ElderAudience, an online resource, links local entertainers with senior audiences

By Janie Nafsinger

Boom!, Dec 31, 2009

Jim Clark / Pamplin Media Group

Pam Waldman’s experiences caring for her parents led her to start ElderAudience, a Web site that links entertainers and activities to senior audiences.

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When her parents moved into an assisted-living facility in Portland several years ago, Pam Waldman started thinking about the need for high-quality entertainment and other enriching experiences for the elderly.

Notably, there didn’t seem to be a central resource in the area where senior activities directors could find local talent to serve their senior audiences, Waldman recalls. So in October 2008 she started ElderAudience, a Web site that lists musicians, singers, dancers, speakers and outings for seniors.

ElderAudience is not a booking agency but rather an online source where visitors to the site can search for entertainers and activities, then contact them directly and make their own arrangements.

“It’s convenient for activities directors to browse one site,” says Waldman, 58, of Garden Home. “It helps the entertainers find their audience, but it especially helps the staff at the senior facilities find a variety of offerings for their residents.”

ElderAudience also can help independent-living seniors and their families find entertainment for anniversaries, birthday parties or other special occasions, Waldman says.

The Web site’s database now has about 153 listings ranging from places where seniors can visit (museums, parks, restaurants) to entertainers who travel to the audience (hobbyists, storytellers, variety shows).

They include renowned orchestras such as the Oregon Symphony, regional attractions including the Oregon Garden in Silverton and novelty acts such as Rojo the Therapy Llama. Lake Oswego resident Joe Mayer, who along with his twin brother played Little Ricky on “I Love Lucy,” is available for presentations, and a troupe called Hip Savvy will perform “tribal fusion-style belly dance.”

Northwest Senior Theatre has been listed on ElderAudience since the beginning, Waldman says. One of her newest listings: Elvis tribute artist Mark Stevenz.

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