Why the OPC is The Place To Be Livability in Action

Why the OPC is The Place To Be

The minimum age for membership in the Michigan-based Older Persons Commission and its hockey and other teams is 50 People are eager to join

Photo courtesy Older Person's Commission The OPC hockey team after winning bronze at a 2017 tournament. Other off-site OPC team sports include golf, softball and Nordic walking. The acronym OPC stands for the , which sounds as if it’s, well, a commission. While there is an OPC “governing board” of eight appointed commissioners, when residents of , and in Michigan refer to the OPC, they typically mean the 90,000-square-foot community center that’s used daily by hundreds of the area’s residents who are age-50 or over. The center has a full-size gymnasium, an indoor walking track, a lap pool, a therapy pool for exercise classes (water temperature 92°F), cycling classes, circuit training, yoga, tai chi, Pilates, ballet, Zumba and more. There’s a woodshop, computer lab, pottery studio, auditorium, stage and performance arts group. OPC Leisure Travel offers local, overnight and extended trips in the U.S. and overseas. “It’s a beautiful facility, a safe facility, a great amenity for the community,” says , adding that developers and companies tell him, “It’s the reason they’re here.” Photo courtesy Older Persons' Commission Volleyball is an on-site team sport offered at OPC, as is pickleball, table tennis, badminton and basketball. Barnett jokes that the OPC’s roster of activities is so full it reminds him of a cruise ship’s activities schedule. “We recognize the value of aging in place,” he says. “It’s one of the most important trends we can invest in.” Membership is free for age-eligible residents of the OPC’s three home communities. People 50-plus from the surrounding area can join for $175 a year or $225 per married couple. The OPC’s community services include Meals on Wheels, an adult day care center and a minibus that provides more than 50,000 door- to-door rides per year. That service is so revered by voters that they adopted a special property- tax assessment to pay for the transportation program. Credit for the Older Persons’ Commission goes to community activist Marye Miller, its founder and retired executive director. As a driver for a transportation program that shuttled passengers between nursing homes and activity centers, Miller saw firsthand how the needs of the area’s older adults were not being met. In the mid-1980s, through dogged advocacy and fundraising work, Miller was able to pur- chase and convert a vacant school building into a senior center. The current building opened in 2003. As Barnett explains, “Marye Miller took the OPC from a small program to a community within a community.” This article is an excerpt from the "Support Health and Wellness" chapter of the AARP book . Download or order your free copy. Article by Peter Morelli Book published June 2018 The weekly, award-winning AARP Livable Communities e-Newsletter provides local leaders with information and inspiration for making their town, city or neighborhood more livable for older adults and people of all ages.

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