SENIOR CENTER

SENIOR CENTER A. Definition and Purpose Senior Center - a focal point in the community where persons, individually or as a group, come together for a broad spectrum of educational and recreational services, programs and activities. A Senior Center is a facility where individuals, 60 years of age and older, come to socialize, develop skills, engage in activities and learn new roles which enhance their dignity, support their independence and encourage their involvement in and with the community. Focal Point - a highly visible facility where anyone in a community can obtain information and access to aging services. The purpose of Senior Center is to help older persons: 1. Adjust to the changes in roles; 2. Overcome the feelings of loneliness, helplessness and futility that tend to accompany old age; 3. Use old skills; 4. Learn new skills and new social roles; 5. Engage in active decision-making within both the center and community; 6. Prevent isolation; 7. Feel useful, self-confident and worthy; 8. Gain access to various services, programs and resources in the community. 9. Build relationships, meet friends; 10. Enjoy life while aging; and, 11. Obtain information. B. Eligibility Qualification -Persons age 60 and older with score ranging from Level I through Level III on the screening instrument, with priority for service being given to those individuals with a Level III score. Contributions –clients shall be allowed the opportunity to contribute to the cost of service. The Center shall assure that no one is denied service because he/she cannot or will not voluntarily contribute to the program. C. Unit of Service One unit of service equals participation in activities at the Center by a client for at least four hours during a 24-hour period. D. Minimum Program Requirements Each service provider of Senior Center activities under Title III of the Older Americans Act or other funds through contractual agreement with an Area Agency on Aging must adhere to the following requirements developed by the Division of Aging and Adult Services: 1. Service Activities A Senior Center must provide daily at least three or more services within the following service components: a. Individual services and activities (refer to Quality Assurance Standards on each service). 1) Counseling and Referral: assisting the client with personal problems such as health, housing safety, legal, family, financial, through center- based group and individual services and through referral to other community resources. Through counseling the client can be assisted in understanding emotional and physical concerns. 2) Day Care: provides services to frail individuals who are in need of more assistance and support than is the typical Center participant, due to physical or emotional handicaps. 3) Employment: generating a number of both paid and volunteer jobs. In addition, a Center may be encouraged to develop a job bank; e.g. for babysitting; paid live-in companions; mail order; repair services; employment service; or other ways in which older persons can earn money. 4) Escort: accompanying an older person, individuals, or small groups, to assist with tasks or appointments. 5) Health: assisting participants in achieving and maintaining the highest possible degree of physical and emotional well-being. 6) Outreach: search and find activities to identify hard-to-reach older persons and assist them in gaining access to and utilizing needed services. 7) Transportation: the provision of vehicles to accommodate older persons to and from needed resources. Some participants may need transportation to the Senior Center. 8) Legal Services: assisting older persons in obtaining legal counseling, advice or guidance in issues affecting the elderly. 9) Entitlement and Benefits Services: providing information and assisting in completing applications to obtain entitlement and other benefits available to elderly citizens. b. Group activities: 1) Creative Arts: instruction and facilities for self-expression through activities such as woodworking, clay work, weaving, leather work, water and oil painting, sketching, ceramics, sewing, music and dance. 2) Education: discussion groups and speakers on current issues, classes in language skills, the humanities, consumer affairs, vocational skills, leadership training and group awareness programs, workshops and conferences. 3) Nutrition: (congregate meals) providing food and fellowship in a group setting. c. Services to the Community: 1) Action and Advocacy: Organizing groups of participants to be creative on their own behalf regarding issues which affect them and/or the total community. Through the Center, older individuals mobilize to work for changes for themselves and their communities through meeting with legislators, government officials and others at local, state and national levels. 2) Volunteers: older persons promoted and organized by the Senior Center for work in hospitals, homes for the aged, children's institutions, schools, social service organizations and other appropriate places. 3) Safe Haven: The Senior Center may provide a safe, secure option for seniors during times of inclement weather, natural or other disaster. d. The client shall be allowed the opportunity to contribute to the cost of the service. 2. Location of Service A Senior Center should be located in the community, or a neighborhood which is accessible to the population it is to serve. The center should be convenient to available transportation. The Center should be clearly marked by a large sign or logo which identifies it as a Senior Center in the community. Senior Centers begun after May 2006 must incorporate universal building design concepts and safe construction code features designed to withstand severe weather conditions. Senior Center can be housed or located in the following: a. Renovated school building; b. Markets, shopping malls and centers; c. Newly constructed facilities; d. Libraries; e. Community centers; f. Churches; g Convents; h. Public and private housing; and, i. Public buildings. 3. Access to Service A client may enter the service system at any point through an appropriate referral and be screened to determine eligibility before gaining access to Senior Center services. 