Senior Action

In 2006, the organization moved its headquarters from downtown to its second home on Directors Drive. This started a wave of unprecedented growth that continues today as the senior population also continues to grow exponentially.

Partnership and sharing of resources has been a hallmark of Senior Action’s history. Each of the eight outreach sites are jointly operated in partnership with the City of Greenville (David Hellams Center), Greenville County (Free Town, Mt. Pleasant, Slater-Marietta, Sterling, and Westside Aquatic Center), City of Greer (Needmore Center), and Pleasant Valley Connection. Senior Action also partners with Meels on Wheels Greer/Greer Community Ministries and Rebuild Upstate to provide home-based programs.

Today, Senior Action is a vibrant, growing organization that serves close to 5,000 seniors all over Greenville County. Services have grown from activities and daily meals in each of our nine locations, to also include home-delivered meals, minor home repair, lawn service, and medical transportation.

Why our work is important

On January 1, 2011, the first of the Baby Boomers turned 65 years old. Despite waves of data, analysis and even warnings that suggest we should be preparing aggressively for this aging population bulge, the general response has been an overall ’yawn’ about the effect this remarkable social phenomenon will have on our country, our state, and our local community. Currently, 12% of Greenville’s population is over 65 years old. Within the next 10 years, this demographic segment will more than double to one of every four people in Greenville. Studies show that, primarily, neither the ‘boomers’ nor their families are properly prepared for aging. Senior Action strives to provide a wide variety of programs to meet a vast array of needs of the senior population, but we know we have barely scratched the surface of the current and coming need—for Seniors and their families!

Organizations like Senior Action produce healthier seniors

Seniors are living longer but not necessarily healthier. With the extension of the life-expectancy by 20 years over the last two decades, it is clear that for a variety of reasons (better nutrition, better healthcare, etc.) people are living longer. But, Americans are not generally healthier and struggle with obesity, lack of exercise, smoking and alcohol use, and others.

Studies conducted by the National Council on Aging have revealed that seniors who participate in senior center programs are healthier than their counterparts who do not. The benefits to a senior’s health are great and include:

· increased access and support for exercise and a healthy lifestyle,

· increased access to good nutrition,

· increased access to established social support,

· increased access to regular mental stimulation,

· increased access to information for financial planning and education, and

· opportunities to feel needed and valued through volunteerism.

It has been proven that 75% percent of the factors that determine someone’s health later in life are the result of lifestyle choices, not the aging process itself. Choosing Senior Action, makes seniors healthier.