Last Updated on April 30, 2025
Lucy Otero has always been a self-described “party girl.” Growing up in New York, she loved the feel and energy of big city life and the festivities and crowds accompanying it. But when she moved and retired in her mid-60s, Otero was shocked to find that important part of her life was suddenly missing.
“Boredom began to set in,” Otero told Growing Bolder. “I was concerned that from boredom, it would go into depression and I didn’t want that for myself. My son was also concerned because he knows what a free spirit I am and how lively I normally am. So, I did something I thought I would never do. I got on the internet and I Googled ‘senior citizen centers’ and a bunch of them popped up.”
Otero traveled to one of the Osceola Council on Aging senior centers and immediately found her spark of life return.
“I began to meet people there. I made so many friends there, and we do so many things, not only at the center but outside of the center. We do day trips, we take art classes, we do all kinds of activities,” Otero said.
With her newfound community, Otero rediscovered her lifelong passion for partying.
“I love to party. Getting out and being social fulfills my life. It’s so important to who I am, the core person that I am,” Otero continued. “I love theme parties, we dress up together and celebrate holidays with music and dancing.”
Otero began to frequent her senior center but, like many families, had only one car, which she shares with her son. Fortunately, she discovered her Medicare Advantage flex plan allowed her to use Uber for rides and deliveries.
“I was a little surprised when initially I discovered my benefits,” Otero shared. “I give my son priority to the car because he works. And so, if I have a doctor’s appointment, dental, eye, or I want to go to the senior center, I can call the health insurance and schedule an Uber ride.”
“There’s not a worrisomeness that she may not be able to get the medication she needs, she may not be able to get a checkup that might prevent a life-threatening injury, that there is some form of help on the way for her,” Otero’s son Tillman shared. “With Uber, you are not alone.”
“The best part is that I’m still able to make decisions for myself at 74,” Otero says. “I’m not sitting around feeling sorry for myself or saying I can’t do this or I can’t do that, that I still keep that positive mindset.
“Uber represents to me an opportunity to get out and do the things I want to do. It represents freedom, it represents joy.”
The social connection and community that Uber has given back to Lucy is a critical component of healthy aging and longevity. According to the CDC, social isolation leads to a higher risk of chronic and preventable disease and is just as harmful as smoking and obesity.
“Your mental health and well-being are affected by being isolated and lonely. So being able to come out to a program that you can have camaraderie with others, that you can get engaged and have socialization is very important,” says Dr. Johnola Morales, Chief of Staff at the Osceola Council on Aging. “Being able to come here and have that time of socialization and a meal with others makes a difference in someone’s life.
“There has to be some kind of affordable transportation for older adults to be able to get to different locations because that is what impacts them coming outside of their homes,” Dr. Morales continued. “Yes, Lucy is an older adult, but that doesn’t mean that you stop living and you still have so much energy. When she comes, she is one of the lights of the life of the party.”
Otero’s advice for others is simple:
“There’s no need for you to be at home feeling concerned, how am I going to get this done? If Uber is a benefit that your Advantage plan provides, by all means take advantage of it.”
