Senior Center Incorporated

SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 1960, SENIOR CENTER, INC. (DOING BUSINESS AS "THE CENTER") HAS PURSUED ITS MISSION TO POSITIVELY IMPACT THE LIVES OF OLDER ADULTS IN OUR COMMUNITY BY CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR HEALTHY AGING THROUGH SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT, PHYSICAL WELL-BEING, CIVIC INVOLVEMENT, CREATIVITY, AND LIFELONG LEARNING. THE CDC CONSIDERS THE AGING OF THE U.S. POPULATION ONE OF THE MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGES OF THE 21ST CENTURY; INCREASING THE NUMBER OF OLDER ADULTS WHO LIVE HIGH-QUALITY, PRODUCTIVE, AND INDEPENDENT LIVES IS A PUBLIC HEALTH PRIORITY. RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT OLDER ADULTS WHO PARTICIPATE IN PROGRAMS LIKE THOSE OFFERED BY THE CENTER ARE MORE LIKELY TO SUCCESSFULLY AGE IN PLACE AND INCUR LOWER HEALTH CARE COSTS. IN FY22 (APRIL 1, 2021-MARCH 31, 2022) THE CENTER PROVIDED OVER 15,000 HOURS OF FINANCIALLY ACCESSIBLE PROGRAMS SUPPORTING OLDER ADULTS' HEALTH, RESILIENCY, AND INDEPENDENCE.

RECREATION/SOCIAL WELLNESS - PEOPLE WHO MAINTAIN THEIR SOCIAL NETWORK AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS ARE BETTER ABLE TO MANAGE STRESS AND THE CHALLENGES THAT COME WITH AGING. RECREATION PROGRAMS COMBAT LONELINESS AND ISOLATION, WHICH ARE LINKED TO POOR HEALTH OUTCOMES THAT INCLUDE DEPRESSION, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, COGNITIVE DECLINE, AND AN INCREASED LIKELIHOOD OF NEEDING LONG- TERM CARE. A REPORT PUBLISHED IN 2020 BY THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE INDICATED NEARLY 25% OF ADULTS AGED 65 AND OLDER ARE SOCIALLY ISOLATED IN THE UNITED STATES. BY PARTICIPATING IN CENTER PROGRAMS THAT SUPPORT SOCIAL CONNECTIONS, OLDER ADULTS ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE PEOPLE TO TURN TO IN TIMES OF NEED OR CRISIS. IN AN FY22 SURVEY, 94% OF RESPONDENTS AGREED THAT BEING PART OF THE CENTER HAS HELPED THEM DEVELOP A MORE POSITIVE OUTLOOK ON LIFE.

FITNESS/PHYSICAL WELLNESS - THE CENTER OFFERED OVER 5,000 HOURS OF FITNESS AND WELLNESS PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES THIS YEAR INCLUDING 40 RECURRING HIGH- QUALITY, SENIOR-APPROPRIATE FITNESS PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE OR MAINTAIN THE PHYSICAL HEALTH OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPANTS. IN A RECENT SURVEY OF CENTER PARTICIPANTS, 88% OF RESPONDENTS REPORTED THEY FELT BETTER PHYSICALLY BECAUSE THEY ATTENDED PROGRAMS AT THE CENTER. FITNESS AND WELLNESS PROGRAMS ARE DESIGNED TO MEET A WIDE RANGE OF ABILITY LEVELS AND PRESERVE OR INCREASE FUNCTIONAL FITNESS. IN A RECENT SURVEY, 85% OF RESPONDENTS REPORTED THAT CENTER PROGRAMS SUPPORTED THEIR INDEPENDENCE.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES - CLINICAL STUDIES INDICATE THAT OLDER ADULTS WHO VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME AND SKILLS ARE HAPPIER, HAVE AN INCREASED SENSE OF WELL-BEING, ENJOY BROADER SOCIAL NETWORKS, AND LIVE LONGER. IN THIS FISCAL YEAR, 283 CENTER VOLUNTEERS CONTRIBUTED 24,707 HOURS OF SERVICE AT THE CENTER AND AT 23 NONPROFITS THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY. ACCORDING TO THE VIRGINIA OFFICE ON VOLUNTEERISM AND COMMUNITY SERVICES, THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THESE VOLUNTEER SERVICE HOURS EQUATES TO OVER 739,970. WITH LIMITED PAID STAFFING, THE CENTER RELIES ON VOLUNTEERS TO PROVIDE OVER 50% OF THE LABOR REQUIRED TO RUN THE ORGANIZATION; THIS HELPS TO KEEP THE COSTS OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES LOW WHILE ALSO REINFORCING A GREATER SENSE OF COMMUNITY AMONG CENTER STAKEHOLDERS. IN AN FY22 SURVEY OF CENTER PARTICIPANTS, 85% OF RESPONDENTS AGREED OR STRONGLY AGREED THAT VOLUNTEERING HELPED SUPPORT A MEANINGFUL LIFE.

