National Institute of Senior Centers

• Member Resources
• Standards & Accreditation
• Research & Promising Practices
• Join NISC

Resources

For Professionals

• Turn Old Cell Phones into Cash for Your Center
• Congratulations to Newly Accredited Heritage Center
• Awards Recognize National Leadership in Senior Centers
• Meet Our Latest Accredited Centers
• Thanks for Your Feedback!
• Cutting Edge Resources for Meeting the Needs of LGBT Older Adults
• 2011 NISC Programs of Excellence Winners

For Older Adults and Caregivers

• Out of the Recliner and into Helping Others

For Advocates

• Sen. Sanders’ Older Americans Act Bill: What it Means for Senior Centers
• Out of the Recliner and into Helping Others

Welcome Three Newly Accredited Centers!

Congratulations to the following three senior centers that earned National Senior Center Accreditation in January.

NCOA’s National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC) offers the only National Senior Center Accreditation Program. Accreditation provides official recognition that a senior center meets the nine standards of senior center operations.

Town of Enfield Senior Center

The town of Enfield, CT, is a suburban community located to the north of Hartford with a current population of 45,246. One fourth of the population is over 55 years old. Eight years ago, the current senior center was built. It is a stand-alone, one-story attractive facility.

The center’s strengths include:

• Beautiful building, inside and out, nice décor and floor plan, very attractive, warm, and homey. Building is immaculately clean.
• Nice mission statement with great core values.
• Active Facebook page and video on YouTube, both wonderful marketing.
• Large reach—600 people a day come through the doors, on average.
• State-of-the-art Fitness Center, which is a real drawing card for Enfield seniors, as well as for others in the greater Enfield region.
• Dedicated corps of 300+ volunteers. 

Mayerson Jewish Community Senior Center

Founded in the early 1900s in Northeast Cincinnati, the Mayerson Jewish Community Center is an amazing 140,000 sq. ft., three-level, state-of-the-art facility. Five thousand square feet are dedicated solely to senior center operations.  

The center’s strengths include:

• State-of-the-art facility with a sound proof music room, well-equipped art studio, large auditorium that can accommodate up to 800 people, 10 different exercise rooms, full-size gym, walking track, spa, aquatic center, and outdoor walking track and swimming pool.
• Wide range of choices provided by the meals program, including Kosher, non-Kosher, ethnic, frozen, chilled, traditional congregate (with Shabbat lunch on Fridays), or soup and sandwiches in the J Café. Currently, 200 clients receive home-delivered meals weekly. 
• Excellent transportation program with three drivers who serve 40-50 seniors for the noon meal and activities.
• Several evidence-based programs, including: 
• Matter of Balance: Emphasizes practical strategies to reduce the fear of falling and increase activity levels.
• Arthritis Foundation Tai Chi Program®: Designed to improve quality of life for people with arthritis using Sun style Tai Chi. 
• Active Living Every Day: Helps participants find energy, feel good, and be healthy through active living.

Stephen Palmer Senior Center

This municipal suburban senior center is located in Needham, MA, a suburb of Boston. The Stephen Palmer Senior Center is located on the first floor of a municipal building with upper floors serving as senior housing.

The center includes approximately 6,400 sq. ft. of dedicated space, including a catering kitchen, office space for staff, a conference room, and several program/activity rooms.  

The center’s strengths include:

• Well-organized notebook and very diverse accreditation committee.
• Excellent collaborative efforts and good solid relationships in the community.
• Visually appealing newsletter, the Senior Compass.
• Very organized volunteer program with excellent opportunities for volunteer leadership development. Great performance review process.
• Great intergenerational programming, especially with the local public school, including Senior to Senior and Sages and Seekers.
• Excellent advocacy work in passing a building project during tough economic times. The new building will increase both visibility and programming options in the community.

Many senior centers that complete the accreditation process find it extremely valuable, as evidenced by these comments from the Town of Enfield Senior Center:

• “The work done in this manual is outstanding … it really taught me a lot about what it takes to run this place.”
• “This process has been a great opportunity for brainstorming.”
• “This self-assessment process has been an eye-opener for the clientele.”

want to live in a country where

older adults don't have to worry about their senior center being closed.