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August 2008 August 2008 Newsletter In This
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Research tells us that embracing healthy living makes a big difference in terms of longevity and quality of life. Eating nutritiously, exercising more, learning to manage blood pressure or diabetes, having regular check-ups - these behaviors have a real impact on one's health. Nurturing one's creative side, through art or other self expression, and feeling connected to friends and community can also have a positive effect on health. I believe that senior centers can play a vital role in fostering healthy lifestyles. For this reason the Department for the Aging has set out to modernize its senior center network by promoting health and wellness programming. We are fortunate to have many senior centers in New York City that excel in this kind of programming and that can serve as models for our entire network- from yoga and tai chi classes to blood pressure screenings, healthy cooking classes and arts and cultural activities. At DFTA, best practice models in New York and nationally are informing the development of the Senior Center RFP to be released in October. The RFP will give those of you in our provider network an opportunity to propose your most innovative plans for promoting health and wellness among the senior population. We also want to learn more about innovative programs and initiatives that are happening at the community level. Please share information about your program for possible inclusion in a future newsletter by emailing me. As always, 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.
Training Senior Center Directors on Wellness Programming
"You are our frontline when it comes to making sure that the seniors of our communities are healthy," Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Deputy Commissioner Louise Cohen told the audience. As such, she suggested directors should be developing multiple, varied daily physical activity opportunities for a range of abilities, publicizing these programs to seniors in the community who do not currently attend the center, and helping members connect to other community physical activities. She pointed out that to assist in targeting programs, directors can learn about their community’s health risks through the DOHMH website. Cohen also encouraged directors to start right now to enhance center programming by helping individual members set their own fitness goals, choose activities and self-monitor their progress. They can also work at the community level, spearheading efforts by stakeholders to make the community healthy through safe walking paths, available and affordable fresh fruits and vegetables and low barrier buildings, she pointed out. Ms. Cohen also urged directors to adopt outcome measures of program success such as setting goals for increased participation of center members in physical activities; tracking the number of collaborations with community partners that offer seniors opportunities to be active; and tracking the number/percent of center members who set personal health goals and achieve them. Directors also heard from Jill Jackson Ledford of the National Council on Aging who described the approach to evidence-based wellness programming developed at Lowcountry Senior Center in Charleston, South Carolina. Over several years, the center built substantial partnerships with healthcare providers and other stakeholders to create the infrastructure to support evidence-based programming; set goals for attendance; conducted literature reviews; obtained National Senior Center Accreditation; and developed a business plan and an action plan. The workshop concluded with presentations encouraging directors to make use of healthy aging programs easily available here in New York such as the physical exercise programs offered by DFTA's Health Promotion Unit, including the volunteer-led StayWell physical fitness program, Big Apple Senior Strollers Walking Clubs and Keep on Track blood pressure monitoring program. Directors were also urged not to overlook creative engagement activities when planning their wellness centers. An evidence-based program available from Elders Share the Arts called "Legacy Works" was pioneered by several New York City centers.
SM(ARTS) Helps Transform Senior Centers
"We called it SM(ARTS) for good reason," says DFTA Commissioner Méndez-Santiago. "It's short for Seniors Meet the Arts, but it's also smart for senior centers and cultural organizations to work together, and it's smart for centers to reinvent themselves through more stimulating programming. SM(ARTS) is a great example of the possibilities."
Other centers working with Inside Broadway have adapted the twenty-week curriculum of workshops, theatre and musical theatre discussion groups and performance preparation to their own preferences.
Groundbreaking Civic Engagement Project Marks First Year 
With resources stretched tight at most New York City public agencies, it's not easy to get "wish list" projects done. Now fourteen agencies are taking advantage of a solution announced by Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs last July, and more are signing up. Through a public/private partnership between the City and ReServe Elder Services, Inc. administered through the Department for the Aging, these agencies are tapping into the pool of retired professionals to meet their needs. ReServe matches each retiree's specific skills, interests and experience with project-specific requirements. ReServists receive a nominal stipend and work on flexible schedules during their time-limited assignments at City agencies. The partnership between the Department for the Aging and ReServe is the largest in the nation to pair a municipality and a not-for-profit in providing retirees with civic engagement opportunities. 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 (TASC) and a former NYC Deputy Mayor, because both were "struck by the lack of post-retirement public service opportunities for the rising wave of educated older adults." Currently, more than 73 retired journalists, teachers, bankers, accountants, lawyers, photographers, marketing experts and other professionals have completed or are in the process of working on City projects. These include a ReServist with a business background who helped the Law Department set up protocols for improving communication and coordination; a former attorney working with the Brooklyn District Attorney's office who designed a presentation on consumer fraud which he delivers at senior centers; a former actor helping staff of the Office of Emergency Management develop attention-getting public presentations on emergency preparedness; a former social worker assigned to the Department for the Aging who is working directly with seniors threatened with eviction proceedings; a photographer who has taken pictures of senior center facilities for DFTA's intranet; and a writer helping the Department of Education develop instructional materials.
