NYC Senior Centers: Visioning the Future

The New York Academy of Medicine. NYC Senior Centers: Visioning the Future. 2010.

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NYC Senior Centers: Visioning the Future (2010)

Since the founding of the nation's first senior center in 1943 in the Bronx, senior centers in New York City have evolved into a complex and varied system that includes 281 full-time centers and 20 part-time centers offering a range of programs. Many of NYC's older adults rely on the centers and other aspects of the City's network of aging services and social service programs for their basic needs, to maintain their health and independence, and to mitigate the effects of social isolation. While many older New Yorkers enjoy and rely on senior centers, many others are either unaware of what they have to offer, choose not to participate or are unable participate. Moreover, research increasingly suggests that today and tomorrow's seniors may have different expectations and needs than those that guided the development of the current system.

Working to creatively build on the strengths of the existing system is especially difficult during times of fiscal constraint. However, the New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA) has repeatedly expressed a commitment to working with providers and other stakeholders to enhance the system to address services gaps, improve the integration of multiple services, and better meet the needs of New York's growing population of older adults.

In 2009, the Mayor announced his commitment to secure new public and private funding for innovation grants for up to 50 senior centers. This, along with ongoing interest in improving the existing service network, provided an opportunity to investigate how New York's system of senior centers could better meet the needs of older New Yorkers. This report identifies what the needs of older adults are and ways in which these resources may be best used to address those needs.