Westshore senior directors speak at national conference

Senior center directors Jackie Chavez-Anderson from North Olmsted, Deb Huff from Rocky River and Lydia Gadd from Westlake, with Tak Sato from Center for Aging in the Digital World, get ready to present at the Aging in America Conference. Photo by Cat Chia

Three Westshore senior center directors, along with their technical partner, were chosen to speak about their collaborative website at the national Aging in America conference in San Francisco last month.

Senior center directors from Westlake, Rocky River and North Olmsted, and technical partner Center for Aging in the Digital World, represented the eight senior centers that comprise the collaborative behind www.westshoreseniors.org. This website was launched last December to provide a “one-stop shop” experience for anyone looking for senior center information on the west side, a concept that was recognized for its innovation by the American Society on Aging. Visitors to the site can find program and social service information for Avon, Bay Village, Fairview, Lakewood, North Olmsted, North Ridgeville, Rocky River and Westlake. Community West Foundation provided funding for the site.

“The feedback we received was that attendees from across the country were ‘amazed’ at our collaboration, and how unusual that is,” said Lydia Gadd, director of Community Services for Westlake. “The Westshore senior centers have collaborated for more than 10 years, so we don’t experience the competition that other senior center communities do. Over the years our collaboration has grown to enable us to create our website.”