Elder Abuse Conference Focuses on Family System
Workshops covered strategies for engaging the family, protection of family assets, assisting the family regarding legal and ethical issues, the clergy's role in mediating value conflicts in the family, assessing the family constellation, working with non-traditional and immigrant families and promoting social relatedness as a preventive measure. Keynote speaker Dr. Evan Stark, author of "Coercive Control: How Men Entrap Women in Personal Life," discussed coercive control as a major dynamic in abusive relationships. The Conference was presented by DFTA, HRA, JASA, the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Center for Elder Abuse Prevention at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, the Carter Burden Center for the Aging, Fordham University Graduate School of Social Work and the New School Institute for Retired Professionals.
New Coalition Adresses Aging and Vision Loss With people living longer, age-related eye diseases that cause vision loss are on the rise. The NYC Coalition on Aging and Vision was formed in 2007 to heighten awareness of the importance of early eye disease detection and the role of vision rehabilitation services in maximizing independence for persons with vision loss. Among its first major activities, the Coalition held a symposium for 250 professionals and launched a year-long educational outreach and referral initiative on May 17th. The plenary session of the symposium featured a keynote address on "life with low vision" followed by presentations on vision rehabilitation service issues and legislative and advocacy issues. Afternoon workshops included sessions on best practices in reaching the underserved, adaptive techniques and tools for daily living with vision loss, mental health and vision loss, diabetes and vision loss, computer use by people with vision loss and providing effective caregiving at home. A session on how to complete a Referral Form to a vision rehabilitation services agency introduced the outreach initiative. Throughout the year, Referral Forms will be processed and expedited through the Department for the Aging and sent on to an appropriate agency. DFTA will also process requests from Symposium participants to Coalition members for staff training or educational sessions for seniors in the community. Coalition members in addition to the New York City Department for the Aging are: Aging in New York Fund, American Diabetes Association, Catholic Guild for the Blind, Helen Keller Services for the Blind, Hunter College School of Social Work, Isabella Geriatric Center, Lighthouse International, NYS Home Care Association, NYS Occupational Therapy Association, NYS Office of Children and Family Services/NYS Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped; SUNY College of Optometry; The Jewish Guild for the Blind; VISIONS/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and Weill Cornell Medical College. The Allene Reuss Memorial Trust, the Reader's Digest Partners for Sight Foundation and the New York Community Trust provided support for the symposium. They are also supporting the Coalition's outreach and educational project.
Three Seniors Earn Recognition for Their Volunteer Efforts Volunteering to help others and serve one's community has its own rewards, they say. But seniors Virginia Faulkner, Lillian Liebe Katz and Joi Velasquez each saw their "giving back" reap public recognition this spring - Virginia by earning her associate degree as she continues an educational journey that began with her volunteer job, and Lillian and Joi through their selection as volunteer service honorees by the New York State Office for the Aging. Virginia Faulkner, a former home health aide who had not finished high school, never dreamed when she became a DFTA Foster Grandparent in 1999 at the age of 66 to "get me out of the house and do something new" that it would change her life. But when she found how much she liked working with children and "learning something new and doing more and more every single day," she decided to go back to school to get her GED. She not only balanced school work and volunteering, she also did such an outstanding job at the Head Start Program where she was placed that Miracle Makers, the sponsor of the program, offered her a paid teacher's aid position at one of their daycare centers. Buoyed by her new interests, new job and newly acquired GED, Ms. Faulkner began attending college and taking education courses. On June 12, one of the proudest days of her life, Ms. Faulkner received her Associate Degree from Touro College. Now, as she continues her studies toward a BA degree in human services and her job with Miracle Makers, she is weighing her career options. "There are so many areas to go into and so many people who need help," she says. 88-year old Lillian Liebe Katz and 74-year old Joi Velazquez are active committed volunteers in the Department for the Aging's Volunteer Support Project, which pairs volunteers with elders who have severe vision impairments. Ms. Katz says she volunteers to help seniors who are homebound and isolated "because it's an opportunity to make myself useful." Tongue-in-cheek, she tells people who ask what she does with her time, "I am working, have a terrific job and the pay is out of this world." Ms. Valezquez, who has been volunteering since 2000, feels rewarded by sharing the gift of her sight with 12 blind older New Yorkers. Together, they read, shop, walk in the neighborhood and go to medical appointments. Both Ms. Katz and Ms. Velazquez received certificates honoring their volunteer service in support of independent living from the New York State Office for the Aging in May to celebrate Senior Citizens Month. Unaware that DFTA had nominated them for the recognition, both were surprised and delighted. DFTA Deputy Commissioner Caryn Resnick also singled them out for recognition at the Symposium on Vision and Aging (see story above). Invited to attend so they could be publicly honored, Ms. Katz was able to accept but Ms, Velasquez had to decline. Her "regrets" speaks volumes about volunteer dedication: she had a prior commitment to take her client to the doctor.
