Four Albuquerque Senior Centers Earn National Accreditation

Los Volcanes, Palo Duro, and North Valley Senior Centers and Manzano Mesa Multigenerational Center were recently recognized by City Councilor Isaac Benton in a proclamation congratulating them for achieving national accreditation by the National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC).

NISC is part of the National Council on Aging and has nine standards of excellence that senior centers must reach in order to receive national accreditation. While there are approximately 11,000 senior centers nationwide, less than 2% meet the rigorous standards required by NISC.

“The process to achieve NISC accreditation is not an easy one and I’m incredibly proud our staff for continually going above and beyond,” said Anna Sanchez, Director of Senior Affairs. “It’s also been a great opportunity for us to learn from other senior centers across the U.S. as we work to meet the evolving needs of Albuquerque families as they age.”

The four centers were awarded national accreditation over the summer. The proclamation recognizing the Department of Senior Affairs and center staff was presented to center staff during the Albuquerque City Council meeting on Monday, September 18, 2023.

“We commend the Department of Senior Affairs staff for their dedication and commitment to ensuring that Albuquerque’s senior centers are among the best in the country,” said Councilor Benton.  

In addition to national accreditation, in July, the Department was awarded a NISC Program of Excellence Award in Technology, Virtual, and Hybrid Programming for its 50+ Senior Tech Fair event to teach technology skills to older adults.