where to find social groups for active senior citizens?
July 17, 2019 4:51 PM Subscribe
I'm looking for some ideas for social groups that my mom might want to join. Please see below the fold for more details. Thanks!
I was wondering if the hivemind could suggest some social groups my 68 year old mother could join and be a part of? She lives in Denver, is non-religious, is not really into learning new things, and has a heart condition that would limit her ability to physically exert herself. But she does enjoy going on trips and seeing new places though. Aside from meetup.com groups, what might be some other groups that I'm not thinking of that might be good for her to join and give her the opportunity to meet new people and make friends in a setting that would be comfortable for her? Thanks so for your your help!
I was wondering if the hivemind could suggest some social groups my 68 year old mother could join and be a part of? She lives in Denver, is non-religious, is not really into learning new things, and has a heart condition that would limit her ability to physically exert herself. But she does enjoy going on trips and seeing new places though. Aside from meetup.com groups, what might be some other groups that I'm not thinking of that might be good for her to join and give her the opportunity to meet new people and make friends in a setting that would be comfortable for her? Thanks so for your your help!
Check out her nearest Senior Center.
Or her local Parks & Rec.
posted by hydra77 at 5:09 PM on July 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
Or her local Parks & Rec.
posted by hydra77 at 5:09 PM on July 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
Check her local library!
posted by lyssabee at 5:19 PM on July 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by lyssabee at 5:19 PM on July 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
I don't know how "not interested in learning new things" she is, but OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) is active in the Denver area and usually offers a wide variety of classes with no tests or assignments. It's a chance to meet people who are keeping active and curious with little or no pressure and pretty low costs. Check out their offerings and locations.
posted by uncaken at 5:39 PM on July 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by uncaken at 5:39 PM on July 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
My over-70 mom is a huge fan of meetups. The sky is the limit to interest groups.
posted by gryphonlover at 5:52 PM on July 17, 2019
posted by gryphonlover at 5:52 PM on July 17, 2019
There are also clubs for various interests that you won’t find on Meetup because they are old-school: garden clubs, historic preservation, walking group, friends of the library, etc. Lots of charities will have opportunities to do things that are defacto meetups... depending on her interests, she can help out at the hospital, low-income preschool, immigrants, eco conservation (separate groups for trees, water, land, recycling). There will also be art societies and arts centers that will have daytime classes and workshops - these will all be seniors.
posted by xo at 6:25 PM on July 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by xo at 6:25 PM on July 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
Library. Ours has coffee and books once a week that's just hang out, the librarian book talks a couple of books, and everyone chats about what they're reading. Our library also has a knit night, board game night, and about four book clubs with different focuses (classics, popular fiction, mystery, comics). And if she has an interest that doesn't have a club, she might find a librarian interested in helping her start one.
posted by gideonfrog at 7:17 PM on July 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by gideonfrog at 7:17 PM on July 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
Second hospitals. The majority of Hospital Volunteers seem to be High School students or Senior Volunteers. Volunteers can save hospitals millions of dollars and most of the Senior Volunteers seem to really enjoy the social aspect of connecting with patients/other volunteers.
The volunteers at my local Friends of the Library seem to be having so much fun I sometimes wonder if they running a racket with their 50 cent books. Kidding. Mostly.
posted by mundo at 7:42 PM on July 17, 2019
The volunteers at my local Friends of the Library seem to be having so much fun I sometimes wonder if they running a racket with their 50 cent books. Kidding. Mostly.
posted by mundo at 7:42 PM on July 17, 2019
Red Hat Society probably has several chapters in Denver.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:33 AM on July 18, 2019
posted by jacquilynne at 6:33 AM on July 18, 2019
Many towns have a senior program and go on outings - Ikea, local sites, holiday lights, name it. Check out Adult Education, Denver Area Agency on Aging, and the library. Libraries have book groups, knitting/ stitching groups, all sorts of options. Plus, libraries are an easy way to get out of the house and they have magazines, books, videos, music and often much more.
posted by theora55 at 10:49 AM on July 18, 2019
posted by theora55 at 10:49 AM on July 18, 2019
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Local Parks and Recreation departments often have special classes for seniors at reduced rates.
If your mom is into reading at all, how about a book club? Many senior centers, again, have them, or she can check Nextdoor or her neighborhood's Facebook group, if there is one, to see if there is an existing book club.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 5:08 PM on July 17, 2019 [2 favorites]