Retirement
College towns draw those seeking active retirement “People think seniors today are looking for sun and sand and not much else,” said Jill College isn’t just for the Lillie, director of marketing young. at The Village at Penn State, With many people seeking a continuing care residence a retirement that is culturally active and intellectually in State College, Pa. “But boomers are focused on new stimulating, colleges and challenges. They want to universities are working to enrich their lives, write a bring retirees to their camnew chapter.” puses and towns, offering Campus life can provide them free or reduced-rate classes, artistic performanc- plenty of opportunities to do that. es or lectures. Some have “We were tired of looking partnered with retirement at old people, and we wanted residences in the area. to get to a place where there For some retirees, it’s a homecoming: They’re return- was a little more vibrancy, ing to their former campuses a little more to do,” said Al Green, a 1947 Penn State with warm memories of the time they spent there as stu- graduate who moved to The Village at Penn State after dents. Others are moving to first retiring to Florida. On a be closer to their children, who might be affiliated with recent fall weekend, he was juggling sporting events, a the university. For still others, it’s just a new adventure. bridge game and drinks with
BY CAROLE FELDMAN
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friends. Students cite benefits, too. Vicki Centurelli, an Ithaca College senior from Hingham, Mass., who has volunteered with retirees, says, “Hearing about different experiences allows you to reflect on your own life and see it a little bit differently, which I think is important for college students to do.” Sure, the same types of residential facilities and programming are available in communities around the country, but there’s a preponderance in college towns, said Scott Perry, president of Bankers Life and Casualty Company, which put out a study on the best U.S. cities for seniors. Among the criteria it considered were social opportunities, including the number of colleges and uni-
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Kathy Rizk, M.S., CCC-A
versities in town. “We can’t underestimate the importance of keeping our minds active as we age,” he said, adding that college communities have the resources to “allow seniors to focus on what they want to pursue in the next stage of their life.” And it’s not just intellectual and social. Typically, he said, many large universities will have teaching hospitals and even dental schools which provide health services for seniors. “They raise the quality of care in the community,” he said. In Ithaca, N.Y., the Longview retirement community offers independent and assisted living, and has a partnership with Ithaca College to promote intergenerational learning. Two or
three residents are taking classes at the college, said Breelan Nash, Longview’s recreation and volunteer coordinator. Residents also attend plays and concerts on campus, with transportation provided. At the same time, some classes for students are held at Longview, and residents can sit in, said Rhoda Meador, director of the Gerontology Institute at Ithaca College. Talking with the seniors can provide context and reality to the students’ academic subjects, she said. Sarah Furie, 20, a junior from Windsor, Conn., who is majoring in television and radio, said student volunteers have taught Longview residents about computers, performed musical programs
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