Little House, big difference: Adult activity center makes aging a joy

With the baby boomer generation having now reached peaked maturity, America’s elderly population is living longer and proving to be more active than their predecessors. Little House defies the stereotypes of traditional senior centers because today’s seniors aren’t what they were 30 years ago, said Peter Olson, 44, director of Little House.

“It’s a center for active adults. Instead of 75 and older, we have more 55 and older coming in for classes,” Olson said.

The Menlo Park center, too, isn’t what one might automatically picture.

“We want walking into Little House to be like walking into your friend’s house,” Olson said.

The entrance mimics a welcoming living room, adorned with art, books, cozy chairs and a friendly volunteer. It’s hard to wander through Little House without meeting a visitor who is gleeful about their day’s venture.

Little House focuses on enhancing the quality of life; because people deserve more than extended lifetimes, they deserve a sense of fulfillment and passion, Olson said.

“One of our things is vital aging. You need certain components in living a vital life: fitness, nutrition, socialization and part of that socialization is friendship, intimacy and a sense of purpose. It’s also brain stimulation, mental stimulation,” Olson said.

Little House offers multiple types of fitness classes: high- and low-impact aerobics, zumba, yoga, pilates and more. They cater to students of multiple capabilities, particularly for those who may not feel comfortable entering a traditional fast-paced gym, Olson said.

But visitors do more than exercise; they’re on the move. They organize group vacations and there’s an upcoming trip to Africa, Olson said.

For those who prefer to stay closer to home, well-known authors and docents give lectures and there are weekly ballroom dances. Members can also receive practical help with taxes and legal issues relating to aging and make use of a computer lab.

Studio art classes and facilities are open to the public for little cost. Both a ceramics and sculpture studio brought husband and wife duo Mary Louise and Larmie Froese, 71 and 76 respectively, down from South San Francisco to frequent Little House and continue their passion for gem and stone carving well into their retirement.

Katherine Abu-Romia, 71, was thrilled to learn new skills she was curious about but feared she was too old to try. She now participates in activities she wouldn’t be able to do if it weren’t for Little House, Abu-Romia said.

Marlyn Johnson has been part of the Little House community for more than 20 years. When her mother developed Alzheimer’s, her father would take her to socialize at Little House. At the time, Johnson worked as a teacher in Palo Alto and would rendezvous with her parents for lunch at Little House.

“It was also an opportunity to check on [my parents], and I see that happening even today. It’s one of the opportunities, when you have an older person, to just make sure things are going okay. It’s really nice,” Johnson said.

Johnson, now 82 years old, continues to frequent Little House and said she has lunch there nearly every day of the week. But it’s not just for the sentiment; Little House serves tasty healthy food and is well within her limited budget, Johnson said.

Their largest portion is just $4.50; cheaper and healthier than any fast-food restaurant, Olson said.

As a subsidiary of Peninsula Volunteers, Little House’s kitchen serves as the hub for their Meals on Wheels program. But they do more than deliver food, said Marilyn Baker-Venturini, director of the Peninsula Volunteers’ Meals on Wheels.

“Sometimes we are their only contact in the course of the day. We’re checking on them ... making sure that they’re well, giving them that little bit of stimulation. Having that conversation and make them realize that they are not forgotten in this world,” Baker-Venturini said.

Through Little House, Olson reaches out to a population he fears is becoming more isolated. Although the influx of high-tech companies moving nearby is beneficial to the area, local businesses and facilities are catering to the new, younger population and seniors are finding themselves left out. Olson said.

“After a certain point, you kind of get pushed aside and history moves on. The things that generations before us did are forgotten about. So that’s something that I would like to achieve, that they’re not forgotten about,” Olson said.

Little House is hosting a free Senior Showcase information fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24. The public event, sponsored in part by the Daily Journal, includes 40 exhibitors from all over the Bay Area, free document shredding for those 62 and older, goody bags to the first 250 attendees and refreshments.

Little House is located at 800 Middle Ave. in Menlo Park. For more information call 326-0665 or visit www.penvol.org/littlehouse.