Aging in the Valley
One thing we all have in common — we grow older.
Aging in the Valley is an ongoing series from the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative and its partner newsrooms that looks at the social, political, economic, and cultural dynamics that shape the lives of our Valley seniors and those who love them.
With the senior population in the United States growing larger all the time, we’re committing reporting resources to covering health care for older Valley residents, care homes and assisted living facilities, loneliness and loss, dating and romance, and the contributions of seniors to the arts, culture, and activism.
We hope this project will be a compelling way to learn more about our Valley communities from the people who built and defined them.
Senior performers in the Valley say they feel young on stage. Science backs that up
CLOVIS, Calif. — Mac McIntosh started singing when he was 8 years old. He’s 77 now, but his glory days are far from over. “Performing is everything when you’ve done it as long as I have,” McIntosh said. McIntosh competed as part of a barbershop quartet for most of his life. A barbershop quartet is…
About one of five Valley seniors live alone. What’s that mean for physical, mental health?
The number of senior citizens who live alone in the San Joaquin Valley has grown by more than 30% since 2012, adding to a population at increased risk to both physical and mental health. That amounts to more than one in five Valley residents over the age of 65 living with no spouse, family or…
Senior population growth in the San Joaquin Valley outpaces available specialists, care resources
Senior citizens make up the fastest growing age demographic in the San Joaquin Valley. And they need more doctors. Members of the Baby Boomer generation – people born in the post-World War II era from 1946 to 1964 – are rapidly joining the ranks of senior citizens. The oldest members of the cohort reached age…
Fresno church gives up land to build affordable housing
FRESNO, Calif. – Allysunn Walker often hears that her community wasn’t “left behind,” but rather “kept behind.” That’s because southwest Fresno has borne the brunt of decades of redlining and disinvestment. As Fresno grew, this part of the city stayed largely the same. To this day, Walker said, the area encompassing southwest Fresno has one grocery…
In this California community, older adults are going back to school
MERCED, Calif. — Merced College instructor Ofelia Cruz is 73 years old. But whenever her students in her “Injury and Fall Prevention” class figure out her age, they’re shocked. “When they find out that I’m older than them, they’re going, ‘What?’ And I said ‘The secret is movement and consistency. You have to do it…