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August 2007 Newsletter In This Issue:
Cultural competency is another common feature of our winning programs, and a guiding principle for all the Department's endeavors. Similarly, our winning an award in the "Healthy Aging" category for one of the projects we submitted is both well-deserved and rightly shared by all our health promotion programs and by the senior center network, which has embraced our agenda of promoting health and vitality. Lastly, each of our winning programs exemplifies DFTA's focus on senior empowerment. It is gratifying to know that we are leading the way in modeling aging services for the future. Please email or write to me at any time. I look forward to hearing from you. Also, call 311 to learn about the Department's services for seniors or read more at nyc.gov/aging.
DFTA Wins Awards for Outstanding Senior Initiatives
One of the innovation awards went to the Alzheimer's Educational Outreach Initiative, a joint endeavor by DFTA, NYCHA, the NYPD, and the Alzheimer's Association, New York City Chapter. Its purpose is to arm the residents of NYCHA buildings with information about the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and about community resources so they can help neighbors with service linkages. DFTA's joint Depression Outreach Project with DOHMH and the Mental Health Association of New York City garnered a second "innovation" award. The project provides depression screening, educational and referral services at senior centers and in the homes of homebound seniors. The six initiatives winning achievement awards are: the Bronx Senior Options Program, which provides seniors who receive home-delivered meals with a choice between delivery of frozen meals for reheating at their convenience or hot meals to be eaten immediately; the Young Gerontologists Program which introduces high school students to careers in gerontology; the Chinese American Alzheimer's Coalition of New York City, spearheaded by DFTA; an Alzheimer's Disease Curriculum for inclusion in DFTA's personal care aide training program; the Elder Abuse Prevention Network of New York City launched under DFTA's auspices; and Stay on Track, DFTA's blood pressure monitoring program.
Through ReServe, Retired Professionals Connect with City Agencies
The ReServists will work 10 to 15 hours a week on projects that enable them to draw on their backgrounds in law, accounting, human resources, journalism, marketing, social work, health care, education and other fields. More than 100 ReServists will be placed at City agencies. DFTA will coordinate the program. ReServe will do the recruiting and matching of retirees with agency needs. ReServe was co-founded in 2005 by Jack Rosenthal, President of the New York Times Company Foundation, and Herb Sturz, Founding Chairman of the After-School Corporation and former New York City Deputy Mayor for Criminal Justice.
DFTA's Condom Giveaway Sends Prevention Message
AIDS education for seniors has become an important issue as antiretroviral drugs help people infected with HIV/AIDS live longer and as some of our social taboos against talking about sex over age 60 give way, according to DFTA Commissioner Mendez-Santiago. "We need to acknowledge that the enjoyment of sex and intimate relationships has no age boundary and that we need to talk with seniors about their sexual needs as readily as we do with anyone else," the Commissioner said. "At the same time, it can be a tragic mistake if older adults assume that they are not at risk for HIV/AIDS." New York City is considered a leader in the area of HIV/AIDS education for seniors, and the City Council has budgeted $1 million to promote HIV/AIDS education and awareness among older persons. The Department's campaign garnered world-wide attention following an Associated Press Story on the Peter Cardella Senior Center, where a presentation on HIV/AIDS by a senior who has lived with the disease for many years was followed by condom distribution. The AP story was picked up extensively by media from the LA Times to PRAVDA. CNN also did a feature on DFTA's prevention efforts.
DFTA Organizes an Emergency Response Assisting Brooklyn Seniors They had been surviving on sandwiches or the kindness of neighbors since their gas service was cut off following a building fire. No wonder, then, that senior residents of Willoughby Walk Co-op Apartments Inc. in Brooklyn (185 Hall Street) were overjoyed when the Department and Ft. Greene Senior Citizens' Council appeared on the scene July 17th with home-delivered meals. As the emergency continued, the number of seniors identified by housing management as needing meals grew from four the first day of delivery to over 45 within a matter of days. Despite initial hitches, meal deliveries to the Co-op have now become routine. Christopher Blenman, a Brooklyn Senior Center sponsored by Fort Greene, prepares the extra meals and delivers them with the van normally used by the Center to provide transportation services. Blenman will be making deliveries to the Co-op for at least another month based on estimates of when gas service will be restored. Nor has the response been limited to home-delivered meals. Alerted by Fort Greene staff and meal deliverers that many of the senior occupants of the Co-op, which has a primarily elderly population, were in need of social services as well, DFTA arranged for Concord Home Services to provide case management. As Claudette Macey of the Fort Greene Council said, "Something good is coming out of a bad situation. Some of these seniors need home-delivered meals and maybe even home care permanently, and now we know of their existence. Fort Greene is happy to help. What started as a disaster is in fact leading to something positive if it means that a large number of seniors get the services they need."
