Senior Centers provide older adults a space to make friends, remain active and improve their wellbeing through a variety of programs and services. While many senior center programs focus on fun, senior centers also offer a critically important services to older adults who may struggle to stay socially engaged and remain connected to their community.
Senior centers offer a variety of programs including fitness classes, art classes, clubs, trips, intergenerational opportunities and much more. They often provide or link older adults to services such as transportation, caregiver support, nutrition and even legal services and tax preparation. Centers often partner with community partners such as the NC Department of Social Services, NC Department of Insurance and Legal Aid of North Carolina.
Centralina Area Agency on Aging (AAA) partners with these senior centers by providing training and technical assistance to ensure compliance with funding regulations. Centralina boasts 17 senior centers across our nine-county region, including Rowan County’s Rufty-Holmes Senior Center.
Rufty-Holmes recently invited several AAA staff to attend its 35th Anniversary Celebration and Award Ceremony. Centralina AAA Director Linda Miller presented the center’s board of directors with their recently approved five-year accreditation from the National Council on Aging (NCOA) and the National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC). State Senator Carl Ford, County Commissioner Craig Pierce and Salisbury Mayor Karen Alexander also provided comments at the celebration on the profound impact Rufty-Holmes has had on the community over the years.
“Centralina was thrilled to be a part of this very special celebration along with the Rufty-Holmes staff and the Rowan County community,” said Linda Miller, Director of the Centralina Area Agency on Aging. “This is a milestone that very few Senior Centers in North Carolina have achieved and reflects dedication and a passion to serve older adults.”
Rufty-Holmes has a long history as an exemplary senior center in the state, including:
- Asked in 1999 to pilot the NC DHHS Aging and Adult Services’ new state senior center certification process.
- Being the first recognized “Senior Center of Excellence” by the NC DHHS Aging and Adult Services division.
- Accredited by NISC in 2001 as the 55th senior center in the United States to receive national accreditation.
- Served as the only nationally accredited senior center in North Carolina until 2009.
Senior centers must be professionally reviewed every five years by the NCOA and NISC and meet several standards to qualify for national reaccreditation. This newest reaccreditation makes Rufty-Holmes one of only six centers in the state to be nationally accredited and one of only three nationwide to be nationally accredited for the fifth time.
“Healthy aging means providing options no matter one’s individual abilities,” Executive Director Nan Buehrer comments. “Rufty-Holmes Senior Center strives to continue meeting the changing needs of adults 55+ to age well and with optimism for their future.”
Centralina AAA was honored to be able to attend this event and recognize the Rufty-Holmes Senior Center staff for their hard work and dedication to ensuring older adults continue to live fulfilling lives in a supportive and caring community. You can learn more about the work and services Rufty-Holmes offers through their website and by following their Instagram and Facebook pages.
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