Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T17:54:38.016Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Senior Centres: Who Participates?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Laurel A. Strain
Laurel A. Strain
Affiliation:
University of Manitoba
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article focusses on the likelihood of senior centre participation, the frequency of attendance among participants, changes in use/non-use over a four-year period, and associated characteristics. The data are from a longitudinal study conducted in Winnipeg and eight smaller Manitoba communities, with 1,399 individuals aged 65 and older interviewed in 1991/92 and 956 re-interviewed in 1995. About one in five individuals attended a senior centre in the six months prior to the interview, with a wide range among participants in the number of visits. Only 8 per cent joined a senior centre and 13 per cent ceased their participation over the four years. The influence of socio-demographic characteristics, health status, and social integration varied depending on the measure of participation and according to place of residence. Social factors, such as living arrangement, tended to be more important than health status. Directions for future research are discussed.

Résumé

Cet article porte sur la participation des aîné(e)s aux centres du troisième âge, la fréquence de fréquentation, les changements en matière de participation sur une période de quatre ans et sur les facteurs connexes. Les données proviennent d'une étude longitudinale menée à Winnipeg et dans huit petits centres du Manitoba auprès de 1 399 personnes âgées de 65 ans et plus interviewées en 1991/92 et 956 interviewées de nouveau en 1995. Environ une personne sur cinq avait fréquenté un centre du troisième âge dans les six mois précédant l'interview, la fréquence des visites variant considérablement d'une personne à l'autre. Seulement 8 pour cent des personnes ont adhéré à un centre et 13 pour cent ont mis fin à leur participation pendant la période de quatre ans. L'influence des facteurs socio-démographiques, de l'état de santé et de l'intégration sociale variait selon la mesure de la participation et en fonction du lieu de résidence. Les facteurs sociaux, par exemple les conditions de logement, avaient tendance à être plus importants que l'état de santé. L'article aborde également la question de l'orientation de la recherche à venir dans ce domaine.

Keywords

Senior CentreService UseCommunity-Based ServiceLongitudinalOlder Adults.Centre du troisième âgeutilisation des servicesservices communautaireslongitudinalaîné(e)s.
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 20 , Issue 4 , Hiver/Winter 2001 , pp. 471 - 492
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2001

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Canadian Institute of Senior Centres. (1985). Senior centre standards: Guidelines for practice, Canadian Edition. Washington, DC: The National Council on the Aging, Inc.Google Scholar
Chappell, N.L., Segall, A., & Lewis, D.G. (1990). Gender and helping networks among day hospital and senior centre participants. Canadian Journal on Aging, 9(3), 220–233.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chipperfield, J.G., & Greenslade, L. (1999). Perceived control as a buffer in the use of health care services. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 54B(3), 146–154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cusack, S.A. (1994). Developing leadership in the Third Age: An ethnographic study of leadership in a seniors' center. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 12(2), 127–142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cusack, S.A. (1995). Developing a lifelong learning program: Empowering seniors as leaders in lifelong learning. Educational Gerontology, 21(4), 305–320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cusack, S.A., & Thompson, W.J.A. (1992). Leadership training in the Third Age: The research and evaluation of a leadership and personal development program for the retired. Journal of Applied Gerontohgy, 11(3), 343–360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greenslade, L., & Strain, L.A. (1995). 1995 CARNET follow-up study: Methodology. Winnipeg, MB: Centre on Aging, University of Manitoba.Google Scholar
Johnson, R.J., & Wolinsky, F.D. (1996). Use of community-based long-term care services by older adults. Journal of Aging and Health, 8(4), 512–537.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Krout, J.A. (1984a). Senior center linkages in the community. The Gerontologist, 26(5), 510–515.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krout, J.A. (1984b). Organizational characteristics of senior centers in America. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 3(2), 192–205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krout, J.A. (1986). Senior centre linkages in the community. The Gerontologist, 26(5), 510–515.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Krout, J.A. (1989). The nature and correlates of senior center linkages. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 8(3), 307–322.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krout, J.A. (1991). Senior center participation: Findings from a multidimensional analysis. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 10(3), 244–257.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krout, J.A. (1993). Senior centers & at-risk older persons: A national research agenda. Washington, DC: The National Council on the Aging, Inc.Google Scholar
Krout, J.A. (1994a). Community size differences in senior center resources, programming, and participation: A longitudinal analysis. Research on Aging, 16(4), 440–462.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krout, J.A. (1994b). Changes in senior center participant characteristics during the 1980s. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 22(1,2), 41–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krout, J.A. (1995). Senior centers and services for the frail elderly. Journal of Aging and Social Policy, 7(2), 59–76.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Krout, J.A., Cutler, S.J., & Coward, R.T. (1990). Correlates of senior center participation: A national analysis. The Gerontologist, 30(1), 72–79.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Manitoba Health. (1997). Core health services in Manitoba. Report prepared by the Northern/rural Regionalization Task Force. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Health.Google Scholar
Miner, S., Logan, J.R., & Spitze, G. (1993). Predicting the frequency of senior center attendance. The Gerontologist, 33(5), 650–657.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mitchell, J. (1995). Service awareness and use among other North Carolinians. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 14(2), 193–209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Advisory Council on Aging. (1999). 1999 and beyond: Challenges of an aging Canadian society. Ottawa, ON: Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada.Google Scholar
Netzer, J.K., Coward, R.T., Peek, C.W., Henretta, J.C., Duncan, R.P., & Dougherty, M.C. (1997). Race and residence differences in the use of formal services by older adults. Research on Aging, 19(3), 300–332.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Novak, M. (1987). The Canadian New Horizons Program. The Gerontologist, 27(3), 353–355.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ouellette, P. (1986). The leisure participation and enjoyment patterns of French and English-speaking members of senior citizens' clubs in New Brunswick, Canada. Canadian Journal on Aging, 5(4), 257–268.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Penning, M.J., & Strain, L.A. (1994). Gender differences in disability, assistance, and subjective well-being in later life. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 49(4), S202–S208.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ralston, P.A. (1987). Senior center research: Policy from knowledge? In Borgatta, E.F., & Montgomery, R.J. (Eds.), Critical issues in aging policy: Linking research and values (pp. 201–234). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications Inc.Google Scholar
Sabin, E.P. (1993). Frequency of senior center use: A preliminary test of two models of senior center participation. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 20(1, 2), 97–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schneider, M.J., Chapman, D.D., & Voth, D.E. (1985). Senior center participation: A two-stage approach to impact evaluation. The Gerontologist, 25(2), 194–200.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shollenberger, D. (1995). Senior centers in America: A blueprint for the future. Washington, DC: The National Council on the Aging, Inc., National Eldercare Institute on Multipurpose Senior Centers & Community Focal Points.Google Scholar
Statistics Canada. (1987). Health and social support, 1985, General Social Survey analysis series. Ottawa, ON: Minister of Supply and Services Canada.Google Scholar
Taietz, P. (1976). Two conceptual models of the senior center. Journal of Gerontology, 31(2), 219–222.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wagner, D.L. (1995). Senior center research in America: An overview of what we know. In Shollenberger, D. (Ed.), Senior centers in America: A blueprint for the future (pp. 3–10). Washington, DC: The National Council on the Aging, Inc, National Eldercare Institute on Multipurpose Senior Centers & Community Focal Points.Google Scholar
Zimmer, Z., & Segall, A. (1992). Needs assessment survey methodology. Winnipeg, MB: Centre on Aging, University of Manitoba.Google Scholar