Senior centers have been operating in the United States for nearly 75 years. The first center was introduced in New York City in 1943 to help older adults remain in their community by offering educational and recreational programs along with case management services. The Older Americans Act (OAA) of 1965, which was reauthorized in 2016, funded early senior centers and, today, centers are recognized by the Administration on Aging (AoA) as one of the most widely used services among older Americans.
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) estimates 11,400 senior centers serve more than 1 million older adults every day. While there are many ways to define senior centers, for purposes of this article they will be defined as a community focal point, under the direction of municipal parks and recreation departments, where older adults gather to fulfill many of their social, physical, emotional and intellectual needs and interests. Much like senior centers, older adults can be defined in numerous ways. For our purposes, they will be defined as Americans 60 years or older, unless specifically noted.
In coming years, with the older population increasing annually and with 69 percent of working Americans retiring before age 65, communities where park and recreation agencies host senior centers and programs will see increased participation in municipal recreation, fitness and wellness programs. Are your senior adult facilities and services ready to meet the needs of this ever-expanding and changing older population? Let’s explore the demographics along with the health and wellness needs of this segment of the U.S. population.
Older Adults by the Numbers
Research shows that the older adult segment of the population is diverse and very interested in health and wellness. Community recreation leaders need to be aware of the diversity among older adults in their communities to effectively serve them. The following statistics demonstrate that diversity with regard to income, education, employment status as well as race and ethnicity.
According to the AoA, since 2004, the number of Americans 65 and older has increased by 10 million and, as of 2015, stands at 46 million. In that same period, the number of Americans 60 years and older increased 33 percent, from 49 to 65 million, respectively, and is projected to reach 98 million by 2040. This older population is itself increasingly older. In 2014, the 65–74 age group (26 million) was more than 12 times larger than it was in 1900, the 75–84 group (14 million) was more than 17 times larger and the 85+ group (6 million) was 50 times larger. Racial and ethnic minority older adult populations have also increased — from 6.5 million in 2004 to 10 million in 2014 (a 22 percent increase) — and are projected to reach 21 million by 2030. Between 2014 and 2030, the white (non-Hispanic) population 65 and over is projected to increase by 46 percent compared with 110 percent for older racial and ethnic minority populations, including Hispanics (137 percent), African-Americans (non-Hispanic) (90 percent), American Indian and Native Alaskans (non-Hispanic) (93 percent) and Asians (non-Hispanic) (104 percent).
Marital Status — In general, older men are much more likely to be married than older women (70 percent of men compared to 45 percent of women). In 2014, there were 26 million older women and 20 million older men, or a male to female ratio of 127 women for every 100 men. There are more than three times as many widows (9 million) as widowers (2 million), and in 2015, 15 percent of all older adults indicated they were divorced or separated. This percentage has increased since 1980, when approximately 5 percent of the older population was divorced or separated. Single older adults often have different recreation, health, and wellness needs and interests than those who are coupled. For example, on overnight trips, individuals may need help with roommates to keep rates reasonable if pricing is based on double occupancy. Today, the primary users of senior centers are single, well-educated, Caucasian females in their mid-70s.
Retirement — More than 50 percent of Americans ages 61 to 69 years have fully retired and about 15 percent is now finished with work. Among this group, according to the LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute, the presence of a traditional pension or retirement plan is often what separates those considered income-rich from those who are not. Retired Americans receive $1.3 trillion in income, the vast majority of which comes from Social Security (42 percent) and traditional pension and retirement plans (30 percent). Traditional pensions remain fairly common for those over 75 years, according to LIMRA.
Education — Along with their numbers, the educational level of the older population is increasing. Between 1970 and 2015, the percentage of older persons who had completed high school rose from 28 percent to 84 percent, but this percentage varied considerably by race and ethnic origin. In 2015, about 27 percent held a bachelor’s degree or higher, and education and income are positively correlated. In 2014, households containing families headed by persons 65 and over reported a median income of $54,838 and 35 percent of those households had incomes of $75,000 or higher. However, that same year, more than 4.5 million people in this age range (10 percent) were reported to be living below the poverty level.
Health Outlook — According to AoA, between 2012 and 2014, 44 percent of community-dwelling older adults assessed their health as excellent or very good, with slightly more than 43 percent of 65–74 year olds and 27 percent of those 75-year-olds and older reporting that they engaged in regular leisure-time physical activity. Most have at least one chronic condition and many have multiple conditions. Among the most frequently occurring conditions mentioned were diagnosed arthritis (49 percent), all types of heart disease (30 percent), and cancer (24 percent), diagnosed diabetes (roughly 21 percent), and hypertension (high blood pressure or taking antihypertensive medication) (roughly 71 percent). In addition, about 30 percent of older adults reported height/weight combinations that placed them among the obese.
For older adults, the average life expectancy is an additional 19 years (21 years for females and 18 years for males). A child born in 2014 could expect to live to be 79 years of age, about 30 years longer than a child born in 1900. Concerns have been raised about future increases in life expectancy in the United States compared to other high-income countries, primarily because of past smoking habits and current obesity levels, especially for women age 50 and over.
