The new normal and senior recreational centers

I am President of an association that in part plays an advisory role to our Recreational Department in our city. Our city like many has closed its Recreational Centers to senior programs. This closure was done out an ambulance of caution. The issue for me is that the longer we are closed I fear the negative impact on our seniors will be devastating. In 2013 the Center for Ageing at the University of Manitoba issued a report “. Exploring the Impacts of Senior Centres on Older Adults.”

The report shows that social participation is associated with better mental and physical health for seniors. The following provides a snapshot of some research findings:

For every 1 point decrease on a social activity scale, there was a 33% more rapid rate of decline in motor function (e.g., grip strength, muscle strength) within an average of five years.

The risk of developing a disability in activities of daily living decreased by 43% over an average of 5 years for each additional social activity engaged in; the risk of mobility disability decreased by 31%.

Among older adults with depression, those who were highly socially active were over 2.5 times more likely to have improvements in their depressive symptoms 2 years later than those with low social activity.

An intervention that combined structured social activity with light- intensity exercise (e.g., card games, croquet) significantly improved older adults’ memory function and sleep.

The rate of cognitive decline was reduced by an average of 70% in older adults who were frequently socially active compared to those who were infrequently socially active over an average of 5 years.

Older adults who participated on a daily or weekly basis in social activity had a 40% reduced risk of developing dementia compared those who were not socially engaged.

Older women who participated in organizational activities or study circles had half the likelihood of dying within a twelve-year time period compared to those who did not participate in these social activities

Research on senior centres demonstrate that participation is associated   with social, mental, and physical health benefits. Senior centres promote health by providing health and support services, encouraging active and healthy ageing, and by fostering a social environment that is conducive to social participation and well-being. Senior centres are also ideal venues for health promotion interventions, such as falls prevention, influenza vaccines, diabetes management, and so forth.

Key findings from the interviews with older adults are:

•       Virtually all participants felt that the activities they engage in almost always or often give them a sense of accomplishment.

•       80% or more also felt that the activities increased their knowledge, helped them gain self-confidence, and provided an opportunity to try new things.

•       The vast majority of participants thought that the activities provided them with social benefits, allowing them to socially interact, be part of a community, and develop close relationships.

•       88% of participants indicated that it is almost always or often true that the activities help them stay healthy. The vast majority of participants also indicated that the activities contribute to their emotional well-being (90%), and help them to relieve stress (85%).

•       Opportunities to stay active and socially engaged helped several participants cope with mental illness and addictions.

•       Senior centres promoted older adult health by providing opportunities for physical activity and access to health information, education and health services.

•       Senior centres offered a range of educational opportunities that promoted learning, creativity, and skills development.

•       Volunteering opportunities enabled older adults to socialize, contribute to their communities, and share their knowledge and skills.

If we want to help seniors the research demonstrates the benefits of social participation to older adults’ physical and mental health. There is also a potential cost savings of enhancing social participation and consequent health benefits.

After the Pandemic it will take a while to get back to a new normal. I fear that it will be hard to secure funding to support operations is an on-going challenge for senior centres. Cities will be looking to cut programs to make up budget shortfalls and senior center funding will be an easy target. Ensuring that senior centres have sufficient funds ensures that they are able to provide the programs, services, and resources to promote the health and well-being of older adults which, in turn, could lead to cost savings in the health care sector.

My association knows that the availability of health and support services varies considerably between senior centres. Each Senior centre serves a different and diverse population of older adults, and members vary in terms of their age, health and support needs. At this point we are exploring what our new normal will look like and I wonder if we would benefit from additional or specialized health services, including mental health services. In this day of accountability, there are many evaluation tools to help determine if our programs are successful.

Ideas are taken from The benefits of social participation Centre on Aging, University of Manitoba Novek S, Menec V, Tran T, Bell S. Exploring the Impacts of Senior Centres on Older Adults. Winnipeg, MB: Centre on Aging, May 2013.