New Website Helps Bay Area Adults Ages 50+ Choose Recreational Activities

A big issue for older adults living in the Bay Area is not a lack of activities to choose from, said biotechnology professional Anne Ferguson. It is knowing which one to choose.

Ferguson created and launched the website Bay Area Older Adults a year and a half ago to help adults 50 and older in choosing cultural, fitness and scientific activities to partake in. The website now lists more than 1,500 activities, including the Cupertino Sports Center and the Deer Hollow Farm, and includes up-to-date descriptions about what they offer.

“All older adults need to explore the area with more confidence,” said Ferguson, who works full time at a company that detects diseases, plus she stays on top of maintaining the website. “People have fun and stay healthy at the same time.”

The website boasts 149 registered users from Cupertino, as well as thousands more from 300 cities in the Bay Area. It includes features such as a calendar, which helps users schedule their activities. 

Within the next three to six months, Bay Area Older Adults will launch a “group activities” page for the site, which will also help users to plan group activities, including coordinating ride shares. Ferguson is soliciting feedback through an online survey.

“We want to connect people who live in the same area,” said Ferguson. “Our strategy is to increase the accessibility of healthy activities and make them social.”

Ferguson continues to improve the website by soliciting comments from users. “The website is not only informative but also visually interesting, without appearing confusing or cluttered,” wrote one. Another opined that “the selling point is the details on the local information.”

Ferguson has not made a profit on the free-to-use website, which she pays for herself. Her main aim, however, is bolstering the health of older adults in the area.

“The main thing to reiterate is that staying active improves quality of life,” she said, “and increases quality of life.”