Brady Senior CenterBy: McKeycia Murry

Crisis• The seniors of today are no longer getting as

much social security • they can’t rely on just their children because

they have their own busy lives to attend too. • The seniors of today are getting sicker • The seniors of today aren’t enjoying there

later adulthood years • The main crisis however is that the majority of

senior citizens just aren’t getting enough food, especially healthy foods.

STATISTICS• Nearly 3 million elderly persons are served by Feeding America each year.

18.6 percent of client households have at least one member who is age 65 or over, and 52 percent of these households are food insecure - an estimated 1.2 million households.

• 30 percent of client households with seniors indicated that they have had to choose between food and medical care and 35 percent had to choose between food and paying for heat/utilities.

• In 2010, 8.7 percent of seniors (3.6 million older adults age 65 and older) lived below the poverty line

• Seniors require greater consideration towards their health and medical needs that can become compromised when there is not enough food to eat. A study which examined the health and nutritional status of seniors found that food insecure seniors had significantly lower intakes of vital nutrients in their diets when compared to their food secure counterparts. In addition, food insecure seniors were 2.33 times more likely to report fair/poor health status and had higher nutritional risk.

• The number of food insecure seniors is projected to increase by 50% when the youngest of the Baby Boom Generation reaches age 60 in 2025

But Never Fear Catholic Charities is

Here!!!

Who is the Brady Senior Center?

• The Brady Center is a place that is motivated by the teachings and love of Jesus Christ. As a sub-section of Catholic Charities of Dallas, they serve, advocate and empower people in need regardless of race, religion, gender or national origin and call the community to action.

What do they do?

• The Brady Center is a place where senior citizens 65 and above can congregate together to engage in a variety of fun activities such as bingo and movie watching, get nutritious food to eat and get help with various issues such as reading their mail and taking medicines.

One of my sponsors, Nelly, showing a senior how to read their emails off a smart phone.

When are they available to serve?

• The doors of the Brady Senior Center are open at 8:00am. They serve breakfast and lunch only. Breakfast is served at 9:00am and lunch is served at 12:00pm. From 8:00am to 1:00pm, there is a staff of wonderful people there devoted to helping the senior citizens with their activities.

Where are they located?

Address: 4009 Elm Street, Dallas, TX 75226 Phone: (214) 826-8330

Zip Codes Served: 75204, 75206, 75223, 75226, 75246, 75149, 75150, 75180, 75181,

75182, 75214 Services Available: Financial Assistance

Food AssistanceBack to School Assistance

Free Income Tax Preparation Holiday and Christmas AssistanceAir Conditioning and Heater units

EntertainmentDaily bus passes

Why are they doing this?

• Rooted deeply in the teachings of Jesus Christ and Catholic Social Teaching to serve each other, the services extend the ministries of the parishes throughout the distinct and diverse communities of Dallas. The main reason the Brady Senior Center was created was to change the current situation of the elderly one person at a time.

How are they doing this?

• They receive financial support from corporate, private and family foundations that are vital in addressing the basic needs of the senior adults in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. They welcome and appreciate grants of any kind — from general operating support to those designated for specific services and programs

Me and the Brady Senior Center

My roles:• File paper• Sign new members up• Put new members information

into the database• Escort new members around

to get familiar with the place• Arts and crafts projects

What I do to help:• Speak with the seniors• Play games with the seniors• Assist them with reading mail• Assist with bringing food to

their cars

Picture Time!