The number of people in Norway over the age of 80 is expected to double by the year 2050. More knowledge about the prevention of illness and social isolation amongst the elderly and about how society can be organized is necessary to facilitate an active old age and good services for this sector of the population. In order to prioritize areas for possible enactment of preventive measures, the Directorate of Health has requested a summary of current knowledge about the effect of the use of senior centres.

It has been debated whether the use of the senior centres can be a preventive measure against illness and social isolation. In Norway, senior centres for elderly are not considered a public responsibility, in contrast to statutory care services such as home care, home nursing and institutional care in the Norwegian welfare system.

Figures from the Government Council for Seniors published in 2005 showed that in 2000 Norway had approximately 330 senior centres serving nearly 130,000 users, and run by an estimate of 10,000 volunteers. Every third municipality in Norway had at least one senior centre, and one out of three elderly in these municipalities used the centres.

Key messages: Despite broad inclusion criteria related to study design we found no studies that measured the effect of the use of senior centres, but predominantly the effects of participation in physical exercise programs conducted at senior centres.

• Physical exercise programs for elderly may improve balance and increase muscle strength in the legs.
• It is uncertain whether physical exercise has effect on quality of life, endurance or improving activities of daily living (ADL).
• It is uncertain whether seniors who participate in creative activities are more satisfied compared with those who participate in other activities at the senior centre.

The documentation for the included results was graded to low or very low quality. This does not imply that activities offered at the senior centres have no effect, but that the research we have found is so deficient that it is uncertain to what extent we can trust the results.