It's Easier to Navigate the Health Insurance Maze with a Guide Called HIICAP
Housed at DFTA, HIICAP is part of a federal and state initiative to train older persons to inform and educate their peers about health and long term care insurance coverage. Since 1993, hundreds of older New Yorkers have answered the HIICAP hotline and provided one-on-one assistance by appointment at community sites throughout the City. Armed with information on all aspects of today's health insurance programs for seniors including Medicare, Medigap, private supplemental plans, managed care plans, and prescription drug coverage, the volunteers problem solve with seniors to find the best solutions for their particular situations. In mid-October, HIICAP will be offering a four-day training for new volunteers. HIICAP is looking for older persons who are compassionate and patient, interested in public service, detail oriented and have the capacity to absorb changing information. Computer skill is a plus. Those interested should call 311 and ask to speak to HIICAP. Mary Louise Flood, a HIICAP volunteer for the past three years who is stationed at DFTA has this to say about her experience counseling seniors: "Sometimes when I see people's frustration, I feel real dismay at the lack of intelligible communication about these vital matters and also dismay at the lack of basic health coverage for people of any age, not just seniors. But my experience as a HIICAP volunteer has been fabulous. I get the best direction from a wonderful administrator, great and frequent training and my colleagues are the most congenial group of people! And it's really satisfying to have someone come in with a really thorny problem and it's solved by the time they leave."
Go Direct Campaign Helps People Sign Up for Direct Deposit
Direct deposit eliminates the risk of stolen checks and forgeries and helps protect people from identity theft. It also gives people more control over their money. Furthermore, direct deposit provides people with immediate access to their money from virtually everywhere, a feature which can be vitally important in emergencies. With direct deposit, seniors have the safest method of receiving their Social Security and/or SSI checks, an easier, more convenient way to access their money, and greater control over the money and time. Go Direct makes it easy for people who get Social Security and SSI to sign up for direct deposit - they can call the toll-free helpline (800) 333-1795 or sign up online at GoDirect.org.
DFTA Nutrition Programs Join City's Healthy Eating Campaign With the goal of eliminating trans-fat from the menus of all New York City senior centers, DFTA has begun sending center staff to trainings offered by the Trans-Fat Help Center recently developed by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). The Help Center was launched to assist restaurants switching from artificial trans-fat to healthier oils in accordance with new regulations of the New York City Health Code. Training slots given to DFTA are the fruit of discussions last fall between the Department and DOHMH on how the two agencies could work together on training and classes for cooks in the aging services network. DFTA's third annual three-day Nutrition Workshop for program directors, cooks and assistant cooks scheduled for October will include a trans-fat component presented by the Help Center. DFTA's 325 senior centers provide more than 33,000 breakfast and lunch meals daily, and its home-delivered meals programs deliver on average 14,800 meals daily. Cooks preparing these meals submit menus to DFTA for approval of their nutritional content or select a pre-approved menu available for program cooks on DFTA's website. "Healthy eating is essential to healthy aging," says Sonia Rodriguez, Assistant Commissioner of the Bureau of Senior Centers. "Every program in the DFTA nutrition services network provides well-balanced, healthy meals without neglecting variety. Lately we've been working on offering more menu choices and now, with the City's new policy to phase out artificial trans-fat, you can bet we're on board and full sail ahead." City policy states that "no food containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, shortenings, or margarines with 0.5 grams or more trans fat per serving may be stored, used or served by food service establishments." The regulation does not apply to food served in the manufacturer's original packaging such as potato chips.