LIFELONG LEARNING/INTELLECTUAL WELLNESS - THIS VITAL COMPONENT OF HOLISTIC HEALTH ENABLES OLDER ADULTS TO BOTH EXPAND THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS AND SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE WITH OTHERS. IN THIS FISCAL YEAR, THE CENTER OFFERED OVER 1,100 HOURS OF LIFELONG LEARNING ACTIVITIES. FROM BEGINNING ITALIAN TO WRITING FOR HEALING AND GROWTH, LOCAL SENIORS CAN CONNECT WITH OTHERS WHILE GAINING A BROADER UNDERSTANDING OF THEMSELVES AND THE WORLD. LIFELONG LEARNING CAN ALSO INCREASE MEMORY AND THINKING SKILLS, HELP DEVELOP COPING STRATEGIES AS LIFE CHANGES, AND CAN LIMIT OR SLOW COGNITIVE DECLINE. ARTS, PERFORMING ARTS, AND CRAFTS - GLOBAL STUDIES LINK ARTS PARTICIPATION WITH POSITIVE COGNITIVE, SOCIAL, AND BEHAVIORAL OUTCOMES ACROSS THE LIFESPAN; ITS PROVEN EFFECTIVENESS AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS AS A HEALTH PROMOTION STRATEGY OFFERS INCREDIBLE POTENTIAL FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH. THE CENTER OFFERED OVER 1,800 HOURS OF ARTS PROGRAMMING. ARTS PROGRAMMING OFFERS INSTRUCTION AND PROVIDES PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ENCOURAGE SELF-EXPRESSION AND CREATIVITY. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT PARTICIPATORY ARTS CAN ALSO BENEFIT COGNITIVE FUNCTION AND MEMORY, INCREASE SOCIAL INTERACTION, AND REDUCE STRESS. PARTNER ORGANIZATION PROGRAMS -THE CENTER REGULARLY PARTNERS WITH OTHER COMMUNITY NONPROFITS TO SHARE LIMITED RESOURCES AND ENHANCE THE DELIVERY OF PHYSICAL, INTELLECTUAL, AND/OR SOCIAL SUPPORT SERVICES. THROUGH PARTNER PROGRAMMING, COMMUNITY PARTICIPANTS CAN ACCESS A GREATER VARIETY OF SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES THAT ALIGN WITH OUR REGION'S PUBLIC HEALTH PRIORITIES. PARTNER PROGRAM COLLABORATIONS INCLUDE PIEDMONT MASTER GARDENERS, WEDNESDAY MUSIC CLUB, OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE, CHARLOTTESVILLE CLIMATE COLLABORATIVE, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA HEALTH SYSTEM, SENTARA HEALTHCARE, ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION, AMERICAN RED CROSS, JEFFERSON AREA BOARD OF AGING (JABA), AARP, YMCA, CHARLOTTESVILLE BALLET, AND AMERICAN PARKINSON'S DISEASE ASSOCIATION. THE CENTER IS ALSO A COMMITTED PARTICIPANT IN THE CHARLOTTESVILLE AREA ALLIANCE, WORKING WITH OTHER LOCAL SENIOR-FOCUSED ORGANIZATIONS TO ADDRESS AGING ISSUES AND PROMOTE AND AGE-FRIENDLY COMMUNITY.