Malvern Senior Center may close; CADC to hold meeting in Benton on May 13
The Malvern Senior Activity Center and five other like facilities across central Arkansas are facing a grim possibility that their doors may be closing if legislators don’t move to raise the cap on government funding for agencies that maintain the senior-assist programs.
The Malvern center is one of several senior activity centers that are operated by the privatelyowned Central Arkansas Development Council (CADC) and overseen by the Area Agency on Aging (AAA), a nonprofit senior services organization. The centers serve an ever-growing population of people over the age of 60, or almost 22 percent of Arkansas’s 3 million residents.
The costs for food, gas and daily living have risen over 66 percent since COVID hit in early 2020, but the amount of federal and state funding the Malvern Senior Center and other senior activity centers across the region is allotted has not. In addition, issues such as an increasing senior population and a growing issue with Seniors going hungry add a sense of urgency to the mix.
Suzanne Graves, director of the Malvern center, spoke about her concerns for the local facility on May 2 in front of a huge crowd of seniors who frequent the center and came en masse to learn more about the trouble facing the Malvern facility.
Graves shared that she recently attended a meeting with other senior center administrators and the CADC council that oversees the senior center program, where the group discussed the financial hardships the program is facing, and what may have to be done about it. Reps from AAA and several state legislators were also in attendance.
The funds AAA receives to pass along to the CADC have fallen short because AAA also must support Home and Community-based Waiver Services (HCBS), Adult Protective Services (APS), Long-term Care (LTC) Ombudsman, the Family Caregiver Support Program and an array of other programs and grant-funded projects.
“These programs and projects create a critical system of supports and services vital to Arkansas seniors, their families, and caregivers,” as stated in the department’s most recent State Plan on Aging.
The Malvern center is particularly important to the community because they feed so many people each month, as well as providing countless avenues for entertainment and social interaction, which is crucial for seniors to thrive in their elder years, and important at any age.
Graves pointed out that many people who eat daily meals at the Center are getting their only decent meal when they come to the facility or get served through the meal delivery service,
The facility in Malvern serves thousands of meals each month through elder choice options, daily dine-in lunches, home delivered meals and their free commodities program.
According to the National Council on Aging, people who regularly visit a local senior center experience a better psychological well-being across the board, lower levels of depression than their cohorts, lower stress levels and strong, supportive friendships. They get access to an array of community services that can include education and arts programs, employment assistance, health and wellness activities, civic engagement, helpful information and transportation services in addition to the daily meals.
The Area Agency on Aging was established in 1973 through the Older Americans Act (OAA) and receives funding through the OAA, federal grants, federal programs such as Medicaid, state funding, contract service fees, private pay and fundraising events. Some of those funds are distributed to the CADC to support the senior centers.
The funds are distributed based on things like population and socioeconomic standing of each service region. But AAA expects to get less overall funding from the state next year, and the funds they do receive are earmarked for many other vital purposes in addition to maintaining the senior center programs.
Malvern only has about 10,000 residents, but the Center plates around 8,000 meals each month. Graves told the crowd of attendees at Thursday’s meeting that she is doing everything she can think of to raise public awareness and find a way to keep the facility doors open, but she needs the community’s help.
The CADC is facing a financial deficit of around $1.5 million related to their senior center operations. Graves said the contract between CADC and AAA ends on June 30 and may not be renewed, which means the Malvern center and five similar facilities in neighboring counties may be closing their doors, unless an extension is granted or another entity agrees to take over the program in CADC’S absence.
Graves said she’s hoping CADC agrees to extend the contract with
AAA until October, when state legislators can officially take steps toward getting the funding increased for the senior centers.
Requests for comment from CADC were not answered.
Another meeting between CADC and program administrators is scheduled for Monday, May 13, at the Benton Senior Activity Center starting at 6 p.m.
Graves encouraged all the attendees at the May 2 meeting to attend the May 13 meeting, as well, and to appeal to local, state and federal political reps to voice their concerns on the matter, to plead for the Malvern Senior Center and others like it to get the help they need.
“Just last — I think it was a couple of weeks ago — the Governor gave out like $5.4 million dollars to parks and recreation, and that’s great,” Graves said. “But we need some serious money going to seniors because we have people coming in here for a meal, and this is the only meal that they get, and the rest of the time they’re eating cat food.”
Graves urged the attendees to reach out and let politicians know how important the Malvern facility is to the larger community. She said she’s tired of seniors being put on the back burner, and she wants the people making the big decisions on funding to make more funds available in the budget for senior centers.
“We are unified in the determination to keep our Center open. It is a place for seniors over 60 to come have a hot meal, socialize and play games. What our Center offers is a lifeline to a lot of folks,” said Malvern Senior Center volunteer, Judy Cook, on social media after Thursday’s meeting. “Write or call our representatives and political leaders. Our director and local leaders need our help and our voice.”