Every morning, Alinda Marshall gets ready for what she affectionately calls “school.” There may be coffee, followed by classes, conversation, and the pleasure of learning something new. For Alinda, the SCV Senior Center is a place to keep discovering what she can do.
That possibility once seemed distant.
After two strokes, Alinda lost much of her memory. She could not remember her children or parts of her past. Her daughter brought her from Pennsylvania to Santa Clarita, opening a chapter that would require Alinda to relearn how to speak, rebuild her motor skills, and find her way back to independence. Recovering her memory and the ability to do things for herself took about two years.
Today, she is proud of that hard-earned progress. But her favorite chapter is something personal: growing closer to her daughter.
After years apart and difficult times, they are building a relationship that brings Alinda happiness. She acknowledges that she was not always in a good place for her children. Their closeness now means everything.
Raised in Oxnard with seven brothers and eleven sisters, Alinda grew up in a Pentecostal household where her father served as a deacon. She later earned an associate degree in business and worked at Auto Logic in Pennsylvania, training colleagues and assembling components. Learning and helping others learn have long been sources of satisfaction.
For the past three and a half years, she has brought that curiosity to the Senior Center. Yoga, Tai Chi, Zumba, Sit and Be Fit, and chair Pilates keep her moving.
When Tai Chi movements initially felt beyond her reach, her instructors encouraged her to keep coming. She did. Now, she can do more.
“Don’t give up. Keep trying. Just don’t give up,” she says.
A mother of three and grandmother of twelve, Alinda still dreams of singing as she did before her strokes. She hopes to be remembered as beautiful inside and out.
She keeps showing up with renewed confidence: for her daughter, her friends, and herself. Bella Vida means “Beautiful Life”—and with every class, every friendship, and every step forward, Alinda continues to build one.

Fighting Isolation & Loneliness at Bella Vida

As we age, many of us will face one of the toughest battles of our lives: the fight against isolation and loneliness. If you feel it creeping in, know this: you are not alone. Depending on your own life journey, it may arrive with retirement, the loss of a spouse or close friends, a move, or health changes that keep you closer to home. Sooner or later, it touches almost all of us.
The good news is that this is a fight we can win, and we don’t have to fight it alone. At the SCV Senior Center at Bella Vida, we offer many ways to help you do it: your way, at your own pace, and with an outcome that brings you peace and joy.
Why does it matter? Left unchecked, loneliness and isolation take a real toll on both our mental and physical health. The U.S. Surgeon General has warned that the health effects of social disconnection are comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. The best defense is a simple one: staying connected to other people. And the earlier we start, the better.
That connection can begin anywhere. It might be a new friend you meet in one of our 30 classes. It might be the person across the table at lunch. We share a meal every day, and breaking bread together is one of the oldest ways there is to build a friendship. Often, it takes just one conversation, one shared laugh, one small moment of connection to change your path and bring more happiness into your days.
From classes and counseling to activities, events and the companionship of a shared meal, the SCV Senior Center at Bella Vida is here for you and your loved ones.
We are a family at Bella Vida, and there is a seat waiting for you. Come take that first step. We can’t wait to welcome you!

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