Celebrating Four Years of Friendship and Connection at Greenwood Senior Center

The Greenwood Senior Center (GSC) celebrated the fourth anniversary of its Social Connection Program (SCP) in April. Over the past four years, the SCP has grown significantly, teaching us valuable lessons about combating social isolation and loneliness among older adults.

When the COVID pandemic worsened social isolation concerns, Cecily Kaplan, former GSC director, launched the SCP with funding from the King County Veterans, Seniors, & Human Services levy. With no precedent or road map in hand, the program set out to connect older adults. Through community outreach, innovative programming, and a personalized concierge service, we’ve worked to break down barriers that keep people from engaging socially.

One of the most popular events to emerge from this program is Speed Friending—a fun, fast-paced way for participants to meet new friends. Modeled after speed dating, this event is designed to foster friendship rather than romance. It’s been a hit at GSC, with participants sharing heartwarming stories about connections they’ve made. One woman met her best friend at an event, and when that friend moved away, she returned to Speed Friending to meet more people. Another woman discovered that several participants lived near her on 72nd Street, leading to the creation of a monthly supper club called Club 72.

Recognizing the need to help people improve their ability to connect with others, we introduced the Social Skills Discussion Series in partnership with Lisa Bakke, GSC’s therapeutic consultant, and Denise Malm, Wallingford Senior Center’s geriatric mental health specialist. This series eventually evolved into the Social Skills Practice Group, allowing participants to actively apply the skills they learned in real-life scenarios.

In response to community needs, we also created Social Connection Consultations—a “social connection concierge service.” These 30-minute sessions allow us to provide personalized suggestions for activities based on individual interests. While consultations have been helpful for many, some participants sought additional support. This led us to introduce Connect2Affect, an AARP Foundation workshop that guides participants through creating a “Friendventory” to assess and improve their social connections. For those seeking deeper engagement, we developed Connection Rx, a six-week “social fitness” program designed to help participants actively build social connections and overcome challenges. We hope to expand this program to include physician referrals and partner with more organizations across King County.

Over the past four years, we’ve learned several key lessons:

• There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution for improving social connections; addressing different needs requires diverse approaches.
• Concierge-style support is crucial for helping people overcome social connection inertia.
• Social isolation is easier to address than loneliness, but both require attention. While SCP participants are undoubtedly less socially isolated, tracking feelings of loneliness remains more complex. Surveys show that 85% of SCP participants felt more connected or had more resources for social connection after attending an SCP event.
• Quality connections are just as important as quantity; fostering meaningful relationships through programs like Social Skills helps improve the quality of social connections.
• Ageism and the stigma surrounding social isolation remain barriers, but awareness is growing. SCP participants often confess that they feel like they’re the only ones dealing with lack of social connection and are ashamed about it. It really helps to tell them it’s a systemic issue and they’re not alone nor “at fault.”

We’ve had a lot of fun and have learned so much in the first four years of the SCP. We look forward to more exploration, innovation, and community connection in the years ahead.

Contributor Teresa Tam is the Social Connection Project Coordinator at Greenwood Senior Center, which is part of the Phinney Neighborhood Association (PNA), serving Northwest Seattle and North King County. PNA’s mission is to build, engage and support its diverse community through programs, services, and activities that connect neighbors and foster civic engagement.

Learn More and Connect: https://www.phinneycenter.org/seniors/social-connections-program/