Senior Centres in Canada and the United States: A Scoping Review.

ABSTRACTSenior centres have been identified as a "focal point" for delivering services to the rapidly growing older adult populations in Canada and the United States. Despite this important role, academic research studying senior centres has been limited. This scoping review identified English-language empirical research studies focusing on senior centres that were published in an academic journal in 2000 or later. A total of 58 studies were identified (n = 51 American and n = 7 Canadian). The majority of the articles focused on themes related to the participation of individuals at senior centres; a smaller number focused on themes related to the senior centre environment. Based on the findings, it is suggested that future research focus on benefits of senior centre programming, with specific focus on needs of baby boomers; key factors related to funding, space, and staffing; and the characteristics and role of senior centres in the Canadian context.