needs of older Australians, the senior citizen centres (SCCs) that dot our suburbs do a power of work. Coming into their own in the decades after WW2 as average life expectancy caught up with and then exceeded the pension age, they have been at the frontline keeping people active, connected and cared for as they age.
However, the changing composition of older Australians is challenging the way we, our policy makers, and SCCs think about ageing and how to support older people.
The first users of SCCs were members of the so-called Greatest Generation, born before 1928, and the Silent Generation, born between 1928 and 1945. These seniors could access meals, basic health advice, games, clubs, sing-alongs, free events, morning teas, companionship.
Few of the pre-1928 generation remain while the youngest of the latter group are closing in on 80 years of age. But coming up behind them are the Baby Boomers, the youngest in their 60s, and Gen Xers, many now in their 50s.
At the 2021 census these two cohorts accounted for almost 41 percent of the Australian population. Together they are shaping a more radical understanding of what growing older means. Beneficiaries, as we all are, of the advances made in medicine and public health to live longer, healthier lives, they robustly reject the stereotypes and negative language associated with ageing.
“Society sees ageing as about losing things, not as gaining new things, new skills, wisdom, insights,” says Martina Ryan, President U3A Maribyrnong. “We are our own worst enemies. We fall for it when we talk about ageing in negative terms as an end-of-life event where we quietly shut down and disappear.”
“We need a shift in the language,” says Martina, “A new word for what we now refer to as the aged, or ageing, or getting old. I like the phrase perennial people. In that we are ever blooming, ever changing, ever curious and ever ready and able to contribute.”
One such perennial is Pamela McFadyen, a professional weaver who after 40 years is still designing and crafting woven art. “At 75, I don’t think of myself as a senior citizen or an elderly citizen,” she says.
The Yarraville resident has been a long-term participant of the Loom Room, an initiative of Conversations of the Curious who meet at the Hobsons Bay Council’s newly built and named Dennis Reserve Community Centre, weekly. The Loom Room runs workshops on textile craft (think embroidery, quilting, weaving to name a few) and offer opportunities to share skills informally for participants’ own craft projects. For Pamela, the Loom Room is ‘inspiring’ and an ‘absolute joy.’ Over the years it has attracted participants aged 30 to 85 years.
And while it may be her passion, it’s not her only interest. She’s participated in cooking and lifestyle courses at Walker Close Community Centre in Altona North and is currently taking ukulele lessons at St Stephens in Williamstown which attracts participants into their 80s.
Pamela is not alone in her refusal to be defined by age. In fact, she, like many others of her generation, is offering a great way forward, a way championed by professionals in the field.
What then of the traditional SCC? Does it have a future in making our communities great places to age by helping people maximise their life choices?
These are urgent questions. According to the 2021 census, here in Melbourne’s wider western region those who have passed 60 years of age are more than a sixth of the population, over 130,000 residents. By the end of this decade they will be around a quarter of all people. And their number will only grow.
But their needs, resources, desires and interests are not homogenous, varying greatly from person to person, suburb to suburb. For some folks the challenges of ageing are around transitioning from working to post-working life. For those who have retired from paid employment it’s about finding fulfillment and enrichment. For others it will be dealing with such challenges as isolation, illness, language barriers and poverty.
Our vision is for our activities to include adults of all ages, so intergenerational friendships and connections are formed through common interests and sharing skills. –
Martina Ryan, President U3A Maribyrnong
For these and other reasons, according to Patricia Sparrow, Chief Executive Officer at Council on the Ageing Australia, SCCs remain vital spaces in our communities for older adults to connect and engage. However, she recognises the need for change.
“While traditional models have evolved and should continue to evolve to meet the needs of older people,” says Patricia. “The emergence of intergenerational programs and community hubs has been encouraging, fostering connections between different age groups. Younger generations benefit from the wisdom and experience of older adults, while seniors gain fresh perspectives and stay connected to evolving society.”
Martina’s U3A is utilising spaces in the Maribyrnong local government area, some of which were the traditional domain of older residents. “The old model of senior citizen centres as essentially a meeting place is disappearing. I think it tended to isolate older people from others. People who claimed a particular space tended to be resistant to new ideas and reluctant to try new things. That’s understandable. They feel they are losing something, not gaining something.”
Both Martina and Patricia call on local councils to continue the process of opening up their spaces for a whole range of activities and programs that cater for everyone, including seniors.
Brimbank Council’s Deputy Mayor, Cr Jae Papalia, says that across her municipality seniors groups do gather at facilities that are multi-use community spaces.
“These are safe and accessible places for older residents to come together,” she says. “And continue to be important in facilitating social connections. Supporting and enabling diverse groups of older residents with what they need to live and age well.”
A spokesperson for Hobsons Bay City Council agrees that to remain attractive to older adults, “Seniors or community venues need to offer a broader range of pursuits compared to the more traditional activities when seniors’ centres were first developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s.”
And so it is that across municipalities in the west bowling, bingo and cards are enjoyed in many of the same venues as drawing and painting classes, discussion groups, line dancing, electric guitar jams and classes in languages other than English. The key element overriding any activity Michael insists, “is the need for people to meet and socialise in a welcoming and safe environment.”
To really start to reimagine the SCC, Martina would like the name to disappear and be replaced with Sustainability Centre. For her such a change is more than semantics.
“Our vision is for our activities to include adults of all ages, so intergenerational friendships and connections are formed through common interests and sharing skills. I think we can learn from First Nations people. The young view their older members with respect, as the carriers of wisdom, learning and identity. Their elders are a resource, a gift to treasure.”
Were this attitude to shape our conversations and policy making then Melbourne’s west will indeed be a great place to age.
