DEVELOPING EVIDENCE OF THE EFFECTIVENESS AND IMPACT OF SENIOR CENTERS Annual Conference of the Connecticut Association of Senior Center Personnel (CASCP) Friday, June, 2018 Manoj Pardasani, PhD, LCSW Fordham University

Rationale for Evidence Social services are treated as businesses Funding for human services is limited Need for human services in aging is expanding – MORE COMPETITION Focus is on outcomes and not outputs Data-driven decisions

Rationale for Evidence Senior Centers are hard to conceptualize – great variability Programs and services vary Clients are voluntary Lack of systematic data collection Lack of training and/or interest in research methods

Rationale for Evidence Crucial for ADVOCACY FUNDRAISING MARKETING OUTREACH

Outcomes vs. Outputs The slow movement in human services towards outcomes… What are outcomes and outputs? How do you operationalize them?

Types of Research Design Quantitative Qualitative Mixed Methods Longitudinal versus Cross-sectional

Incorporating Research into Practice Creating a consistent structure and plan Creating data collection instruments Treating each program or workshop as an opportunity to capture data Socializing members to participate in data collection Training staff and/or volunteers

Incorporating Research into Practice Now lets get started… What are some general outcomes of senior center participation? How would we measure or track them? What are some innovative programs or services that you offer?