Accredited Senior Centers: A Snapshot

By Jay Morgan, Vice Chair, National Institute of Senior Centers

Today’s senior centers are constantly evolving from social centers to service centers to community centers and even becoming entrepreneurial centers in order to adjust to the changing needs of the seniors they serve. As generations change, successful senior centers are adapting to new challenges by listening to the expectations of their communities and designing facilities, programs, services and activities that meet the needs of this dynamic market.

Senior center accreditation serves as the tool centers need to assist with potential change, identify target markets and compare themselves to the national standards.

Senior center accreditation began in 1999, and today, 116 centers have met the National Senior Center Accreditation Board’s self-assessment requirements and peer review process. In 2004, I was proud to be the on-site peer reviewer when the Aurora Senior Center in Colorado became the 100th senior center to earn national accreditation.

Since 1999, I’ve participated in 10 accreditations as a peer reviewer. My experiences led me to explore this select group of pioneer centers that have embraced accreditation as a way to ensure they meet national standards of excellence. Based on an analysis of the first 100 centers to complete this process, I compiled a snapshot of the average nationally accredited senior center.

This center is part of a governmental agency located in an urban/suburban area. It opened in 1977 and, if it added a new renovation or opened in a new expanded facility, it took 14 years to accomplish. The center has 16 members on its board. Although the director reports to the board, it is an advisory board and does not have the power to hire or fire the director.

This senior center is open a little more than 43 hours a week, five days a week. It is only open on weekends for special events or rentals, with an occasional Saturday being the primary weekend day open.

The average accredited center serves 3,700 participants each year, with an average daily attendance of 200. Two thirds of participants are female, they are predominantly white and they are 60-74 years old.

Despite these commonalities, my analysis also demonstrated that the senior center field has one of the most diverse collections of administration, funding sources, staff make-up, programming, community connections, creative facility utilization and aging network relationships of any other accredited body in the nation. This diversity of structure can be viewed as an advantage, as it allows senior centers more flexibility to adapt to the constantly changing needs of their communities and heightens their neighborhood visibility.

The NISC National Accreditation Manual best describes the role of senior centers in the community: “As an integral part of the aging network, a senior center serves community needs, assists other agencies in serving older adults and provides opportunities for older adults to develop their potential as individuals within the context of the entire community.”

At the National Council on the Aging/American Society on Aging joint conference in Anaheim, CA, in March, I plan to give a more complete and detailed overview of my research on the first 100 accredited senior centers. I look forward to sharing my findings, as well as to encouraging more senior centers to join this select group that is poised to meet the challenges of the future.

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