Institute On Aging Helps Older Adults Live Independently
Joan-Marie Shelley has enjoyed writing ever since she was in elementary school. So when her assisted living residence began offering a creative writing class in 2004, Shelley jumped on board.

The class and its related writing assignments "keep me intellectually stimulated," says Shelley, 72, who taught a range of subjects, including English and French, for nearly 30 years at San Francisco's Lincoln and Lowell high schools. She also spent 12 years as president of the United Educators of San Francisco, a union representing public school teachers. "We're writing verse now, and I'm really enjoying the freedom it provides. It's about letting the spirit move you, and you don't have to be so logical."

Shelley, the daughter of former San Francisco Mayor Jack Shelley, is one of about 10 members of the cross-generational writing class, which mixes residents of Sunrise Senior Living on 19th Avenue, where the instruction takes place, with high school students from San Francisco's School of the Arts.

The class is part of a program called Center for Elders and Youth in the Arts (CEYA), which runs a variety of arts-related classes - taught by professional musicians, artists and writers - at locations around San Francisco. The program's mission is to keep older adults connected and contributing to their community, and to provide opportunities for them to rub shoulders with young people. The classes also have health benefits: one study found that people age 65 and up who participate in creative pursuits for at least one hour per week tend to have fewer health declines than those who don't participate.

CEYA is one of many programs provided through the Institute on Aging (IOA), a San Francisco-based nonprofit that works to promote health, safety and independence among older adults. Founded in 1975, the IOA's programs serve San Francisco, Marin and the Peninsula, and include on-site adult day services, home care, case management, grief and loss support, psychological services, elder abuse prevention, research and education for families, seniors and professionals in the field of aging.

The IOA helps operate the Irene Swindells Center for Adult Day Services [add link], located at California Pacific Medical Center's California Street campus, which was profiled by this newsletter in the summer of 2005. Another IOA program is the Center for Elderly Suicide Prevention, which helps older adults with life-threatening depression. The center's 24-hour Friendship Line provides crisis support, as well as scheduled phone calls that offer encouragement, medication reminders and safety checks.

"The Friendship Line has been calling me every day except Sunday for the past two years," says Karin, a 68-year-old San Franciscan who asked that we not print her last name. Karin has recently suffered a variety of health problems, including pneumonia, and has battled depression since her mother died a few years ago. "When you live alone and your social circle is diminishing through death, it's helpful to have an outlet like this. It's kind of nice to know that someone cares and is is nice and friendly. I look forward to the calls."

The IOA, which has about 250 employees and an annual $20 million budget, has gained recent attention with its plans to build a new headquarters at 3575 Geary Boulevard on the site of the old Coronet Theatre in San Francisco's Richmond District. The project, a partnership between the IOA and Bridge Housing, a development company that specializes in affordable housing, will combine 150 units of low- and moderate-income senior housing with a center providing health and social services.

The six-story Mediterranean-style building, which the San Francisco Planning Commission approved in April 2006, will house the IOA's health center, geriatric assessment service, and education and research activities. Among other things, the design features a senior fitness center and a creative arts studio.

Groundbreaking is planned for mid-2006, and the $60 million project is expected to be completed in early 2009. The building will be the first permanent home for the IOA, which is now scattered in rental space around the city - including several Geary Boulevard locations. "It will be great for us, and a lot less confusing for the public, to consolidate many of our services under one roof," says Mary Twomey, the IOA's vice president for community programs.

Find out more information about the Institute on Aging, the CEYA program, and the Friendship Line.

(This article originally appeared in the Summer 2004 issue of Bay Area Summit)

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