The Senior Resource Association has recently acquired three programs previously administered by the nonprofit Senior Collaborative – the Navigation database, Senior Expo and UPSLIDE programs. The change took effect as of Oct. 1.
“The Senior Collaborative board of directors made the decision to dissolve the Senior Collaborative, and its services will be merged into the Senior Resource Association,” said Karen Deigl, SRA President and CEO. “I’m extremely pleased that we’re going to do this.”
The initial concept for the Collaborative grew out of the difficulties Randy Reily encountered when searching for services for his aging mother and he realized that others were likely experiencing similar obstacles. As a retired bank executive who had served on numerous nonprofit boards, he reached out to his contacts with the idea to create a central database of services.
A steering committee was formed that included Deigl; Meredith Egan, United Way of Indian River County CEO; and Peggy Cunningham, Alzheimer & Parkinson Association executive director; followed by a board. The Senior Collaborative was established in 2018 and became a 501(c)(3) in 2019, with Reily serving as its first executive director.
The free database it created now has links to well over 700 services offered by for-profit and nonprofit resources related to: Housing; Transportation; Food and Meals; Community and Government Agencies; Financial Assistance, Counseling and Employment; Education, Social and Spiritual; Health and Medical; Arts and Entertainment; and Parks and Recreation.
“At the Senior Resource Association, we receive about 400 to 500 information referral calls a month. Not just calls about what we provide, but calls like the Senior Collaborative would receive,” said Deigl.
When callers requested a service the SRA didn’t provide, she said they were referred to the Collaborative, so the change is a logical one.
The database will now be accessible from the SRA website, where older residents, their family members and caregivers will still be able to search for services themselves or can call in with questions.
“It’s part of our mission. We were already doing it, so it was a fit,” said Deigl.
The SRA will also take control of the Senior Expo, which was originally founded by the American Association of University Women.
“The AAUW started it, but they recognized that it was growing, and it wasn’t really part of their mission, so they thought it would be great with Senior Collaborative. We’re excited about the Expo,” said Deigl.
“The Senior Collaborative has done a great job in the two years that they’ve had it. I think it’s close to 100 vendors and they were getting 500 plus people going through.”
The Senior Expo, scheduled for March 27, 2025, at the Indian River County Fairgrounds, is a free event offering all variety of information, speakers, free medical screenings, and vaccinations.
The UPSLIDE program is a social initiative that occurs once a week at the United Against Poverty UP Center.
“The program promotes social engagement to combat loneliness, isolation and depression among seniors. It’s a safe zone where they can talk about issues that they are having. It’s a peer group.
They do social activities, they have therapy sessions, and they help the participants build meaningful connections,” said Deigl.
A licensed Treasure Coast Community Health counselor moderates the gatherings, which she said last about an hour and a half.
“I really think that with all these programs, the intention of myself and staff is that we can take something that’s good, and all of these programs are good, and enhance them. So what we really want to do is be able to fulfill the vision and the mission of the Senior Collaborative, just in a different way,” said Deigl.
Deigl said she doesn’t foresee a need to add staff, as they have enough people in place to manage the additional programs. The database will be absorbed into their existing Information Referral program, and their Congregate Meal coordinator will manage UPSLIDE.
“When I talked about enhancing it, we are going to include a Congregate Meal in advance of them having their UPSLIDE session. So for those that are eligible, they’ll be able to attend and have a hot meal, socialize and then go into the UPSLIDE session,” said Deigl.
Eventually, she said they hope to expand UPSLIDE into the four existing SRA Congregate Meal locations – St. Francis Manor, By the River, Gifford Community Center and the Department (a Department of Health satellite site), and possibly other sites around the county.
For more information, visit SeniorResourceAssociation.org.
