Senior Service Centers: A Comparison of Affiliated and Nonaffiliated Participants

The authors divided 275 elderly volunteers into 2 groups (affiliated and nonaffiliated participants) and examined demographic, emotional, and practical issues that affect elderly people. There were significant cant differences between the groups on issues of loneliness, nutrition, and overall quality of life. ********** Social supports have been found to be an important component for promoting successful aging (Murrell, Norris, & Chipley, 1992). However, an accumulating body of knowledge suggests that it is the quality of the relationships and not the frequency of social interactions that contributes to life satisfaction (e.g., Arcury, Bell, & Carlton-LaNey, 1998). It seems that having a variety of positive social supports, both inside and outside the family, contributes to psychological wellness of elderly individuals (Newsom, Bookwala, & Schulz, 1997). Life satisfaction is also strongly related to good health and physical wellbeing (Murrell et al., 1992). Although elderly individuals can be plagued with health problems that are associated with aging (e.g., nutritional deficiencies and excesses), proper nutrition may mitigate many of these difficulties, preventing adverse complications from chronic illnesses, thereby enhancing their quality of life. In late adulthood, social support plays an important role in reducing stress, thus promoting physical health and psychological well-being. Although many elderly individuals receive most of their emotional and practical support from family members (Bull, 1998), there can be a rapid erosion of assistance from the family if adverse circumstances intervene (e.g., illness, death, job relocation, financial problems). The population of individuals over the age of 85 years is the fastest growing age group in the United States; it is, therefore, inevitable that family support will dwindle for many of the oldest individuals. With this fact in mind, increased attention has been given to delivering community-based health and related services to elderly citizens (Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics, 2000). Federal spending in the U.S. on programs for elderly citizens expanded rapidly during the 1960s. Today, spending for these individuals accounts for approximately 30% of all federal expenditures, primarily for Social Security and Medicare programs (Antonucci, 1990; Koff & Park, 1999). To meet needs for expanded social services, a national network for planning, coordinating, and delivering assistance to the aged has been established. There are now more than 700 agencies on aging located in areas across the U.S. that assess community needs and offer communal and home-delivered meals, self-care education, abuse prevention, and other services (Auslander & Litwin, 1990; Hooyman & Kiyak, 1998). An important component of community-based services for elderly individuals is the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics' (2000) Elderly Nutrition Program (ENP), which was established in 1972. The services are available to elderly individuals who have economic or social needs, particularly those from low-income minority backgrounds. A COMPARISON OF AFFILIATED AND NONAFFILIATED PARTICIPANTS In 1995, funding from ENP provided approximately 123 million meals to 2.4 million people at senior citizens centers across the nation at a cost of nearly $470 million. In 1998, funding was increased to $486.4 million, more than 50% of the budget of the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics (2000). In 1996, an evaluation of the ENP (Ponza, Ohls, & Millen, 1996) was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the program in 19 specific areas. The findings indicated that individuals who received ENP meals had more nutritious diets than did nonparticipants; they also had more social contacts each month than nonparticipants (Ponza et al., 1996). Thus, senior citizens centers provide more than a meal to participants; they also provide social contacts that may be among the few that exist in their lives (Kirk & Rittner, 1993; Rittner & Kirk, 1995). …