Keeping the West Valley “Age-friendly”: County Supports Los Gatos-Saratoga Adult Recreation Center Improvement
When Santa Clara County and all of its 15 cities attained “Age-friendly” status from the World Health Organization several years ago, we were the first county in the nation to achieve such recognition.
The County, civic agencies, and more than 100 community-based organizations partnered in this groundbreaking initiative to attain membership in the WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities. Together, we committed to fostering healthy and active aging by enabling older residents to continue to develop personally and contribute to their communities while retaining autonomy, wellbeing, and dignity.
Age-friendliness is more important than ever as the older adult population of the West Valley, and the County as a whole, is projected to increase significantly by 2030.
The number of adults over age 54 in Los Gatos, for example, grew by approximately 30% since 2010, and now make up more than a third of the total population of the town. This aging population will only increase, and it’s important that senior-serving facilities keep pace in meeting the needs of our older West Valley residents.
I’m pleased that my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors agreed, unanimously approving my request for a grant to help with ADA-related upgrades to the Los Gatos-Saratoga (LGS) Adult Recreation Center.
One vital component of the West Valley’s “age-friendliness” is LGS Recreation’s 55 Plus Program, which provides a suite of senior services for residents of Los Gatos, Saratoga, Monte Sereno and other nearby communities. Programming includes continuing education, health services and nutrition referrals, counseling, and volunteer and socialization opportunities. The 55 Plus Program has notable reach in the West Valley, attracting more than 500 new senior LGS Recreation members and participation by nearly 8,000 older adult non-members in the first half of 2022 alone.
Located next to the Los Gatos Civic Center and Library, the LGS Adult Recreation Center was built almost 50 years ago. Modernizing the two-story building will improve safety and access for the many LGS Recreation participants who rely on mobility devices or have other physical challenges.
A recent ADA audit showed that the LGS Adult Recreation Center comes up short on several fronts, including the restrooms and flooring. Rather than retrofitting the existing four bathrooms due to complications with plumbing, HVAC, and the elevators, a new, gender-neutral restroom will replace a break room on the ground floor.
In addition, the flooring of the Center’s multi-purpose room has reached the end of its useful life. Replacing it will remove irregularities in the surface to help minimize tripping and the risk of falls – a significant cause of injury and death for seniors, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Approximately 30 million falls are reported annually by older adults, of which 32,000 result in deaths.)
I am delighted that the County is able to help Los Gatos continue to be a great “age-friendly” place to grow older. This one-time grant is part of reimagining how the increasing number of seniors play a vital role in our communities. The town of Los Gatos, through a federal Community Development Block Grant and annual budget allocations, will cover about half the cost of the Center’s improvements.
At the County we are always on the lookout for effective ways to join forces with our towns and cities. Meeting the needs of older adults is not something a single entity or organization can do alone. It will take our joint efforts to ensure older adults are taken care of in the communities where they live. This combination of funding sources is a great reminder that we can do so much more when we partner together.
Joe Simitian
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
This article was originally published in Los Gatos Living Magazine in August 2022.