Archives: Courses

Learning Objective:
The learner will get a better understanding of the significance of how important the three components of food safety are in congregate nutrition programs. Proper food safety measures in storage, preparation and serving will be addressed in this course.


Course Significance:
Food safety is important for everyone. It is especially important for those working in congregate nutrition programs because the clients are seniors. It is a fact that older adults are at a higher risk for hospitalization and death fro food borne illness. This increased risk of food borne illness is because organs and body systems go through changes as people age. For example: the gastrointestinal tract holds onto food for a longer period of time, allowing bacteria to grow. The liver and kidneys may not properly rid the body of foreign bacteria and toxins. The stomach may not produce enough acid. The acidity helps to reduce the number of bacteria in our intestinal tract. And, underlying chronic conditions, such as diabetes and cancer, may also increase a persons risk of food borne illness.

Learning Objective:
The learner will get a better understanding of the vital role of community partnerships in helping the senior center and congregate nutrition programs reach out to members of the senior community who may be in need of services but are unaware that they are available.


Course Significance:
The senior center and the congregate nutrition program must be a vital cog in the community. It must be seen as a place that is safe, welcoming and an integral part of the larger community. It will accomplish this best by working in tandem with other partners in the community to enable better outreach to those “harder to find” individuals who may be impacted by other community services but are not aware of the services provided by the center. The faith-based community, too, must be part of an ongoing dialogue to encourage seniors to engage in the services offered by the center. Partnerships both old and new must be recruited and/or retained in order to best serve the unserved in the community.

Learning Objective:
The learner will get a better understanding of the proper role that nutrition plays in the health and well-being of seniors who are utilizing the services of the congregate nutrition program. The fundamentals of proper nutrition will be explored and examined in this course.


Course Significance:
The congregate nutrition program has a primary role of providing healthy, nutritious meals to those who are 60 years of age and older. Therefore, understanding the nutrient makeup of meals is vital in ensuring that the US Government’s recommendations of nutrient values are evident in the meal preparation and meals served. This course will be a fundamental primer on nutrition basics.

Learning Objective:
The learner will get a better understanding of the fundamentals of raising funds for their senior center and congregate nutrition program in order to expand programming and serve more seniors.


Course Significance:
Fundraising should be considered a major component of the mission of your center and nutrition program. There are not many nonprofit organizations that have the luxury of not having to raise outside funds in order to remain solvent. The economic climate of today and into the future will necessitate that all nonprofits (and that even includes senior centers and congregate nutrition programs) must view fundraising as an opportunity to engage their local community and its citizens as partners in the great work they do. Fundraising brings together an entire community and ignites the passions of those who would otherwise take the services that you are offering for granted.

Learning Objective:
The learner will get a better understanding of the importance of the critical role that preventing food waste and wasted food plays in the operations of senior centers. 


Course Significance:
Having a minimal amount of food waste should be a part of your meal service operations planning and is critical component of running a congregate nutrition program. Food waste is important because it directly impacts the bottom line — your ability to serve more seniors in need. Food waste also directly impacts your clients; health. It also impacts the environment. By understanding why and how food waste occurs and committing to talking steps taught in this course, you can virtually eliminate food waste in your congregate nutrition program. Eliminating food waste in your senior center and congregate nutrition program has to become routine, standard operating procedure. 

Learning Objective:
The learner will get a better understanding of the fundamentals of communicating the importance of the issue of raising community awareness of the role that the senior center and congregate nutrition program plays in providing nutrition and socialization for for seniors in their community.


Course Significance :
The role of the senior center and its nutrition program is vital in maintaining a relevant organization in the community. But if large segments of the community, namely seniors themselves, do not even know that the senior center is there for them, then the center becomes irrelevant. This course will teach the basic fundamentals of raising public awareness, public relations, marketing and getting the message out in the community about the center and its many offerings.

Learning Objective:
The learner will get a better understanding of the importance of the Older Americans Act and how it relates to their work.

Course Significance:
Every senior center director or senior nutrition program manager and staff are probably familiar with the Older Americans Act in some way. It governs the management of Title III congregate nutrition programs and authorizes at least part of the funding for their operations. Those same individuals may not be familiar with the Act’s history – which is important for understanding its purpose and focus – as well as some of the recent changes in the law. There have been many modifications over the years since the Older Americans Act was first signed into law, and understanding what has changed and what remains the same should help guide senior center and senior nutrition program management in their daily work. This course is designed to give a brief history of the law and to highlight those specific issues to which the law directs congregate nutrition programs to give particular attention.