Cambridge Senior Center Celebrates 30th Anniversary

On October 31, 1995, the Cambridge Senior Center (806 Massachusetts Ave.) opened its doors to the Cambridge community. Since then, the Cambridge Senior Center has offered a variety of programs, activities, social and support groups, and special events to Cambridge residents age 60 and older. Staff at the Senior Center also provide Medicare consultations, referrals to local agencies, and technology support to older adults.

In honor of the Cambridge Senior Center's 30th anniversary, Susan Pacheco, Executive Director of the Council on Aging, and Alicia Johnson, Director of the Cambridge Senior Center, reflect on the past three decades.

How long have you worked at the Cambridge Senior Center?

Susan: I have been at the Cambridge Senior Center since it opened! I started as an Information Referral Specialist at the Council on Aging in June 1995. That October, the Senior Center had its grand opening, with over 600 people attending the celebration! I transitioned to Director of Client Services a few years later and in November 2012, I became the Executive Director of the Council on Aging.

Alicia: I started 23 years ago in a Coordinator role and worked in that position for four years. After briefly leaving the Senior Center, I returned in 2009 as an Information and Referral Specialist. In 2013, I became the Director of the North Cambridge Senior Center, and in 2021, I was promoted to my current role, Director of the Cambridge Senior Center.

How would you describe the mission of the Cambridge Senior Centers and the Council on Aging?

Susan: The mission of the Council on Aging is to promote and safeguard the health and independence of older adults. We want to encourage people to embrace older adulthood and broaden their horizons on what is possible in this stage of their lives. Our Senior Centers support this mission by providing older adults with opportunities to engage in lifelong learning, practice healthy aging, and find connection.

Alicia: Our core mission has always been the same: to provide services and resources to empower older adults in Cambridge. We also respond to the emerging needs of our community. We listen to the feedback and concerns of our older adults and adapt our programming to meet their changing needs and circumstances.

In the last 30 years, how has the Senior Center evolved to meet the needs of older adults in Cambridge?

Susan: As a society, we recognize the nuance and complexity in earlier stages of life like childhood and young adulthood. But for older adults, we sometimes place everyone from 60 to 100 years in the same bucket. This is a cohort of people who have more than 40 years of unique and varied life experiences as adults. They grew up with different music genres and cultural experiences; a one-size-fits-all approach will not work. Our programming needs to reflect the range and diversity of this community.

Alicia and her team actively examine how we can adapt our programming to meet the needs of our community. Which community members are not yet being served by our programs and what can we do to include them? How can our programming address the wide range of backgrounds, interests, and capabilities of our older adults in Cambridge?

Alicia: Historically, older adults in our community had close links to Cambridge. Many of them identified as lifelong Cantabrigians and found common ground in their shared experiences growing up in Cambridge.

Over the years, this has changed. We now also have a lot of community members who are not lifelong Cantabrigians or long-term residents. Many are new to Cambridge and moved here for different reasons. We want to create a place where everyone can find connection and a sense of belonging. We welcome everyone at our Senior Centers.

Read the full interview with Susan Pacheco and Alicia Johnson on the City's Digital Publications site.

For more information about the Cambridge Senior Center and the Cambridge Council on Aging, visit www.cambridgema.gov/CouncilonAging.

Photo Caption: Susan Pacheco (left), Executive Director of the Cambridge Council on Aging, and Alicia Johnson (second from right), Director of the Cambridge Senior Center, stand with COA staff members Sanaa Mohamed (second from left) and Arline McGrady (right) at the Massachusetts Councils on Aging fall conference.