Senior centers haven’t changed much since they were first created in the 70s, but the “American senior” has changed dramatically. What do agencies need to do to catch up? This community research project with Meals on Wheels explored how agencies could adapt and reimagine older adult programming to serve some of Cincinnati’s fastest growing — and historically underserved — senior groups.

As part of the design team at Design Impact, I co-led the research and engagement process. This project was one of my favorites because it gave me the opportunity to merge my community organizing experience with the local Asian community and my design research expertise through Design Impact.

I led outreach and strategy in partnership with AAPI organizers and community groups, and conducted interviews and group conversations with Filipino, Indian, Chinese, and Black communities of various incomes, languages, and countries of origin in Greater Cincinnati.

Rather than solely researching communities’ deficits and needs, our team used group conversations, interviews, and site observations to explore how Cincinnati’s Black and Asian communities uniquely cared for their elders, how they filled the gaps, and how institutions and agencies could better serve these groups so they could age with dignity.

If clients share their findings with the communities they serve, it’s typically presented in a board room or town hall-style setting. Instead, I organized a community potluck where interviewees were invited to share food, discuss the findings, and share their ideas for how social service agencies could better serve this new generation of older adults.

The resulting report offered critical insights about Cincinnati’s Black and Asian seniors and recommended strategies to improve agencies’ outreach and programming.