Building Social Connections: Senior Living Events that Unite Residents and Youth in Baton Rouge

If you’re considering a senior living community, a lively social scene is likely high on your list of priorities. After all, social wellness in retirement is an important part of physical and mental health. Here at St. James Place, you’ll always find folks dining, celebrating and mingling with friends, particularly in our newly renovated Square.

Our 52-acre retirement community also opens its gates to young volunteers throughout the Baton Rouge area who share their talents, enthusiasm and energy through music and other programs for seniors. “We’re close to LSU and other schools so it’s easy to find groups eager to entertain or serve our community,” Director of Active Lifestyles Tonya Dixon explains. “And many are delighted to find that our residents enrich their lives as well.”

Building Social Connections Through Music, Line Dancing and a Halloween Surprise  

So what types of senior living events do these young people engage in? The answer is as rich and diverse as Baton Rouge. Our Life Plan Community never tires of listening to the Greater Baton Rouge Children’s Choir, especially during the holidays. We’ve also welcomed singers and bands from nearby Trinity Episcopal School and St. James Episcopal School.  

But these youthful contributions aren’t limited to musical performances, as Independent Living Enrichment Manager Emily Bozeman explains. “One young man plays piano for us once a month, and afterward, he and his mother stay to clean everybody’s eyeglasses. High school and college students also serve food and teach line dancing to residents at events like our Mardi Gras party.”

Folks who live here can also teach the students a thing or two. Assisted Living Enrichment Manager Tenelius Spurlock recalls an adorable exchange that took place around Halloween. “One little girl who was trick-or-treating in our Assisted Living neighborhood tried to explain what the custom was all about,” Tenelius laughs. She was speechless when a resident told her, “Yes, I took my own children trick-or-treating 60 years ago.”

Forging Lasting Partnerships with the Baton Rouge Community

Filling the St. James Place calendar with fun, engaging senior living events is a full-time job in itself, so Emily and Tenelius are grateful that the greater Baton Rouge area is ripe with people ready to contribute and collaborate.

“Many of the girls at St. Joseph’s Academy choose our senior living community for their day of service each year,” Tenelius says. “One year, they transformed a fence in our Assisted Living neighborhood into a beautiful mural, and the year before that, they came in to do a wheel wash—everything from cars to walkers. The local car wash even donated T-shirts and supplies!”

St. James Place also maintains a close relationship with the LSU School of Music. “It started out as a few choral or instrumental groups coming to practice through performance,” Emily says. “But many students have developed intergenerational relationships with our retirement community’s residents and invite them to be their special guests at recitals and concerts. We even had a student musician living here as an artist in residence one summer!”

Another way that St. James Place forges social connections for seniors is by hosting several other Baton Rouge area organizations. Sometimes the members of a resident’s rotary club or church group will meet in one of our campus venues. Our community will also be hosting the kick-off meeting for the 2024 Alzheimer’s Walk.

“We’re more than just a senior living community,” Emily says. “We’re part of the fabric of life in Baton Rouge.

When Seniors and Youth Meet through Music Programs, Everybody’s Lives Are Enriched

Both Emily and Tenelius will tell you that whenever members of the younger crowd visit our active retirement community, it feels less like a field trip and more like a family gathering. When the Baton Rouge Ballet’s youth performers put on one of their colorful shows, the joy doesn’t end when the dancing stops.

“After the performance, all the young ballerinas go out to talk with the audience,” Emily explains. “They answer questions like ‘How long have you been dancing?’ or ‘Which moves were the hardest to learn?’ Folks here really take an interest in supporting young talent and the performers learn so much from the intergenerational relationships at our retirement community.”

Sometimes, our residents even use their own family connections to “wow” our community with the finest music programs for seniors. “One lady has a grandson who’s a ballet dancer, and another has a grandson in a jazz ensemble,” Tenelius says. Whenever they perform for us, their grandmothers always point and say, ‘That’s my boy!’ It’s just another way we cultivate an atmosphere of social wellness in retirement here.”

And like all family gatherings, there’s often a little friendly teasing between the generations. Once a visiting school group was playing the word game Taboo with our residents when the word “Internet” came up. Emily explains what happened next. “A student whispered, ‘You know what the Internet is, right?’ And one of our residents yelled out, ‘Of course I do, I’m a computer expert!’

“Everyone shared a good laugh over that,” Emily says.

Ready to Expand Your Mind, Imagination and Spirit?

Our Baton Rouge retirement community will be hosting several talented ensembles over the coming months, including a performance of Adventures in Neverland by the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre’s Youth Ballet. Visit our senior living events page for details about the latest happenings.

Want to learn more about the gracious lifestyle, enrichment programs and full continuum of high-quality healthcare that make St. James Place such a sought-after Life Plan Community? Schedule your tour today by calling (225) 215-4510.