Multi Purpose Senior Centers
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A multipurpose senior center is a community facility where older adults come together for services and activities that reflect their skills and interests and respond to their diverse needs. Centers are a resource for the entire community, providing services and information on aging, and assisting family and friends who care for older persons. Persons of differing backgrounds share and learn from each other. Examples of individual services at senior centers are information and referral, legal assistance, health insurance counseling and claims assistance, transportation, and volunteer opportunities. Examples of group services are group meals, educational sessions, cultural events, health education sessions and wellness activities, retirement planning, self-help peer groups, community service projects, intergenerational programs, volunteer opportunities, and recreational trips. |
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| - North Carolina
Division of Aging & Adult Services |
Certification
In the state of North Carolina, there are two types of certifications available to senior centers. Centers of Excellence and Centers of Merit are designations obtained through participating in an intensive review and certification process. Senior Center Operation and Program Evaluation (SCOPE) is the tool used by staff at the Division of Aging and Adult Services to evaluate applying centers. Such designation allows a center to be recognized as a viable, fundable, and qualified provider of services within the community and will afford them the right to describe themselves as state-certified Center of Merit or Excellence in their literature, grant applications, and marketing materials. Senior centers may also apply for National Certification through the National Institute of Senior Centers.
To find a senior center near you, click here to visit the state directory of senior centers or click here for a list of providers in the Centralina region.