Carole Leff can’t live without two things: her daily ice-cold Diet Coke and pickleball.
At 76, she’s just getting started conquering the fastest-growing sport in the United States. You can find her, paddle in hand, seven days a week, playing a game with friends or working on her serve with her coach.
“I want to always be improving my game,” she said. “And I'm not happy if I have a bad day.”
Leff also scored a long list of friendships on the court, which can be daunting for retired Angelenos. After retirement, adults often lose touch with their daily social circle of co-workers and can succumb to isolation, especially in the sprawling urban jungle of Los Angeles. Long commutes, lack of vehicle access and decreased physical abilities exacerbate loneliness.
“Social isolation is an epidemic,” said Dr. Caroline Cicero, an associate professor of gerontology at the University of Southern California.
“People who were isolated have more health problems,” she said, adding “It could be because of what it does physically to us, but also because you don’t have a spouse nagging you to go to the doctor.”
Many retired Angelenos are finding pockets of friendship and fending off isolation and loneliness within niche hobby groups, making the most of their golden years. For Leff, the pickleball court is not just a place for sport but a hub of friendship.
Betty Medelovitz weaves bonds by sewing intricate quilts for premature babies alongside her club members. Betty Padilla dances and makes crafts at her local senior center. Meanwhile, Carole Kelley deals in more than just cards, finding that good friends endure life’s every shuffle.
While their interests are varied and unique, one thing is certain: Don’t count them out yet.
The Pickleball Fanatic
Leff, who lives in Manhattan Beach, CA, has never been casual about her hobbies thanks to her self-described “obsessive personality.”
During her infatuation with golf, she used to sneak off to the course to master her swing. If there were a prize for the most blankets completed in her sewing group, she’d win it. Now, she wakes up at 6 a.m. to ensure she reserves a pickleball court at Manhattan Heights Park – and she never misses a beat.
“Once I started playing [pickleball], then I was obsessed and just wanted to play all the time,” she said.
The accessibility of pickleball is a huge draw for Leff. “It's just a really fun sport, it's really easy to play,” she said. The numbers agree: Those 18-24 and the 65+ age group are tied for the second highest participation in the sport by age group, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), beat out only by 25-35 year-olds.
Just being “okay” isn’t Leff’s forte.
“There's a lot of things you have to remember to be good,” she said, adding “You have to watch the ball, you have to watch your paddle, you have to watch your opponent. And I have a really hard time getting my brain around all those things at one time. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.”
But while most of Leff's pickleball partners are a few decades her junior, she can still make it an even match. “I feel really, really proud of the fact that I'm almost 77 and I can keep up with all of them,” she said.
"You just need somebody to boost you up."
“They're all very sweet and complimentary … You just need somebody to boost you up.”
To learn more about what makes Carole tick, watch the video below of her on and off the court.
The Quilting Queen
The irons are hot, but the friendships are hotter at the Fabric Floozy club – a risque name for a wholesome sewing group. Inside a historical house dotted with pink roses in Glendora, California, Betty Medelovitz and her friends gather one weekend every month to sew quilts for the local NICU and a few charitable organizations.
With her Janome 3160 as her trusty sidekick, Medelovitz has made hundreds of quilts to donate and gift to her children and grandchildren.
“My family told me now they don’t want any more quilts,” Medelovitz said with a smirk and an eye roll. “I have this one pattern that I could whip up in no time at all, probably in a day, because I've made it so many times.”
Medelovitz retired in 2016 after working as a legal assistant but has been an integral stitch in the Floozies for nearly 15 years, and she’s been sewing for almost her entire life. She learned the craft from her mother, who helped her fashion her first piece: a gathered skirt, perfect for the first day of fifth grade.
“[Sewing] just clicked with me,” she said, adding, “It’s relaxing to me, like my psychiatrist.”
There's more than just the bustling hum of sewing machines in the air.
While the mission of the Fabric Floozies is to give back to the community, there’s more than just the bustling hum of sewing machines in the air. Medelovitz and the other Floozies spend the weekend catching up, laughing and gossiping just a little (all in good fun, of course).
“If you ever listened to us talk, you’d think we hated each other. But we don't … These women would do anything for each other,” Medelovitz said.
She and a fellow Floozy, Patty, tease each other constantly, but it’s always with love. They sit side by side, threading precision-intensive applique and exchanging quips.
“They revert back to high school girls,” said another member of the group.
Having a sense of humor is a must for joining the club. “You have to take our jokes. You have to take teasing, we really tease each other,” Medelovitz said.
The other rule: no boys allowed.
Medelovitz’s favorite part of every hangout is the friendships she’s fostered over the years, which have held up through joy and pain. “They have my back,” she said. “We are not afraid to be vulnerable and say when we are hurting.”
The Zumba Enthusiast
Retirement is not a one-size-fits-all experience, especially in a region as diverse as Los Angeles. In L.A. County, over a third of seniors age 65+ do not generate enough income to meet their basic needs, according to Justice in Aging, a national organization that fights to end senior poverty.
To help alleviate some of the burdens of being a low-income senior, L.A. County senior centers provide older adults with the resources they need and a place to stay connected to others, free of cost.
