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Holliston - Local Town Pages

Former ‘Senior Center’ is now ‘The Center’

By Theresa Knapp
As of Dec. 23, the former Senior Center is now known as “The Center.”  
Council on Aging Chair Yvette Cain told the Select Board in December that the name change is making The Center more inviting to the town’s 55-plus population. 
“There’s a portion of our population who see a negative connotation to the term ‘senior,’ and so, by removing that, we hope to broaden the spectrum of people who will feel welcome there,” said Cain, noting the effort to change the name started a few years ago.  
“With a growing population and trying to figure out how to attract an age group that really wasn’t taking advantage of the services and the services at The Center, one of the recommendations made by the [UMass Boston Gerontology Institute] was that we rebrand, that being a name change,” said Cain, noting the town’s senior population was 25% in 2023 and is expected by be about 30% by 2030. 
“We do hope that this is the beginning of trying to attract that 55-plus group that we don’t seem to be catching at this point,” added Cain. “Several changes have been made to activities, increased events, some lectures, things of that nature. I think that the staff continues to look at how we can expand the offerings and try to attract that younger group, the ‘younger olders’.” 
Cain said most of the current programs take place between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. when the 55-plus age group is still working so they are seeking alternate sites and ways to pull in that group. 
For more information regarding The Center and its programs, visit www.townofholliston.us/senior-center-the-center