Program Spotlight: Kips Bay-Castle Hill Senior Center Who says seniors are afraid of computers, can't master the Internet, will never be comfortable in cyberspace? "Nonsense!" according to Emily Palayo, Senior Program Director of Castle Hill Senior Center in the Bronx, one of the more than 200 "wired" centers in the DFTA network and a program of the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club. "Those stereotypes are all wrong, and we're proving it," says Ms. Palayo. Castle Hill has been able to offer an impressive array of computer classes since 2005 through an arrangement with Older Adults Technology Services (OATS). OATS is a city-wide nonprofit focused on providing technology training, support and community-building programs for seniors. OATS has taught over 2400 seniors computer basics, workforce skills, and Web content development, and has built a strong intergenerational program where high school students co-teach classes with OATS staff. OATS has provided basic and advanced computer instruction, workshops on using the Medicare Part D Plan Finder tool and on Senior Planet web content classes to Castle Hill Seniors. A Castle Hill senior is one of the editors of Senior Planet, a "digital community" for older adults developed by OATS where New York seniors can connect to each other online. Several Regional Aid for Interim Needs (RAIN) centers have also entered into partnership with OATS. All that organizations need to work with OATS is a computer lab and funding for instructors. Councilwoman Annabel Palma has provided the support needed for Castle Hill's computer classes. Other centers may find means within their budgets to engage OATS. OATS has developed three levels of curriculum designed specifically for older adults, and has also provided customized curriculum development and training for local senior services agencies. This year Executive Director Tom Kamber and his staff plan to teach over 1600 classes at 20 locations around the City. Kamber says, "Technology is not a luxury item these days. Seniors need computers and the Internet to stay in touch with their families, to manage their health information - even to handle their finances." OATS can be contacted at (718) 360-1707 or on the web at www.oatsny.org. Senior Planet can be accessed at www.seniorplanet.org. Many of the Department's senior centers have computer labs. Centers with labs are listed at www.nyc.gov/aging (click on senior services) or call 311 to find the senior center closest to you.
Each year, the Department for the Aging conducts public hearings in all five boroughs to obtain recommendations and comments on its proposed Annual Plan for the Older Americans Act (OAA), the New York State Community Services for the Elderly Program (CSE) and the Expanded In-Home Services for the Elderly Program (EISEP). The public hearings provide an opportunity for older persons, service providers, and advocates to identify priority needs, recommend ways to enhance services, and suggest an agenda for legislative advocacy to DFTA and its Senior Advisory Council. Click here for the schedule of public hearings (en español).
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I'm very proud of the eight Department programs that garnered awards from the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) for their groundbreaking achievements (Read more below about the awards). I'm also proud that in key respects these eight are representative of all DFTA's programs. The Department has made collaborating with our sister City agencies and community organizations a hallmark of our approach to service provision, and not only our eight winners but also all our initiatives, whenever possible, get extra mileage through partnerships.
DFTA won national recognition as a leader in innovative aging programming from the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a). The n4a announced the winners of its Aging Innovations and Achievement Awards at the association's national conference on July 29. In addition to being recognized as a leader in developing innovative programs, DFTA was also awarded two "innovation" awards reserved for "most innovative and cutting edge" programs. The agency also won six out of the 39 "achievement awards" presented by the n4a. N4a is an umbrella organization representing the country's area agencies on aging, which are federally mandated organizations charged with planning, coordinating, monitoring and funding programs for persons 60 years of age and older. DFTA is the largest AAA in the country.
DFTA's launch of the largest municipal program in the nation to connect retired professionals with opportunities to work on stipend-paying City agency projects was announced by Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs and DFTA Commissioner Edwin Mendez Santiago on Wednesday, July 25. The program, a partnership between DFTA and ReServe Elder Services will match retirees - known as ReServists - with City agencies that need their specific skills and experience. "This partnership will result in greater civic engagement opportunities for retirees, increased capacity for City agencies, and ultimately, greater awareness of one of our City's most invaluable assets - our older population," said Deputy Mayor Gibbs.
The Department's June mailing of 81,000 official New York City condoms to 318 senior centers for distribution to members might have been unthinkable back when AIDS was known as a disease that strikes its victims young and kills them in their prime. Now that there is a new "face" to AIDS - a senior's face - DFTA's condom giveaway sends an important prevention message. Older sexually active people are as much at risk of HIV/AIDS as their younger counterparts. Prevention is as important when you're 80 as when you're 20.
"I can't continue to pay my part B premium, and I'm really scared I'll be uninsured." "I'm told my home health care is ending but I still need help." "I am still working but will be 65 next month, will my coverage change?" "My doctor is leaving my HMO; what do I do?" "What are the differences among all these Plans I keep getting calls or mail about?" Answers to these and dozens of other situations are provided every day by the volunteers who power the Department's HIICAP, the Health Information Counseling and Assistance Program, which offers free, current and impartial information about health care coverage for older and disabled persons to consumers, caregivers and professionals. 
Switching to direct deposit is a small but important way that people who get Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) checks can improve their lives. And it just takes a few minutes to sign up. DFTA is partnering with Go Direct - a campaign sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Banks to inform people who receive federal benefits about the advantages of direct deposit and help them sign up for it.