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About Us
Florida Association of Senior Centers (FASC) is a dynamic network of professionals who serve at least 400,000 Floridians who visit senior centers every year. FASC is your vehicle for information, programming, leadership, expertise, statewide communication, and advocacy. WHAT IS A SENIOR CENTER? Recognized by the Older Americans Act (OAA) as a community focal point, senior centers have become one of the most widely used services among America’s older adults. Today, nearly 11,000 senior centers serve 1 million older adults every day. PARTICIPANTS • Approximately 70% of senior center participants are women; half of them live alone. • The majority are Caucasian, followed by African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians respectively. • Compared with their peers, senior center participants have higher levels of health, social interaction, and life satisfaction and lower levels of income. • The average age of participants is 75. • 75% of participants visit their center 1 to 3 times per week. They spend an average of 3.3 hours per visit. IMPACT Research shows that older adults who participate in senior center programs can learn to manage and delay the onset of chronic disease and experience measurable improvements in their physical, social, spiritual, emotional, mental, and economic well-being. Today’s senior centers are reinventing themselves to meet the needs and desires of the aging baby boom generation. Boomers now constitute more than two-thirds of the 50+ population. Senior centers are developing new programs and opportunities for this dynamic generation of older adults. This information provided by the National Council on Aging |
Services
Senior centers serve as a gateway to the nation’s aging network—connecting older adults to vital community services that can help them stay healthy and independent. More than 60% of senior centers are designated focal points for delivery of OAA services—allowing older adults to access multiple services in one place. Senior centers offer a wide variety of programs and services, including: • Meal and nutrition programs • Information and assistance • Health, fitness, and wellness programs • Transportation services • Public benefits counseling • Employment assistance • Volunteer and civic engagement opportunities • Social and recreational activities • Educational and arts programs • Intergenerational programs To maintain operations, senior centers must leverage resources from a variety of sources. These include federal, state, and local governments; special events; public and private grants; businesses; bequests; participant contributions; in-kind donations; and volunteer hours. Most centers rely on 3 to 8 different funding sources. |