4. Delivery Characteristics a. Each client shall have a case record that must include: 1) Consumer Information form/intake instrument; 2) Consumer Information Form which contains Confidentiality and Authorization Release; 3) Health and medical information; 4) Documentation of services received; 5) Approval/termination notice; and, 6) Contact name and number for participant in case of emergencies. b. Senior Center services and activities shall be provided a minimum of five days per week, Monday through Friday, for at least four hours per day between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. c. A Senior Center facility must: 1) Have a telephone readily available for staff and participants use in emergencies; 2) Have adequate space to allow for large group meetings, for small activities, for privacy in which individual counseling can take place; 3) Have a kitchen, if on-site meals are prepared or served, as well as adequate space for the staff and for the storage of materials; 4) Use rooms that are appropriately ventilated and have proper lighting; 5) Have furniture within the Center that is comfortable and homey rather than office or clinic-like in appearance; 6) Have a heating and cooling system that is kept at a comfortable temperature and adequately secured so that participants do not come in direct contact with the system; 7) Have drinking water from a source approved by the State Board of Health, supplied by sanitary means and must be located in or near the room(s) usually occupied by participants; ) Have adequate bathroom facilities, including hand washing equipment; must be readily accessible from the area where most of the center activities occur; (Paper towels must be available in all bathrooms); 9) Meet and be approved by local, state, and federal laws and regulations regarding fire, safety, health, sanitation, zoning and other building code specifications; 10) Be located in an area which is accessible to a cross section of older persons, rather than a targeted group; 11) Have adequate parking facilities, including handicapped parking; 12) Keep floors and walls clean and free of dampness and odors; 13) Have available isolate space in which a sick or upset participant can be cared for temporarily; 14) Adhere to the Quality Assurance Standards required by the State Unit on Aging; 15) Serve as a bridge and link between the participant and community; 16) Have an area designated as a lounge area for participants; 17) Attract and serve minority low income handicapped and frail elderly; 18) Be established as a non-profit organization; 19) Have a designated area to display and sell items and articles made by the participants of the Senior Center, if appropriate; and, 20) Facilities erected, renovated or restructured after May 2006 must include a kitchen, bathroom facilities, shower facility, alternate energy sources, and comply with universal building design concepts, and safe construction code features designed to withstand severe weather conditions. 5. Monitoring, Evaluating and Reporting Monitoring is important in assessing whether or not the Senior Center is meeting the objectives outlined in a contractual agreement with an Area Agency. a. Area Agencies will send monthly reports regarding participant data, attendance and services provided to the Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS), the State Unit on Aging within 12 days after the end of the month. b. The Office of Monitoring will monitor Senior Centers annually. c. The Area Agency will monitor Senior Center activities and services quarterly. d. The Area Agency will provide client demographic data and other relevant information to the State Unit on Aging to be used in obtaining funding and support for Senior Centers. e. The Area Agency shall sponsor meetings quarterly for all Senior Center Directors to provide technical assistance, to develop problem solving and program development approaches, to strengthen service delivery, and to promote expansion. 6. Personnel Management a. All Senior Centers shall have written policies and procedures regarding each of the following: 1) Discipline or termination procedures; 2) Hours, leave, absences, and method of scheduling; 3) Evaluation procedures; 4) Fringe benefits and insurance; 5) Promotional opportunities, recruitment and selection process; and 6) Grievance procedures and appeal process. b. Written job description and qualifications for each position, paid or volunteer, in the Senior Center. c. An established wage scale for each job category. 7. Staffing a. There must be a person designated to be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the center. b. There must be an adequate number of staff to accomplish the purpose of the program. c. All prospective staff members must present evidence of physician's examination within two weeks of employment. d. Volunteers must be trained and must meet minimum requirements established by the agency. g. The Senior Center service provider shall check references on all employees and volunteers. 8. Training a. All staff shall complete First Aid, CPR and Heimlich technique training as a part of in-service training. b. In-service training shall be provided. c. In-service training may consist of: 1) The normal aging process - biological, sociological and psychological changes; 2) Understanding the behavior of older persons; 3) Emergency procedures - fire safety, injuries, handling of minor and major illnesses; 4) Introduction to community resources, the Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS), the State Unit on Aging, and the agency policy and procedures; 5) Recognizing signs of elder abuse; 6) Interviewing, communication and active listening skills; 7) Record keeping, reporting and monitoring; 9) Techniques on working with the impaired and difficult elderly person; and, 10) All training activities shall be documented. 9. Emergency Plan Emergency Plan must be established and in writing with instructions that must include the name and telephone number of a physician on call, written arrangements with a nearby hospital for in-patient and emergency room service, provision for ambulance transportation, and evacuation procedures which are diagramed and posted. Emergency numbers for emergency situations must be posted. 10. Prohibited Senior Center Service Activities Center staff may not provide nursing care or administer medication (but may remind participants to take medication).