Illinois Park District Senior Services A Look at IAPD's 1994 Senior Services Survey by Theodore B. Flickinger, Ph.D. and Ann M. Londrigan Statistic after statistic reveals the titanic size of the older American age wave that will hit our society in the near future. And these "senior" adults are recreating more than ever, as witnessed by yes more statistics and the growing demand for senior services provided by park and recreation agencies in Illinois. According to the American Sports Data Inc.'s recent survey of Americans who exercise, since 1987, the number of Americans older than 55 who exercise regularly increased by 23%, while the under-55 age group grew only 8%. And, while still popular, playing bingo and cards just don't cut the deck any more. People are staying fit from age 50 to age 90 and beyond. Physically active and cognitively challenging lifestyles lifestyles promoted by the parks and recreation field are becoming the norm for older adults. Meeting the varied needs and interests of this broad age span is a major challenge for Illinois park districts. Conducted this past July, the Illinois Association of Park District's Senior Services Survey was completed by 113 Illinois park districts and forest preserves that provide some form of senior programming and services. The survey revealed a progressive and innovative network of recreational opportunities, health and wellness services and continuing education activities for Illinois seniors. Park districts senior service providers have already responded to the trend of an increasingly more active senior with a diverse and exciting array of programs and services provided at a variety of times with flexible fee structures. They are taking seniors to Las Vegas, Europe and Alaska. They are coordinating softball and golf leagues, and offering tai chi, yoga and aquatic aerobics. Through public park and recreation programs, seniors are adventure traveling, canoeing, camping, hiking and building bat houses. They are learning about finance, investments, tax and legal issues. They are learning the art of massage and how to cook for a healthier lifestyle. They are taking their "shows on the road" with senior center variety acts, choral and band concerts and theater performances. According to the survey, the following senior programs show the greatest future growth potential.
Fitness and Athletics
Clubs and Groups Travel, Tours and Day Trips Educational Programs Intergenerational Programs Professional Services (Tax, Legal, Finance) Volunteer Opportunities Bottom line: All programs will expand. "We Want Senior Clubs'" The most popular senior programs are clubs, trips and exercise classes (in that order). Forty-one percent (41%) reported having a senior club, with the majority (70%) being governed by a board of directors comprised of seniors that plans the programs and activities of the club. Some boards have proven highly successful fundraising arms for their senior centers.
Membership in these clubs range from 20 to the
2,700-member Senior Center operated by the Elk
Grove Park District. It has an advisory board with
its own fundraising force which recently raised
enough money to match an Area Agency on Aging
grant that allowed the center to meet an ADA requirement and add a canopy to the Senior Center
Illinois Parks & Recreation November/December 1994 25
building. The Glenview Park District's 900-member Senior Citizen's Club is also very self-directing.
It is stratified by 36 official subcommittees which
organize everything from serving food to putting out
promotional information for the club's programs,
trips and activities. Sheila Ray and Joyce Pottinger,
senior center directors for Elk Grove and Glenview, respectively, both were awarded Senior Center
Achievement Awards at the 1994 Illinois Governor's
Conference for the Aging Network.
The Chicago Park District conducts and hosts
more than 120 Senior Citizen Clubs throughout the
City of Chicago, and it will take some time for you
to read through the myriad opportunities listed in
the newsletter for the Naperville Park District's New
Horizons Program and its 2,300 participants "ages
55 and better."
How Old Is Old?
Which leads us to an interesting question: What
age constitutes "senior"? When asked what age
qualifies a person for senior programs and services,
our survey found the majority benchmark seniors at
age 55 (57%), with 14% reporting age 50, 17% at
age 60, and a handful of agencies using ages 62 and
65. AARP sends its membership cards when you hit
a half century. What age constitutes "senior" is
heavily debated and so is the word itself. Some agencies have renamed their senior centers
"wellness centers" or "community centers." The Decatur Park
District now calls its senior center the John Hills
Center, and this has successfully avoided the common, stereotypical attitude that "only old people go
there."
The Intergenerational Wave
Whether age 50 or age 65, mixing older people
with youngsters is a growing trend, as witnessed by
the extent and predicted growth of intergenerational
programming at Illinois park districts and forest preserves. Currently offered by nearly half of those
reporting, intergenerational programs are designed
to provide that grandparent/grandchild interaction
that is often missing in today's highly mobile society. And it has proven a rewarding combination for
both the senior and the child. The Dundee Township
Park District offers an intergenerational Pen Pal program. Hickory Hills organizes "Grandma in Day
Camp," where seniors spend an hour per week with
day campers. The Skokie Park District has a senior/child choir that performs together for concerts. A
popular intergenerational program that is given
names such as "Adopt-a-Tot" links park district preschool participants with senior center members to
play games and read together. Intergenerational teas,
breakfasts, banquets, recitals, holiday events and trips
are also commonplace.
