Strategic plan to enhance Washington County senior centers revealed

CANONSBURG -A strategic plan has been developed with the goal to make Washington County's senior centers the envy of those throughout the state of Pennsylvania.

That plan, funded through a $160,000 grant from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation, was revealed Monday before a full house at the Canonsburg Senior Center.

From August 2023 to June 2024, Aging Services of Washington County, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Agency on Aging Inc., and independent providers SPHS Aging Services and Washington Area Senior Citizens Center Inc. partnered with consulting firm The Hill Group to develop a strategic plan and business plan for the future of the senior centers.

"We have great senior centers in Washington County already, but we want to enhance what we have," said Mary Harris, executive director of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Agency on Aging.

The Hill Group, based in Carnegie, is a management counsel provider that serves clients ranging from large corporations to nonprofits.

"What we are presenting is a plan, a way in which aging services, the Area Agency on Aging and all of the senior centers in Washington County are going to prioritize investments and activities over the next three to five years," said Jordan Pallitto, chief operating officer of The Hill Group. "Our senior centers are good. Some days they're great, but we want them to be great every single day. We want them to be amazing places with amazing programs that serve the diverse needs of every individual in Washington County age 60 or older. The plan we are presenting is the series of steps and the series of investments we think we need to make in order to make that happen."

Washington County's demographic profile shows that 21.2% of residents are age 65 and older, notably higher than the national average of 16.53% and slightly above the state average of 18.74%.

Pallitto said conversations were held with more than 100 people who use senior centers regularly and more than 100 people who have never visited one. Also, some of the top-ranked senior centers not only in the state, but in the country, were visited to collect data and information.

"All of that data went into the beginning of this process that we went through to develop this strategic plan," Pallitto said.

He explained that there are three main strategic pillars and goals in the plan: programs and impacts, growth and retention, and staffing and capacity.

Concerning programs and impacts, a diverse array of programs need to be developed to meet the needs and wants of the seniors, and positive social, physical and mental impacts will be demonstrated throughout all senior centers.

The plan calls for continued growth in all centers through innovative marketing, while retaining those who currently take advantage of what is available with comfortable and vibrant locations and high-quality meals.

Staffing also is key to the strategic plan.

"Nothing that we want to do in the future can happen unless we have a strong team equipped with the tools and teammates to be able to do what is needed," Pallitto said.

The plan contains a number of strategies and tactics, but early priorities include establishing a system to constantly gather feedback in each facility, securing funding and staffing to expand physical activity programming in each facility, meal satisfaction metrics and suggestion opportunities on a regular basis, considering a new centralized staff position or consultant focused on fundraising and grant writing and establishing incentives, and a volunteer recruitment process that combines the most effective tactics with best practices.

Mary Lynn Spilak, director of Aging Services of Washington County, said the hope is to get even more seniors to come to the centers so they're out and about more.

"Last year, the surgeon general of the United States came out with a report that there was an epidemic of isolation and loneliness in our country," she said. "Senior centers are one place to alleviate that. Older people can come, socialize and be a part of the fabric of the community. Many people don't realize there is a wealth of wisdom at the senior centers. The seniors have life experiences that, quite frankly, the young people don't have. We plan on using them to help develop some more interesting programs."

Lee Jones, a lifelong Canonsburg resident, said Monday that he's been coming to the Canonsburg Senior Center every day for 17 years. He said he's excited to see what the future holds for the county's senior centers.

"I know they'll come up with something good, something different," Jones said. "I'm looking forward to it."