Messiah Lifeways
Senior Living Community Needs Assessment
Senior Living Community Needs Assessment
“Social Accountability is a measure of an organization’s commitment to its mission, its stakeholders, and the greater community, and demonstrates fulfillment of the requirements and expectations of tax-exempt organizations.”
In early 2019, Messiah Lifeways formed an internal advisory group known as the “Social Accountability and Community Benefit Task Force.” In support of our mission and commitment to social accountability, one of the first and most fundamental duties of the group was to conduct a Senior Living Community Needs Assessment (SLCNA). In order to better serve, care, and advocate for older adults, we needed to gather information about the needs in our community in a systematic way by performing our own needs assessment focusing on those ages 65+ living in south central Pennsylvania. Additional determinents included:
- Messiah Lifeways' desire to enhance the lives, health, and well-being of those we serve
- Being an engaged partner in the greater community
- Our willingness to exlore and implement new ways to serve older adults as new barriers, challenges, and needs evolve during the journey of aging
- Adpating to changes in social perspective, public funding, and legislation that effect the services, resources, and the prioritization of needs of older adults
The assessment process began with us first gathering and analyzing available secondary data. Then we compiled primary data by engaging older adults (consumers) and community leaders (stakeholders) in focus group discussions and questionnaires to hear directly about: perceived quality of life, health status, and potential unmet needs of the senior population. Next, the data and responses were analyzed and prioritized to help develop and produce a full report.
We are pleased to share the completed report below. We will share additional findings from a subsequent Implementation Planning (brainstorming) session. From there we will prioritize need and prepare for next steps towards implementation via organizational strategic planning, partnerships, and recommendations.
Read The Report
