50+ Lifestyles

“How Old Are You?”

By Laura L. Kopp, MS
CASI President/CEO

My grandma was old. On the surface, that statement doesn’t seem too out of sorts. The mother of MY mother was old. However, looking back now as a 50-year-old mother myself, I have to wonder WAS she? Did she HAVE to be “old?” I mean in all reality, she probably was not that much older than I am now. So why, in my mind’s eye, has she always been old to me?

Pauline was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio. She raised two amazing children, one of which, Lois, was my mother. Pauline worked as a “Rosie the Riveter” during the war and later at the Youngstown State University library before retiring. I remember at a very young age moving my grandma into what I now know as affordable senior housing. For years, I would go visit and even stay on the weekends, as my best friend’s grandma also lived in the same building. But outside of visiting with family, I never saw my grandmother do something fun for herself. She was always excited to participate in holidays and special events, but we would pick her up, she would sit in the same chair, eat and then request to be home before the sun went down. Outside of her siblings and children, she had no social connections, few hobbies, and an outlook that seemed to reflect that the best of life had passed already. She saw herself as old and by accepting what society defined as the norm for the “old,” she behaved accordingly.

As I embark on my 10th year with CASI and as we look forward to celebrating National Senior Center Month, I find myself reflecting on the very special gift Senior Centers offer in our communities and that, like many things in life, age is a state of mind. It is what you make of it.  If you believe you are old, you are. But, if you dare to believe that life has more to offer in our golden years than what society wants us to believe and if you can still hear the voice of your inner younger self, no matter how quiet, then maybe, just maybe, you’re not old. Maybe you’re just bored!

The activities offered within these walls at CASI help us to connect with our youthfulness and our passions. The connections we make here daily remind us we are never too old to learn new things and make new friends who might one day become family. Every day, CASI redefines aging so that you can age your way.

And so, during this year’s National Senior Center Month, I ask, “How old are you?”

Laura L. Kopp, MS is President/CEO of CASI, located at 1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport, IA  52806. For information call (563) 386.7477 or email info@CASIseniors.org.