Older Adults’ Needs and Interests
According to research conducted by the NCOA in 2015, older adults who participate in senior centers learn to manage and delay the onset of chronic disease and experience measureable improvement in their physical, social, spiritual, emotional and economic well-being. The majority of them also report receiving helpful information, lifelong learning, and acquiring new skills that contribute to their continued independence. A survey of 734 senior center participants from six states illustrated the important roles senior centers play in the physical and mental health of older adults. Twenty-five percent of those surveyed indicated they regularly felt down or depressed. Yet, when engaged at a senior center, nearly half (46 percent) reported feeling less lonely, laughing more often (49 percent), having reduced levels of stress (48 percent), feeling more satisfied with life (43 percent) and having increased or started regularly exercising (40 percent). Research also indicates social support is a key determinant of successful aging. In this same study, more than 90 percent of the respondents indicated they developed close friendships at their senior centers and engaged in social activities both inside and outside of the centers. Single females in the study indicated that the senior centers offered opportunities for social interactions, friendships and the emotional support they lacked and that senior center participation successfully countered social isolation and loneliness.
Three key components of successful aging as identified by authors J.W. Rowe and R. L. Kahn are (1) low risk of disease and disease-related disability, (2) maintaining a high level of mental and physical functioning, and (3) active engagement with life. These overarching areas for successful aging are sound starting places to determine the needs and interests of community-dwelling older adults and today’s senior centers are challenged with designing recreation, wellness and fitness programs and services to meet their needs.
Four Service and Programming Models
There are four models for senior center service and programming that should be considered to meet the needs of this highly diverse and growing population: café, technology, lifelong learning and fitness/wellness.
The café model is an updated, multipurpose center that has an inviting storefront. This concept is designed to welcome younger-older adults (age 50 and older) by starting with a cup of coffee or tea and once they’re in the door, offering them a menu of adventures that include entertainment, educational programs and wellness-related activities. This model has been shown to result in a 65 percent increase in community engagement and outreach and a 57 percent increase in participant involvement. It offers great opportunities for partnerships with community gardens and culinary and other academic programs at secondary or postsecondary educational institutions, libraries, businesses and intergenerational groups.
Some of the challenges in getting older adults to avail themselves of the services and programs that are offered include lack of time and transportation and health barriers. In that case, the technology model may be the solution. Some centers offer telephone topics — daily calls where older adults listen to conversations and learn and share pertinent and beneficial information. Other centers have created virtual programs where interactive experiences can be shared just about anywhere. Senior centers often offer courses to expose older adults to new technology and software, as well as how to use them. It is likely this model will grow in the future.
The lifelong-learning model supports computer literacy, second career training, hobby development or expansion, travel, study groups, and volunteering and mentoring. Senior centers are responding to newly retired older adults’ needs with high-profile re-employment and civic engagement offices to support career transition and retirement-alternative lifestyles. Various art studios are being developed along with partnerships for volunteering and mentoring.
The fitness/wellness model in senior centers is expanding and focuses on six dimensions of wellness: emotional, spiritual, intellectual, social, physical and occupational. To every extent possible, senior centers are encouraged to use evidence-based programs to ensure that measurable outcomes are achieved in the various areas of health and wellness. For example, EnhanceFitness, developed by the University of Washington’s Health Promotion Research Center, is a physical activity program for older adults that has served more than 60,000 older adults in 39 states and has been shown to improve health among participants. This program was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The NCOA shares evidence-based programs to prevent falls. Multiple evidence-based programs that have been proven to help older adults reduce their risks of falling, such as A Matter of Balance, FallsTalk, FallScape, and Stepping On, are available for implementation in senior centers. Recreation agencies have established innovative partnerships with physical therapy clinics, hospitals and corporate wellness programs to expand their health and fitness programs and facilities to older adults.
Senior centers remain a community focal point for older adults. The challenge is how they will serve a changing and growing population with changing and growing needs and interests. Senior center leaders need to work to remain relevant to this changing population and provide meaningful, innovative and needed programs and services that are evidence-based and that will attract not only public and private partners but also older adults to their facilities.
M. Jean Keller is a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Recreation at the University of North Texas.
References
Aday, R. H. (2003). Identifying important linkages between successful aging and senior center participation. Unpublished paper presented at Joint Conference of the National Council on Aging and American Society on Aging, Chicago, IL.
Administration on Aging (2015). Profile of older Americans. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living. Administration for Community Living: Washington, DC.
LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute (2015). The Retirement Income Reference Book. LIMRA: CO: Windsor, CO.
Mather Lifeways (2016). Learn how to start you own café plus.
National Council on Aging. (2015). Senior center research: Is the phrase an oxymoron?
Rowe, J.W., & Kahn, R. L. (1997). "Successful aging." Gerontologist, 37(4), 433-440.