Senior Symposium a Hit

By Michael Grier

Dozens of District Seniors came out to the 7th Annual Senior Symposium to learn about ways that technologies impact their lives and engage with community and District resources. The event was filled with fun, food and learning opportunities. Rayceen Pendarvis, a native Washingtonian, served as host and talked about growing up in District and connecting seniors to their roots.

Deputy Mayor HyeSook Chung provided remarks highlighting the strides the District has made inventing the health and welfare of our older neighbors. , and DC Office on Aging Executive Director Laura Newland spoke about programs and activities available through her agency this summer.

The interactive workshops were the highlight of the symposium. Seniors were able to assist with building robots and battling them with each other. They also were taken on a journey through the history of virtual reality which culminated in with a test run of the latest virtual reality gear available. Age-Friendly DC hosted lessons on how seniors can better use their smartphones to improve shealth, lifestyle and safety.

Other highlights included: financial tips from the DC Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking; a discussion about issues facing LGBTQ seniors in DC after a showing of Gen Silent; and 70 vendors providing cooking demonstrations and teaching lifesaving skills.

For those looking for another chance to get involved, DCOA will be hosting the Annual Ms. Senior DC Pageant Sunday, June 24, 2018 at UDC Theater of the Arts, 4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW. Tickets are $20 and available at the door!

Michael Grier is a policy advisor in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services.

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This piece is an excerpt from my chapbook “Little Different”. “Things I Learned from Sixteen” is published by Elly Green.