Evaluation of Senior Community Centers in Rural and Urban Pennsylvania

Melnick, Janet Ann; Shanks-McElroy, Heather

doi:10.1093/geroni/igaa057.116

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…Even within a single state, senior centers differ from each other. For example, an assessment of senior centers across Pennsylvania documented wide-ranging senior center budgets (e.g., between $17,000 and $4 million in 2017), different combinations of oversight (e.g., 66% of senior centers reported having a Board of Directors, 40% had an advisory board, and 31% reported having a center council), and variations in programming (e.g., 13% providing personal care services, 24% offering recreation activities, 80% offering evidence-based programs, and 83% providing congregate meals; Melnick et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Senior Centers In the United Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organizational Characteristics of Senior Centers and Engagement in Dementia-Friendly Communities

Scher

Somerville

Greenfield

et al. 2023

Innovation in Aging

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Background and Objectives Dementia-friendly communities (DFCs) are systematic and collaborative efforts to make local communities more supportive and inclusive of persons living with dementia and their care partners. This study explores how the organizational characteristics of senior centers influence their engagement in DFCs. Research Design and Methods We used a partially mixed, concurrent, equal status design, drawing on qualitative interviews with staff from 13 senior centers leading DFC initiatives as part of a statewide dementia-friendly network in Massachusetts, as well as quantitative data from 342 senior centers collected as part of a statewide survey. Results The qualitative results demonstrated ways in which human, social, tangible, and programmatic capital facilitate senior centers’ DFC engagement. In particular, the results illuminated the importance of social capital with organizations and groups outside of the senior center, spanning the municipal, regional, and state levels. Findings from multivariate analyses further indicated robust and strong associations between higher levels of social capital, as well as more dementia-focused programming and greater variety of funding sources, with greater likelihood of engagement in DFC work. Discussion and Implications Results indicate the importance of policy and practice to foster both organizational capacity and multi-level systems conditions to enable and motivate senior centers’ involvement in DFC initiatives.

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Section: Senior Centers In the United Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%