One solution experts agree that can help combat loneliness is the creation of so-called “third spaces,” or places outside of home and work that people can spend time in.

Senior centers are prime examples of third spaces for older adults, providing a venue for connection without the expectation of spending money or having a precise purpose for being there. A community with a thriving senior center is a community with a relaxed, welcoming environment where elders can connect to explore new interests and reignite old ones.

Kim Park, director of the Northampton Senior Center, said the center is all about “connecting people with common interests” by providing the space and the means to do so. The center’s staff strive to create a welcoming atmosphere and encourage each member to branch out and stay engaged.

At least twice a week, Madge Briggs, 92, comes to the Senior Center to play bridge with her friends. She’s been doing so for about 10 years, and said she hates to miss even one meeting. She also frequents the center’s other offerings such as fitness classes, lunches and gatherings.

“I’ll come even alone to the ice cream social and I always get to sit with someone interesting and talk with them,” she said.

Laura Bellusci, 81, uses the Senior Center as an outlet for her love of languages. Even though she isn’t fully retired, and often returns to work to teach English to refugees, she also teaches an Italian class at the center that has become so popular. Bellusci has even been to Italy with a student she met through the class.

To Bellusci, the most important aspect of healthy aging is the making sure to “get out, do something.” One of her Italian students, Tiki Govantes, not only lives by that idea herself, but imparts it to her mother as well.

Govantes’ mother was anxious about attending the Senior Center. She was worried that she wouldn’t know anyone, or know what to do. But with the help of her daughter, she quickly became part of the center’s vibrant community, and Govantes said she saw “a lift in her spirit.”

What made it so easy was the casual nature of the center, where members can come for any reason, even just to sit and chat.

“It’s a place to come, you don’t have to make a plan for it, you don’t have to commit to a certain thing, and I really like that,” Govantes said.

“You get to be a part of something,” added Bellusci, mentioning that even small parts of the center, like the communal Scrabble board at the front desk, create opportunities to engage with something bigger than oneself. Members of the center build the board together, adding words in passing to create a mosaic of lettered tiles.

Kathy Service, who volunteers at the Senior Center and several other local organizations including Northampton Neighbors, has become used to seeing new members of the center become immersed in its community. Service, 71, noted that the biggest components of the center’s success are the welcoming culture created by its staff, and the “overall accessibility.”

“This is accessible. It’s accessibility for mind heart, spirit and body,” said Service.

That accessibility is in part due to the nature of the center’s membership, which is free and open to anybody over the age of 55, not just Northampton residents. The center also provides some transportation, and offers reasonably priced meals and coffee.

Park said Senior Center staff are always looking for new ways to reach those it may be leaving out.

Addressing obstacles

For older adults who might be home-bound or lack access to transportation to community spaces, Patricia Romney, director of Amherst Neighbors, said phone calls and virtual meet-ups can make an enormous difference in their social state. Since the pandemic, Amherst Neighbors has been focusing on offering social opportunities that are accessible across all economic levels and transportation capabilities by providing check-in phone calls and an array of online events.

At LifePath, there is a focus on providing services for those who are home-bound, such as phone companionship, meal drop-offs and wellness checks, which Feldman said “let people know someone cares about them.”

To encourage in-person engagement among those who can leave home, Amherst Neighbors, Northampton Neighbors, and local senior centers also coordinate transportation for those they serve. But even with this extra help, transportation remains a sizable barrier to connection in western Massachusetts across all age groups.

Another challenge comes from societal conceptions about aging and loneliness. Service said that she often talks to people who carry a “negative stigma about aging” that is pervasive throughout the country, and they often don’t think they’re “old enough” to need resources like a senior center.

Ashley Fraga, outreach worker at the Easthampton Council on Aging, said that much of the Easthampton Senior Center’s programming and outreach is formulated to “get people out of their shells,” but it can still be challenging to get people in the door when they have negative preconceptions about senior centers in general.

“I think there’s, like, a stigma when it comes to the senior center … I think people in their 50s and early 60s who are still working could still benefit from our activities,” said Fraga. “Sometimes everyone just needs a little push. Everyone deserves someone they can count on.”

Admitting that we need connection can be hard for people of any age though, and reaching out to ask for connection or help can seem daunting to anyone experiencing loneliness.

As Sandra Harris, state president of AARP Massachusetts and member of the Coalition to Build Community and End Loneliness in MA, said, “it can be hard to ask for a friend,” but when we do, the benefits to our mental health, physical health, and community health are palpable.