Did you know that every major metropolitan area has fantastic resources for your elderly loved one to connect with others and stay active? They are known by different names in each community: Senior Community Center, Council on Aging, etc.

The first Senior Center in the country opened in 1943 in the Bronx, New York and was called the William Hodgson Community Center. Today, there are an estimated 15,000 senior centers across the country serving about 10 million older Americans annually.

Massachusetts, amongst the top 20 states most popular states amongst seniors, has active Senior Citizen Centers located in almost every town and community. In addition to daily opportunities for social interaction, the senior centers offer exercise classes, billiards, cards, board games, low-cost lunch, educational lectures, social outings to community and cultural events, social service information and assistance, financial assistance, transportation services, and health and wellness programs.

Over the past several years, South Asian seniors, particularly in Massachusetts, have discovered and actively started using these facilities. South Asian seniors fall into two categories: 1. First generation immigrants who came to America to study 40-50 years back and stayed on to raise their families and pursue the American dream; and, 2. Seniors who reside in India but visit here for several months in the summer to bond with their children and grandchildren who have settled in this country and made it their home. Both groups have the same motivation in gathering at the centers – the need to connect with others of their own kind and their own generation in an effort to understand the unique issues they encounter as transplants to a new culture.

One of the areas where these gatherings are proliferating is in the northern and western suburbs of Boston. Spearheaded by Rita Shah, Outreach Coordinator at the Burlington Senior Center, South Asians in and around the area got together and created FISCO – Friends of Indian Senior Citizens Organization in 2009.

FISCO’s mission, as stated on their website, is to assist the elderly South Asian community by offering them means for group support and a “place of sanctuary”. One of the main attractions at the Burlington center is a vegetarian Indian lunch donated by some well-known Indian restaurants in this area: Punjab, India Palace, Subway, Diva, Mela and Dosa Factory. Pongal, a regular contributor since 2009, as a special treat invites seniors to partake of the buffet lunch at their restaurant once a month. The lunches are so popular that a number of non-Indians at the center join in.

In addition to the lunches the center provides Yoga classes twice a week. FISCO also organizes trips, by land and sea, to various Indian religious centers along the Eastern Seaboard. Members also organize an annual Diwali celebration where they give awards to owners of the restaurants and others who have donated their time and services to the organization. These celebrations are popular and families accompany their parents/grandparents to the events, which offer dancing to DJ conducted music, an Indian dinner, a raffle, games and gift bags for the children. This October will mark the third annual Diwali celebration.  

Due to the growing popularity of these get-togethers, Rita was given the mandate to extend the Burlington model to other towns in the area that have a large Indian population: Lexington, Waltham and Belmont.  In September, the senior center in Framingham will start offering Indian lunches one day a week as well allowing access to members of the community from further west to benefit from these luncheon get-togethers with other South Asians. The lunches are open to all South Asian seniors regardless of the community they live in.

FISCO’s goal, as stated on their website www.thefisco.org, is to expand this model through the entire state. They are calling on members of the community who have the resources to visit their website and contribute towards accomplishing this dream. In the end the entire community will benefit from these efforts.

The following FISCO events are scheduled for the next few months so please plan to join, we promise that you will have a lot of fun:

CHALO GUJARAT: is a three-day event scheduled to take place in New Jersey.  A FISCO bus will leave the Burlington Senior Center on 61 Center Street, Burlington, MA on the morning of August 31, 2012 and return in the evening on September 1, 2012. The two-day trip will cost $100 for FISCO members and $150 for non-members. Please call Rita for additional details.

DIWALI: The Celebration is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2012. Time, charges, and venue details will follow.

All South Asian seniors are welcome to join the above events. You are invited to become members of FISCO to partake in additional events! You can obtain an annual membership or a lifetime membership


To learn more call Rita Shah at 339-234-0738 or email her at rita.saheli@gmail.com

To find out about senior centers in your community visit:
http://www.caremassachusetts.org/list11_MA_senior_centers.htm

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