Edited and Produced by: Sarah Arellano
At Chicanos Por La Causa, support goes beyond advocacy.
They open the doors to vibrant community spaces where you can connect with people like you, build relationships, and enjoy time together in an environment that feels like home. One of their programs, the Healthy Aging Program, supports older adults in the community starting at age 60.
According to Health Aging Program team member Mariana Gutierrez Ortiz, the program focuses on helping participants live a healthy life. Because many of the participants are older adults, the program emphasizes physical well-being, mental well-being and nutrition.
“We’re open both to our neighbors, and our neighbors outside of our community, and what we do in our community center is, we provide lunch, we provide all different types of activities, like free health games, bingo, Loteria, Zumba, yoga classes. We do all types of different things to have a well-rounded life,” says Ortiz.
To no surprise at all, Ortiz says Loteria is one of the most tension-filled games they play. She said that, especially with some of the prizes they give away, the games get very competitive, and some players will make sure you call every card.
In contrast, once the games are put away, the community room that the program uses is filled with laughter, conversation and music.
“One of the first things that you see when you walk in is you’re going to hear music you’re going to hear laughing, participants can get really loud sometimes, you walk in and you’re like ‘Is there a party in here?’, it’s just the kind of environment we have,” says Ortiz. “We’re very welcoming, and people come in happy, and you know they have their space to socialize and get out of their daily routine.”
While the lively atmosphere Ortiz described is a big part of what makes the program special, its support goes much deeper than community and conversation. The program is also able to provide regular health checks through its partnership with the University of Arizona.
CPLC’s ability to provide these resources across their programs, not just in their Healthy Aging Program, is a testament to their community-centered approach and their commitment to supporting participants’ well-being in all areas of life.
“Our goal is always the same, to always be a place for our older adults to come, feel at home and to feel comfortable, come eat a warm meal.”
For more information about CPLCs Healthy Aging Program
