What is a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA)?

There has been a lot of talk in the news about persons presenting themselves as Certified Senior Advisors (CSA) accompanied by stories about how these persons have taken advantage of the elderly and family caregivers. An actual Certified Senior Advisor, CSA, is an earned and regulated accreditation by the Society of Certified Senior Advisors. If any person presents themselves as a CSA to you, you can verify whether they are actually certified through the SCSA verifier.

The CSA education and designation is designed to help professionals work with seniors more successfully. The curriculum of the CSA course addresses the vital aspects of understanding seniors and creating relationships that benefit both seniors and professionals. It is the only nationally accredited designation of its kind. 

Certified Senior Advisors (CSAs) have supplemented their individual professional licenses, credentials and education with knowledge about aging and working with seniors. The CSA designation alone does not imply expertise in financial, health or social matters. Details:
www.csa.us

CSA CE Requirements

CSAs are required to complete 30 CSA CE credits every 3 years to remain a member of SCSA and use the CSA designation. This includes completion of the CSA Code of Professional Responsibility online module.

Completion of the CSA Code of Professional Responsibility online module, called Rules, Roles and Responsibilities, is required for all CSAs during each 3-year recertification cycle. 3 CE units are earned for completion of the module. No substitutions are allowed.

Complete details concerning the requirements and rules that Certified Senior Advisor must fullfill and follow are available in great detail at the Society of Certfified Senior Advisors website.You can also read the CSA Code of Professional Responsibility Document* (PDF) as published by the SCSA.  

  *document available here was current at the time we downloaded it from their site in June 2011. It is possible a more current document exists on the SCSA website and we encourage you to visit the SCSA website if you wish additional details concerning the CSA designation. Our goal here is to give you an overview of what a CSA is and isn't, how one becomes a CSA, and to caution you to investigate the certification of any person who claims to be a CSA.