Participation at an urban community senior center: Results of an outreach program designed to maximize use by low-income seniors

This presentation will address the findings from an outreach program targeted at increasing participation of culturally diverse, low-income seniors in an urban senior health center. This senior center was developed through an innovative partnership between a community hospital and the County government. Located in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, it offers senior county residents access to health and wellness classes and other education and engagement. The center is situated in a building adjacent to a high-rise apartment facility for low-income seniors in order to maximize participation by this vulnerable population. The formative evaluation identified how residents view the center and its programs (e.g., friendly staff, appreciation of health screenings, desire for mental health information, and a preference for more challenging courses) as well as determined the barriers to their participation (e.g., physical barriers to the facility and lack of knowledge of programs/courses). This presentation will (1) summarize the formative evaluation findings (2) describe the outreach program developed from the formative evaluation (e.g., new program information materials and dissemination methods) and (3) report findings from the outcome evaluation of the outreach program. Rogers' (2003) Diffusion of Innovations theory-guided identification of key outcomes of interest, including target audience awareness of the center, attitudes towards the center, and use of the center.