Thirdcloud Publications Surf City Strand Mag November 2015 | Page 10

Senior
 surfers
 have
 become
 a
 centerpiece
 for
 active
 living
 in
 the
 community
 and
 thanks
 to
 the
 HBCOA,

they’re
 living
 the
 mission
 of
 advancing
 “access,
 dignity
 and
 quality
 of
 life”
 in
 the
 City
 of
 Huntington
 Beach.

Seniors
 are
 “on
 the
 move”
 in
 every
 aspect
 of
 the
 Huntington
 Beach
 landscape,
 where
 the
 beach
 and
 surf

culture
 runs
 so
 deep
 that
 the
 city
 trademarked
 the
 motto,
 “Surf
 City

USA.”

“Many
 seniors
 are
 still
 active
 in
 our
 surfing
 world”
 said
 Don

MacAllister,
 a
 past-­‐president
 of
 the
 HBCOA
 who
 now
 serves
 as
 an

administrative
 secretary.

 MacAllister
 also
 sits
 at
 the
 county
 level
 on

a
 Senior
 Advisory
 Board
 to
 the
 Orange
 County
 Board
 of
 Supervisors

and
 at
 the
 state
 level
 as
 a
 senior
 senator
 on
 the
 California
 Senior

Legislature.

“We’re
 frustrated”
 said
 MacAllister,
 because
 “so
 many
 people
 even

into
 their
 60s
 don’t
 want
 to
 associate
 with
 the
 idea
 that
 they
 are
 a

senior.”

 “We
 have
 a
 lot
 to
 offer”
 lamented
 the
 senior
 advocate,

who
 often
 wonders
 how
 to
 convince
 people
 to
 embrace
 the
 idea
 of

being
 a
 senior.

“We
 also
 worry
 about
 those
 seniors
 who
 are
 home-­‐bound
 and
 can’t

get
 around”
 explained
 MacAllister.

 An
 important
 goal
 is
 helping

these
 home-­‐bound
 seniors
 to
 stay
 independent.

 The
 HBCOA
 has
 an
 excellent
 transportation
 system
 in
 the

city
 and
 manages
 a
 “meals
 on
 wheels”
 program,
 which
 takes
 meals
 to
 seniors
 who
 can’t
 get
 out
 or
 fix
 their

own
 meals
 in
 their
 homes.

Active
 aging
 programs
 will
 grow
 into
 a
 new
 38,000
 sq.
 ft.
 facility
 in

the
 spring
 of
 2016,
 while
 continuing
 with
 day
 to
 day
 activities
 that

include
 physical
 exercise
 programs,
 Pilates,
 monthly
 dances
 and

“anything
 else
 that
 somebody
 comes
 up
 with
 that’s
 a
 good
 idea,”

according
 to
 MacAllister.