General Information

About The Durham Center for Senior Life

The Durham Center for Senior Life is a nonprofit organization that serves over 200 older adults each day through a variety of free programs, services, classes, events, and more.

Founded in 1949, DCSL has a 75-year legacy of serving older adults in the Durham community. Today, DCSL is designated by the State of North Carolina as a Center of Excellence.

Mission and Vision

Mission: To enrich the lives of older adults 55+ by promoting healthy, active and independent lifestyles.

Vision: We are driven by a vision of a community where older adults of all backgrounds can thrive.

Core Values

We prioritize inclusion to promote equitable access to healthy aging in the Durham community.

We welcome and respect diverse voices, backgrounds, and needs, and we work to ensure that older adults feel a sense of belonging in our community

We have a responsibility to promote healthy, active, and independent lifestyles for older adults in the Durham community.

Promoting Healthy, Active, and Independent Lifestyles

We provide a variety of services for adults 55+ in Durham County that focus on the following building blocks for achieving and maintaining a healthy, active, and independent lifestyle:

Equity: We advocate for the voices of those who are vulnerable, historically disenfranchised, and underrepresented in order to achieve a more equitable and just society.
Inclusiveness: We practice and champion inclusiveness in our community. We welcome and respect diverse strengths, needs, voices, and backgrounds, and we work every day to ensure that all members feel a sense of belonging in our community
Responsibility:We have a responsibility to promote community engagement and active lifestyles for seniors in the Durham Community.
Service: We provide a welcoming and nurturing experience for all of our members that embodies a spirit of service, humility, and continuous improvement to better the lives of older adults living in Durham.
Community: We engage with the Durham community and collaborate with other organizations, initiatives, individuals, to expand our reach, improve our outcomes, and elevate Durham's status as a great place for adults to grow older.
Accountability: We serve as stewards for our community investments and honor the charitable intentions of our donors to meet current and future community needs. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of ethics, integrity, service, and fiduciary responsibility.

Key Beliefs

Older adults are a growing valuable community resource and will be appreciated and respected.
Older adults are entitled to quality services to maintain a healthy and active life. Older adults contribute a wealth of knowledge and skills; we will engage them to share their wisdom and experience.
The Durham Center for Senior Life believes in treating everyone fairly, respectfully and with the highest ethical standards.

Programs & Services

Key programs at the Durham Center for Senior Life are:

Social & Senior Center Services

The services at DCSL sites are geared toward our healthy, active, and independent older adults!

Congregate Nutrition

The DCSL Congregate Nutrition Program is intended to promote social, emotional, and physical well-being in older adults age 60 years plus.

Adult Day Health Services

Adult Day Health provides a structured day for adults 18 and older who have difficulty managing on their own because of frailty or the effects of disease.

EATS (Easing Access To food for Seniors)

EATS programs provide opportunities to address food insecurity for older adults 55+. These services include monthly pantry bags and an opportunity to shop at our DCSL store for our EATS: Shop & Grab program.

Options Counseling

Options Counseling provides guidance to individuals as they make informed choices about long-term services and supports. This service helps people think through the pros and cons of the various options while taking into consideration their situation, values, resources and preferences. The Options Counselor can also assist with making an Action Plan for the individual to implement. Options Counseling is available to individuals who are 60 years of age or older or someone acting on behalf of a person age 60 or older.

Locations

Downtown Center

Operating Hours:

Monday – Thursday: 8:30am – 7:30pm

Friday: 8:30am – 5:00pm

Address: 406 Rigsbee Avenue, Suite 202 | Durham, NC 27701

Phone: (919) 688-8247

DCSL at Little River

Operating Hours:

Monday – Friday

8:30am-1:30pm

Address: 8305 Roxboro Road | Bahama, NC 27503

(Little River Community Complex, Bahama)

Phone: (919) 477-6066