Senior centers make a big impact
Source: National Council on Aging
• Nearly 717,000 total services are provided at PCA-funded senior centers each year. Among these services, almost 298,000 meals are served in group settings.
• America’s more than 11,000 senior centers serve 1 million older adults each day.
• More than 60% of senior centers are designated focal points for delivery of Older Americans Act services — providing access to multiple services in one place.
• 75% of participants visit their senior center 1-3 times each week and spend an average of 3.3 hours each visit.
• Pennsylvania has more then 420 senior community centers and satellite meal sites. The state’s first senior center opened in 1949, as the Philadelphia Center for Older People (now Philadelphia Senior Center – Avenue of the Arts). It pioneered innovative social programs for older adults in urban settings.
• Today’s senior centers are reinventing themselves to meet the needs and desires of three generations of older adults. Baby Boomers now account for more than two-thirds of the 50+ population. Senior centers also have an eye towards the future with the leading age of Generation X turning 60 in 2025.
