While May marks the month celebrating older Americans and raising awareness about mental health, growing anxiety about world events has caused heightened anxiety for many elderly adults living in the DMV area, and resulted in a call for the community to take action.
“I would definitely say that worries for the elderly community are higher and more layered than they were even a decade ago,” Bee Harley, of Southwest D.C., said.
At 76, Harley has seen neighborhoods change across the District, prices rise, technology replace human connection, and the world grow more uncertain. She cites finances and the economy as one of the biggest concerns of D.C.’s elderly population.
“Health problems have restricted me from even part-time work,” said Harley. “Things are so expensive that it is almost impossible to live off the little bit of money that comes from your retirement; sometimes you have to just do without.”
Former administrator Vickie Moore reports that the future feels increasingly fragile. Like many seniors, Moore says surviving on a monthly income requires constant calculation.
“When you work, you don’t think about the cost of absolutely every little thing,” the Southwest D.C. resident explained. “Receiving money once a month and trying to figure out how to make it last all month with everything being so high is a constant stress.”
Despite growing concerns, seniors and wellness experts alike note that one of the greatest protections against anxiety, depression, and isolation has become community.
At Model Cities Senior Wellness Center in Northeast D.C., Director Stacie Mack has spent the last 21 years helping older adults navigate not only the practical challenges of aging, but the emotional toll as well. Through the creation of innovative programs such as dance, field trips, meals, and a deep sense of camaraderie, Mack demonstrates the impact of safe gathering spaces on senior mental health.
“There is a senior wellness center in almost every ward in D.C.,” Mack said, “We see at least 95 people per day at our location, completely by word of mouth. That’s the power of the senior community in the District.”
Emotional and Economic Costs, Keeping Up With Technology
Older District residents are navigating aging in a city where costs continue to rise while fixed incomes remain stagnant, and in some places, in decline. For many, retirement has not brought rest, but stress.
Moore worries about both the financial and physical cost of caregiving to her household. Once the person everyone leaned on, Moore now finds herself adjusting to receiving care instead of giving it.
“I used to make sure everybody else was OK,” she said. “Now I am on the opposite end of caregiving. My son has his own small child; he shouldn’t have to take care of me.”
For Harley, the emotional cost of aging can feel just as heavy as economic worries. Due to cancer treatments, which weakened her mobility, she moves around carefully, assisted by walkers and canes. Despite physical and economic hardships, Harley revels in the fact that she is fully supported by her family.
“My memory hasn’t been the same since my cancer treatment,” Harley recalled. “My family, children, and grandchildren come to me. They cook, help clean, and assist with my medicine. I am tremendously blessed in that way.”
However, some seniors are not as fortunate as Harley to have a family or caregiving team.
The mother of four has witnessed this firsthand when, during a stay in a rehabilitation facility, she watched many seniors go months without a single visitor.
“One elderly patient had been there a year, and nobody came to see them,” Harley recalled. “That stayed with me.”
As director of Model Cities Senior Wellness Center, Mack says senior concerns today are far more layered than when she first began working in the field.
“Today’s senior population is growing, retiring earlier, and they’re more vocal about what they want and need,” she explained. “At the same time, they are overwhelmed.”
Much of that overwhelm centers around technology. Seniors are now expected to navigate smartphones, apps, telehealth systems, passwords, downloads, phishing scams, and artificial intelligence, all while many are already struggling with memory issues, health challenges, or isolation.
“Calling somewhere, and it is always an AI generated voice on the phone, is frustrating,” said Moore. “So many health care providers have switched to telehealth, it is getting harder to see an actual doctor in person, and it bothers me.”
To help bridge the digital divide, the center, which provides meals, wellness programs, grief support, health screenings, and financial literacy resources, also offers weekly technology classes.
“We just held a session on AI where we helped the seniors transform their own photos into cheerleader or football uniforms to help them understand the power and the caution of AI imagery,” said Mack.
Community Key to Connection, Pros of Aging in the District
Through support from the District’s Department of Aging and Community Living and Seabury Resources for Aging, senior centers like Model Cities work to empower older D.C. residents through programming and building community.
Mack emphasized that her work with seniors is not just a profession, it’s her calling.
“When I talk with seniors, sit with them, and have meals with them, I see a heaviness just fall away from them,” she said. “Human connection is transformative. It not only fosters mental wellness, but in many cases, it also actually saves lives.”
Despite concerns among D.C.’s elderly community, Mack expresses optimism and admiration for their resilience.
“The aging population in D.C. is incredible,” Mack said. “Many of them have survived hard lives. They deserve peace of mind, quality of life, and a place where they feel cared for.”
She also revels in the joy within the walls of her senior programs in Northeast, including dancing, exercise, art, trips, laughter, companionship, and even a few marriages between seniors who met at various centers in D.C. The director believes those moments matter deeply in preserving mental wellness and dignity for older adults.
For seniors like Moore, the key to preserving emotional well-being and dignity is also tied to connection through the love and pride of her only son and small granddaughter.
“Like me, my son has served the District since he was a small child, eventually becoming the youngest commissioner in D.C. history for 8D04,” Moore recounted with pride. “That’s our legacy, family, service to others, and uplifting of underserved communities. I just hope that despite rapid policy changes, the District continues to value seniors like me who have worked their whole lives to be good people and loyal residents.”
Harley, who has also engaged in decades of community work in D.C., praises the resources available to seniors.
“I have been blessed by living in the District because D.C.’s medical plan has been really good to me,” said Harley. “My medications and transportation to medical and hospital appointments are all provided.”
Despite rapidly rising living costs, ongoing health challenges, and global instability, Harley has hope for the future.
“I am a woman of deep faith,” she said. “Because of that faith, I envision a better future for everybody, one free of suffering, especially for seniors.”
