I joined the board of directors of the Vashon-Maury Island Senior Center in January. I got hooked a few years ago when I started taking bridge lessons at the center and subsequently joined the local duplicate bridge club. Like many of us baby boomers, I’m trying to stave off the loss of brain cells and am hoping bridge is the ticket.

Working with the senior center board and staff is my first foray into Vashon-Maury’s social service  scene. I have to admit some of it is self-serving. I need to know what services are provided, should I need them in the not-too-distant future.

There is no clear definition of “senior citizen,” but the Vashon-Maury Senior Center targets people 55 years old and older. According to the 2010 census, there were 4,213 individuals or 39.6 percent of the island’s population in that 55+ age bracket.

There are clearly a lot of seniors on the island, but people seem to dislike the “senior” moniker.  I don’t really get it; I figured I was a senior as soon as AARP came knocking at my door. This morning my husband exclaimed, “I’m not a senior; my 94-year-old mother is a senior!”

Our self-perception presents a challenge to the senior center. The board of Directors is grappling with the center’s role in the community. Who do we serve? Do we provide services for everyone over 55 years of age or do we address those people who are most in need? Do we assist the “sandwich generation” as they care for their elderly parents while raising school-aged children? Do we focus on popular, low-cost recreational activities, like bridge, or provide relatively expensive services, like transportation, for comparatively few individuals who may be isolated in their homes?

As we age, many of us want to stay in our own homes as long as possible. But, for example, we may no longer be able to drive. Being home alone can lead to social isolation as well as poor nutrition. If you or your loved ones are having these experiences, there are some current senior center programs you should know about.

The senior center has a vetted set of Neighbor to Neighbor volunteers to help seniors on fixed incomes with a variety of household tasks, including providing transportation. The Lunch Care-A-Van provides door-to-door transportation service from home to the center for lunch on Mondays and Fridays. And, the Bluebird Medical Transportation program provides rides to off-island medical appointments.

There are a variety of other stimulating activities offered at the senior center, from educational presentations to pinochle, to fitness classes to movies. There are no age restrictions on becoming a member of the Vashon-Maury Senior Center, and the annual membership fee is $20. I bet you didn’t know that you can get lunch every weekday except Thursday at the senior center at noon for only $4.50.

To make thoughtful decisions for the senior center, the board of directors has to evaluate the effectiveness of our current programs, let the community know what the senior center currently offers and ask the community what we should be offering. I look forward to doing just that in the months to come.

As we embark on this needs assessment, it is with the knowledge that funding for senior programs has been drastically cut by both King County and by United Way. These two entities provide 30 percent of the Vashon-Maury Senior Center’s income. We expect a fraction of that support next year.

We are a community that takes care of one another. We will need to shoulder a greater proportion of the cost of senior services on the island. In the upcoming months, board members will be coming to community groups to ask your thoughts about the senior center. I hope you will help us better define how we fulfill our mission of “creating a sense of community that enhances the experience of being an older adult.”

In the meantime, come on down to the center and play some cards.

— Susie Kalhorn is an

environmental educator who

enjoys being an older adult.