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Assembling the Team:  Senior Centers/Services

Their Role as a Services Provider  ©

Senior  Centers:  Not  for  seniors  only!

I was surprised at the range of services Senior Centers offer caregivers facing long-term commitments.  It never occurred to me to call my local senior center for information on home care options.   I didn’t consider myself a senior and the activities I assumed were endemic to these programs were nothing that would interest Tom or me.  It was the last place I thought I could get access to information on incontinence care.    

• A wide variety of services and activities are available through Senior Services many of which can benefit Caregivers of family members facing Alzheimer's and other Dementia.   

• The Senior Center is often the link to local city and county Senior Services Programs.  

• Very often the County Resource Specialists are housed in these centers. The Resource Specialist may have different names in different communities but they are a valuable asset to your team.  Resource Specialists function primarily as a referral person to support services available in your community and they offer counseling on how to access these services for people facing long-term care issues.   If you have no idea how to locate them call the Division of Aging Services in your community.  

Many of the following programs and services are actually available in the Senior Center itself.    

*  While there will be a generic understanding of Alzheimer's and other Dementia, the focus of Senior Services and Senior Centers in on the greater picture of elder issues and elder care.   

* Socialization will play a great part in the activities they provide and so the ability to work well and play well with others is a primary concern about your family member's ability to fit in.   However, even if your person seems to have exceeded the bounds of what their programs offer, they are still a valuable resource for information in your community about later stage care and respite services for you.   

* Their main purpose in helping caregivers facing this disease is in the referral process to agencies and support services which do work with and which do to accommodate our people.   That is where you will find other caregivers who have first hand experience with the issues so unique to this illness.   In fact finding other caregivers may be the best service they can provide you with.  

* So don't expect a great deal of information on Alzheimer's care issues or incontinence care issues specifically although that is fast changing.    Because the population with this disease continues to rise, it is reasonable to assume that information levels about this disease will also continue to rise with time.  

Senior Centers are a valuable resource for caregivers. 

Phone numbers are located in the blue pages of your telephone directory and through directory assistance.  

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