Our History

A History of Service to the Community

Senior Services began in Elgin in 1973 as an adult day center, to meet the needs of community seniors and disabled persons by offering adult day care. We then expanded into a multipurpose senior center in 1976 and added transportation, recreation, health, education and information and assistance to our services. We were designated as one of the first Case Coordination Units (CCU) by the Illinois Department on Aging for the purpose of integrating frail elders into the social service system. As the CCU we expanded our services throughout Kane County.

We added Kendall County to our service area and provided state-mandated programs including information and referral, outreach and case management to both counties. In 1987 we expanded our service area to include McHenry County and assumed the Retired Senior Volunteer Program for Kane and McHenry Counties. In 1989 we added the Nursing Home Ombudsman program in all three counties and were designated the Elder Abuse Investigation agency for all three counties the next year. Other programs added include the Neighbor-to-Neighbor volunteer program in Elgin, the McHenry County Volunteer Center, and the Friendly Visiting  program (which won a Distinguished Program award from the State of Illinois). In 2002 we implemented the federally funded Family Caregiver Program, providing assistance and respite to those caring for a loved one. At this time we have two senior centers in Elgin, 101 S. Grove Avenue serves as our corporate office and a second site in the Elgin Township building on McLean Blvd. Senior Services other multi-purpose centers are located in Aurora, Yorkville, McHenry and Crystal Lake. Senior centers are a point of entry for able bodied seniors into the services they may need as they age.

In 2012 our by-laws were amended to allow services to persons age 18 to 59 in response to being asked to administer the Veterans Intervention Program (VIP); this program provides needed services to veterans of all ages. In 2014 services to this age group were expanded to include Adult Protective Services and Nursing Home and Community Ombudsman.