Recently, I attended the Ventura County Board of Supervisors meeting. My coworker Julie and I were honored to accept a proclamation celebrating Senior Concerns’ 50 years of service to seniors and family caregivers in our community.

Janice Parvin, Chair of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, noted that many of the public comments and causes featured that day intersected. I could not agree more. In particular, the proclamations before and after the Senior Concerns presentation highlighted older Americans’ immense value to our society.

A proclamation naming April 2025 as Arts, Culture, and Creativity Month in Ventura County presented and Ventura County’s fourth Poet Laureate, Mary Ann McFadden, was introduced.

What struck me most as McFadden – author, retired teacher and poet – as she read one of her poems from her book, The Eye of the Blackbird, was how thoughtful it was. She struggled to make sense of the changes in her family, her community, and her country as she came of age in Simi Valley and Filmore.

In her poem, McFadden spoke about her role as the only child of an only son, how the family name ended with her, and how the farmland that had housed and fed them those many years, turned into housing developments, also ceasing her family legacy. McFadden uses some of her poems to paint a rich history of our community at a time of change. What a gift for all of us.

The next proclamation went to a group of volunteers known as the “Sifters,” who played a pivotal role during November’s fast-moving and destructive Mountain Fire. Over several days, the fire burned almost 20,000 acres and destroyed 182 residential structures.

The “Sifters”, almost all older adults, were amazing souls who just “showed up” to help fire victims sift through the debris of their properties and provided not only physical support but also emotional encouragement during a very difficult time. They reflected the true spirit of community coming together to offer healing, support, and hope.

As it turns out, one theme that Poet Laureate McFadden plans to explore in her tenure is hope.

Hope is a crucial factor in the well-being of older adults, positively impacting our physical and mental health, social connections, and ability to cope with challenges. A study by the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University found that hope is fundamental to senior mental health.

Two hope-fostering activities powered by older adults were demonstrated in McFadden’s and “The Sifters” work.

Activities like life review can effectively improve hope in older adults. Life review is a process of reflecting on one's life experiences to better understand ourselves and our place in the world.

Participating in social volunteering programs can also be a hope-fostering activity. The “Sifters” showed compassion, determination, and kindness as they worked to help those impacted by the Mountain Fire begin their recovery process. Volunteerism can raise hope in all of us, especially at this level.

I had no idea I would learn so much about some of our county’s amazing older adults at a Supervisors’ meeting. The experience underscored how important it is for us all to honor and support seniors with so much to contribute.

In sharing their talents and acts of service, older adults can show us that even in life’s later chapters, hope can shine brighter than ever.