Senior Center Innovation Project

The California Commission on Aging is pleased to present: innovation - resourcefulness - persistence; How California Senior Centers are meeting today's challenge

This publication is a compilation of programs and innovations from senior centers across California.  Researched and compiled by the California Commission on Aging (CCoA) staff and published with funding from the SCAN Health Plan, the publication’s contents were gathered through a call for senior centers to self-nominate, from Area Agency on Aging referrals, and from our own solicitations. 

The goals of this project were to honor the important work that senior centers do in our state and to inspire similar innovation in other centers.  The vignettes cover topics ranging from health and wellness, collaboration and fund-raising to governance and advocacy.  The publication presents the work of centers from our state’s remote, northwestern corner to the urban environment of Los Angeles. The book was released at the CCoA’s second Statewide Senior Center Stakeholder Forum in Los Angeles on November 14, 2011.    

We believe the value our publication brings to California’s centers also holds true for centers nationwide.  Whether it provides ideas and inspiration to senior center staff who view the document or inspires other organizations to produce similar publications to honor their state’s senior center network, we believe the document can be useful to others.

• Senior Center Innovations Concept Paper [pdf]

Senior Center Forum

Centers of Today … Investing in Tomorrow was the theme for the second statewide Senior Center Stakeholder Forum held Monday, November 14, 2011 at the Marriott Los Angeles Downtown, 333 S. Figueroa Street. The Forum featured nationally renowned speakers, inspiring break-out sessions and networking opportunities for Senior Center staff, stakeholders, senior service providers and more. 

To view photos from the November 14, 2011 Senior Center Stakeholder Forum click here.

• Final Agenda [pdf]
• Forum Speakers
  • Bob Blancato [pdf]
  • Colin Milner [pdf]
  • Manoj Pardasani [pdf]
• Breakout Sessions
  Includes Summaries
  and PowerPoint Presentations
• Forum Planning
  • Concept Paper [pdf]
  • Advisory Panel [pdf]

CCoA Director Sandi Fitzpatrick, Manoj Pardasani, PhD, Peter Rittenhouse,
Congress of California Seniors Vice President Gary Passmore at the
November 14, 2011 Senior Center Stakeholder Forum