Surprise senior services supervisor summarizes dementia supports and congregate meal program; center reports 5,689 meals served this fiscal year
Loading...
Summary
Tricia Weston, Senior Services Supervisor for the City of Surprise, briefed the commission on the senior center’s programs, dementia‑friendly initiatives and meal program eligibility and statistics, including a fiscal‑year total of 5,689 meals served to 564 individuals and a congregate meal schedule of Monday–Friday at noon.
Tricia Weston, Senior Services Supervisor for the City of Surprise, told the Veterans Disability and Human Services Commission on March 12 that the city offers a broad set of programs for adults 50 and older and for older adults in the disability community, including dementia‑friendly outreach, congregate meals and fitness and enrichment programming.
“Since 2019, Surprise has been at the forefront of supporting those living with dementia,” Weston said, and the city is a member of the Dementia Friendly American Network of Communities. She distributed a resource card describing free dementia‑friendly informational sessions the city offers to organizations and resident groups.
Weston described the senior center’s congregate meal program, which she said “takes place Monday through Friday at 12PM at the senior center” and is in‑person only. The meals meet nutrition standards set by the Older Americans Act and are provided with a grant from the Area Agency on Aging Region 1. Eligibility follows Older Americans Act rules (60 and older) but the Area Agency on Aging allows expanded participation for Surprise: adults ages 50–59 with a disability or a spouse age 60 or older may also access the meals with a higher suggested contribution.
Weston gave enrollment and usage figures for the current fiscal year so far: the senior center served 5,689 meals to 564 different individuals. She provided an age breakdown: 265 participants were between 60 and 75; 175 were between 75 and 85; 60 were older than 85; and the oldest participant is 98.
Weston highlighted programming and partnerships — with Sun Health, the American Heart Association, Dysart Community Center and others — and described recreational and therapeutic offerings including “fun Fridays,” tournaments, a certified “Bingo size” fitness program, multigenerational events and a Quilting Club that donates handmade items to hospice agencies.
She also noted the senior center serves known veterans: the center tracks 68 veterans, 27 veteran spouses and 46 widows of veterans, and she said the actual number of veterans may be higher because some do not identify themselves as veterans.
Why it matters: Commissioners said the senior center serves as a social and health hub that can prevent isolation and support independent living; its meals and partnerships provide nutritional, medical and social services that benefit older adults and veterans in Surprise and the surrounding area.
Ending: Weston provided commissioners with the center’s monthly newsletter and her contact information and encouraged referrals and outreach to residents who could benefit from the center’s services.
