A Nationally Accredited Senior Center

The Duxbury Senior Center was unanimously approved for accreditation by the National Institute of Senior Centers for the third time in 2020. The Duxbury Senior Center is one in only 41 centers, out of 15,000 national centers that have been accredited three times, and only 143 centers have been accredited at this time.

The NISC was developed to advance the quality of senior centers nationwide and includes NINE standards of excellence for senior center operations. These standards serve as a guide for senior center operations and a plan for the future.

The Council on Aging Board and the Duxbury Senior Center coordinated nine volunteer committees who worked on the National Institute of Senior Centers Self-Assessment and Accreditation process. The committee worked from September through March preparing documents needed for the process. A peer reviewer from NISC virtually interviewed the COA board, Lifelong Learning Committee, staff and participated in a DSC Zoom yoga class and a Zoom Lifelong Learning course.

The accreditation report noted the Duxbury Senior Center’s strong staff and cited major ongoing support from the town. The report also recognized the Center’s excellent array of programs and a commitment to helping older adults living with Alzheimer’s.

The NISC gave credit to the Duxbury Senior Center’s response to the COVID crisis, saying that the Center “demonstrated resilience and creativity in responding to the current very challenging time.”

Director Joanne Moore is pleased with the recognition and says she’s so proud of all hard work from the staff, past, and present, and is grateful to the town of Duxbury for their ongoing commitment to the senior population.