“Our goal is for them to have fun. We have parties all the time,” said Margarita Salgado, a recreation service leader at the Salazar Park community center in East L.A.
Seniors are welcome to stop in for free hot meals, Zumba classes, arts and crafts, dancing (especially salsa!), Lotería and even off-site horseback riding. On top of daily activities and field trips, employees extend a helping hand by assisting seniors in navigating the digital world, offering beginner computer classes, facilitating enrollment in benefit programs and providing support by reading aloud letters for those who may need assistance. Once a month, center leaders hold a meeting to ask seniors where they want to go and what they want to see next.
“[Activities] depend on the community, because here it’s Latino based … but Arcadia Park has a small senior program that does Tai Chi,” Salgado said.
"I feel alive."
Betty Padilla says the center changed her life from the day she stepped inside nearly a year ago. “I feel alive. I have something to wake up for,” she said.
Padilla suffered from a back injury that confined her to her home for eight years. She fell into a deep depression and could not walk without a cane or a walker. After hearing about the center from friends, she took a leap of faith – one she’s eternally grateful for.
Though she was timid at first, Padilla jumped into the Zumba and yoga classes which helped her shed 70 pounds and improve her mobility. Padilla has also fallen in love with the people at the center – and rediscovered love for herself. With freshly touched-up blonde hair and a full set of sparkly acrylics, she prioritizes doing things to feel good.
Her new-found energy is infectious, and many of the seniors at the center regularly give her pan, lush bouquets on Valentine’s Day and – most importantly – a shoulder to cry on.
“I never had so many friends like I do have now,” she said. “I never had so much people that care for me like they do now.”
One of Padilla’s best friends is a volunteer named Richard Mata who's been with the center for 10 years and knows the importance of the community center.
“Most of [the seniors] are not married. They’re by themselves … and they’re pretty lonely,” Mata said. At the center, seniors have someone to talk to, open to close.
Salgado offered a similar sentiment, “A lot of seniors are dismissed … But they really want to live, they just want somebody to vent to at times,” she said.
At Salazar Park, Padilla has found all that and more.
“I thank God for these places,” she said. “I wish people could find out about these places and join them because they are a really, really big help for people.”
To find the senior center nearest to you, scroll through the map on this page. For a full list of centers in L.A. County, click here.
The Card Champ
Carole Kelley, 76, also discovered the joy of her local senior center. She spends her days playing a variety of games and hanging out with Tank, her 125-pound mutt.
“I talk to my dog like he's a person when nobody's home,” she said.
Since her husband’s passing, the pair have become close companions. Tank and Kelley stick together through it all, even his occasional clumsy tumble from the bed, “I guess he's getting old, too,” she said.
Her favorite games are Mexican Train Dominoes and a card game called Hand and Foot, which she plays with her friends twice weekly. When scheduling doctor’s appointments, Kelley makes sure she doesn’t double book herself on a game day: “Not on a Wednesday. Not on a Monday,” she tells the receptionist.
“I wouldn’t say I’m overly competitive,” she said. “But last week I lost pretty bad and I didn’t particularly like it,” she joked.
Growing up in the Midwest, harsh winters often kept Kelley cooped up indoors. A single deck of cards meant dozens of games that could be played right inside her house.
Now, decades later, cards are still a comfort and a way for her to build community, which she admits can be difficult as an older adult.
“The hardest part of being a senior is having someone to talk to, so you have to get out and do it,” she said, adding “You just have to go, you know, nobody's going to come to you.”
When it comes to friends, Kelley knows she’s been dealt a lucky hand. Though they are often competing, everyone in her card crew looks out for one another. She described the group as something of a Yellow Pages where everyone trades advice, doctor’s numbers and support.
When one of her friends brought up her upcoming surgery, another friend offered to drive her there before she had even finished her sentence, showcasing just how tight-knit a family they’d created.
"The people I play cards with know pretty much everything that goes on in my life."
“Most of the people I play cards with know pretty much everything that goes on in my life,” she said. “I wouldn’t pick just one [best friend].”
When she’s not playing cards, she stays social by going to church, neighborhood events and local garage sales – even if it’s just to visit with neighbors. “We have more junk than we could care for. We go and see each other.”
While senior centers can offer a plethora of resources to older adults, only about a quarter of those eligible actually take advantage of them, said Dr. Cicero of USC Gerontology. In addition to these services, Dr. Cicero says she’s a proponent of the benefits of intergenerational relationships.
Older adults can pass on traditions, family history and recipes while younger people can offer lessons on technology and helping retirees stay connected, mutually benefitting both.
“I think a lot of younger people overlook the benefits that having a relationship with their grandparent, or any other older person, might give,” she said.
Dr. Cicero also calls on city government, places of faith and libraries to ensure they are focused on actively bringing in seniors who would benefit from social connections and friendship. By fostering environments conducive to socialization, these institutions can enhance the quality of life for seniors, ensuring they fully savor their golden years.
Photo credits: The Pickleball Fanatic, photos courtesy of Carole Leff. The Quilting Queen, third photo courtesy of Betty Medelovitz. The Card Champ, photos courtesy of Carole Kelley.