Staffs and Budgets Who is coordinating these programs? Less than half of the park districts reporting (or 48%) employ a staff person whose primary responsibility is to develop, coordinate and manage senior programs and services. At 75% of those agencies, the "senior center coordinator" is the only full-time staff person dedicated to the district's senior services. Sixty percent (60%) reported having at least one part-time staff person working on senior programs and services, while the majority of the job is being done by volunteers (1,664 total from the 113 agencies reporting). No small wonder, then, that the number one problem cited in the survey is lack of funding and personnel to run the programs demanded by this burgeoning segment of society. Forty-two percent (42%) reported that they work with an annual budget for senior programs/services of $0-$9,999, with 21% in the $10,000-39,999 range. Only 18% operate with budgets over $40,000. Typical of most park district budgets, fees and charges cover the costs of most programs (71%) with grant at 12% and fundraisers funding 18% of operations. Many park districts offer financial assistance to seniors who need it, and the fee structures are flexible and vary greatly, based on the needs of the community. While some programs cost a quarter, others cost $5. But no one is turned away from public parks and recreation programs. Enter Networking and Partnerships From the survey, IAPD learned that Illinois park districts have been very active and successful in forming partnerships with public, private and nonprofit organizations in order to more effectively and efficiently meet the growing demands of the senior population. Working cooperatively with hospitals, colleges, Area Agencies on Aging, Meals on Wheels, AARP and Homes for the Aging, park districts have been able to provide on-site blood pressure screenings, health fairs. Rules of the Road programs, Senior Olympics, shared transportation and co-sponsored seminars for Illinois seniors. One example of how this works so well is a network called "SCD" or Senior Citizen Directors from Du Page County. For the past 15 years, this cooperative network of 16 park and recreation agencies has worked together to plan four major events a year, with each member serving on one working committee. For the effort involved in coordinating one major event, each SCD member reaps the benefits of four. One such event was a trip on the Odyssey cruiseship on Lake Michigan. By joining together, SCD was able to charter the yacht and make it affordable for 500 seniors. It should be noted, however, that at the same time this type of high-end en- 26 * Illinois Parks & Recreation * November/December 1994 tertainment is offered to satisfy the demands of one segment of the senior market, park districts are offering no-cost and low-cost opportunities for all seniors in the district. IDOA + IAPD Recognizing that partnerships are the key to our success in the future, the Illinois Association of Park Districts has been working with the Illinois Department on Aging (IDOA) to plan the Illinois Leisure and Aging Summit March 23-24,1995 which will be recognized by the White House Conference on Aging in May of 1995. The first of its kind for the state and the nation, this mini-conference will bring together leaders from the parks and recreation field and the Illinois Aging Network for the purpose of learning what programs and services are currently provided for seniors and what how we can all work together to better serve this growing population in the state of Illinois. Addressing the needs expressed by respondents to IAPD's survey, the conference will also offer educational opportunities including: Marketing to Seniors (diversity issues, pricing and fee structures); Successful Partnerships; Understanding and Using Demographics, and more. Policy issues for the upcoming White House Conference on Aging will also be addressed, including those highlighted by respondents to the survey:
Recreation as Preventive Health Care
Transportation and Accessibility Long-Term Community-Based Care Safe, Affordable Housing Preaching to the choir is not the intent of this conference. The Illinois Leisure and Aging Summit will support the educational needs of those working with seniors and provide a forum for regionalized partnering and strategic planning for future service to Illinois seniors. For more information, contact the IAPD offices in Springfield. Complete Results of the Survey The 113 participants in the IAPD Senior Services Inventory Survey will be the first to receive it in its final and complete form, available in December. If you are interested in receiving a copy, call or write to IAPD/Senior Survey, 211 East Monroe Street, Springfield, Illinois 62701, 217-523-4554. IAPD's Executive Director Theodore B. Flickinger, Ph.D., and Ann M. Londrigan, Marketing Communications Coordinator, presented results from this survey at the IDOA's 1994 Governor's Conference for the Aging Network. * Illinois Parks & Recreation * November/December 1994 * 27 |
||||||||||||||
|
Sam S. Manivong, Illinois Periodicals Online Coordinator |