FREQUENCY OF SENIOR CENTER USE - A PRELIMINARY TEST OF 2 MODELS OF SENIOR CENTER PARTICIPATION

The social agency model and the voluntary organization model of senior centers each imply different patterns of use among older persons. Which model best accounts for frequency of senior center use among Americans 60 years of age or older? This multiple regression analysis of national survey data collected by the National Center for Health Statistics in 1984 finds that older, less educated, and nonwhite seniors tend to use senior centers more frequently than younger, better educated, and white seniors. These findings tend to support the social agency model. On the other hand, it is the socially active, not the isolated elder who go to senior centers frequently, a finding which supports the voluntary organization model. Poor health and functional limitations are unrelated to frequency of senior center use.