PASA Plus

Ballet Hispanico Salsa Dance Class at Greenhouse Senior Center

Focusing on the senior citizen population is a natural, evolutionary step for PASA. When PASA began in 1989, many of its subscribers were in their late 50s and 60s. Now, some of these people have gotten older and can no longer attend PASA events because of the factors that limit the recreational and social lives of all senior citizens: advancing age, in general; declining health; transportation challenges, including night driving restrictions; fixed and/or reduced incomes; the loss of companionship through the death of a spouse or friends; and lack of access to information about events.

To address those challenges limiting senior citizens' ability to attend and participate in PASA events, PASA offers four free matinee performances for seniors 65 years and over. PASA links each senior performance to its main stage, jazz, or chamber music programs and offers them at times that are more convenient and venues that are more accessible. In addition to performances, outreach activities and classes designed especially for seniors are offered. Events that have been offered or planned include a performance of Ballet Hispanico, Jazz Notables performances, chamber music at St. John's Cathedral, an interactive Hispanic cultural workshop and Salsa dance class taught by members of Ballet Hispaniso, a forum with violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, and more.

PASA Plus also incorporates a wellness focus developed and presented by wellness and health care professionals. This component includes diet and nutrition information, simple, in-your-seat, and information about maintaining good mental health and its relationship to physical well-being.

Lafayette Consolidated Government provides venues for outreach activities and some transportation services to performance events. Lafayette General Medical Center is providing the professionals for the wellness component. The Council on Aging and the local chapter of the National Medical Association is assisting PASA in marketing PASA Plus program activities to the senior community.

For more information on this program, please contact the PASA office at 337.237.2787. For information on how you can volunteer to assist with this program, click here.