Stimulus Check Filing Deadline is October 15 Many older New Yorkers are missing out on money that is theirs for the asking - money they deserve and that the government wants them to have. Seniors who normally do not file tax returns must do so this year to receive their economic stimulus payment from the Internal Revenue Service. On June 19, the National Council on Aging (NCOA) took the step of urging the IRS to "immediately redouble their efforts to reach the 5.2 million people eligible for economic stimulus payments but who have not yet filed." What's at stake: $300 for a single individual; $600 for a couple. Deadline: Older Americans can file through October 15 With October 15 only a few months away, it is becoming increasingly urgent to reach people who have not yet filed to receive their stimulus check. The IRS announced recently that they would open their offices on specific Saturdays. In addition, the IRS plans to send out additional mailings related to economic stimulus payments. Below are resources to help older adults understand their role in initiating the tax rebate payments. The AARP/NCOA Stimulus Payment Tool. This web-based tool can help people understand their eligibility for the stimulus payment. After an individual has answered a few questions, they can print out their own IRS Form 1040A, sign it and mail it to the IRS to get their economic stimulus payment. Seniors and caregivers can log on to Benefits Checkup or AARP stimulus to use this tool. IRS local offices. To help seniors get in touch with a local IRS location, check the listings or call 311. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. This call-in service lets seniors tap into free tax assistance designed for low and moderate income tax payers. Call 800-906-9887 to locate the nearest VITA site. Tax Counseling for the Elderly. This IRS-sponsored service provides free tax help to people age 60 and older. For more information, call 800-829-1040.
Program Spotlight: Educational Alliance's Optimal Life and Health Club
One might mistake the brochure for an expensive health club with only one or two highly specialized programs for seniors. But OLAH is not this type of health club. It is an innovative "center without walls" for people 55 years of age and older that was started in 2007 by The Educational Alliance, a community-based organization offering more than 80 programs that integrate education, social services, arts and recreation throughout downtown Manhattan. OLAH activities take place at locations in the East Village and Lower East Side - the 14th Street Y, two Educational Alliance-sponsored senior centers (Sirovich and Whittaker) and Co-Op Village NORC and Village View NORC. To provide maximum flexibility for its members, classes are offered in the day and evening. Every member gets a personal health and wellness profile and access to health screenings. Members can choose from a wide range of activities, like free swim at the 14th Street Y, yoga, cardio and core fitness training, Tai Chi, dance classes and performances, Nia (a stress reduction combination of dance and martial arts), falls prevention and strength workshops, drumming, creative memory recall (a creative arts activity) and nutritional workshops. "For me it's been an energetic experience of knowing your body with the goal of optimum health. Bonus, you meet great women," says Rosemarie Stein, a devoted OLAH member. All classes are taught by certified, experienced, caring practitioners who understand body dynamics and can gear exercises to different ability levels. Several classes - like dance, with its emphasis on coordination, balance and skill - are designed for both the able-bodies and people recovering from an injury. To meet popular demand, OLAH is currently expanding to include programs that reduce the effects of age-related disease and disability, like PACE (People with Arthritis Can Exercise). It is also developing groups for people with cognitive disabilities. Funding from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, other philanthropic organizations and the City Council helps defray OLAH membership fees. Those who can afford it pay a nominal annual membership fee of $75. Payment plans are available and some members receive "scholarships." Currently OLAH has over 200 members, over half of whom are on scholarship. For more information about OLAH, please call 212-780-2300.
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With the expected release in October of a Request for Proposals for modernized senior centers, DFTA provided training on July 1, 2008 on evidence-based health programming and other health promotion activities proven to be effective in reducing health risks for older persons. The training was co-sponsored by the Council of Senior Centers and Services, Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, Human Services Council, UJA-Federation of NY and United Neighborhood Houses. It was attended by 150 center directors.
Thanks to a City Council initiative to connect community arts and culture groups with senior centers, senior center members throughout the City are enjoying creative projects that expand their horizons and immerse them in exploring different art forms. The 1.1 million dollar initiative implemented through the Department for the Aging and the Department of Cultural Affairs has paired 104 senior centers with 57 arts groups of all types and descriptions throughout the City.
One popular program at 18 centers has been Inside Broadway's "The Magic of Broadway." One of these centers, Tompkins Park in Brooklyn, worked with Inside Broadway's professional artists to develop their own mini-musical. After ten weeks of learning dance routines, vocal techniques, acting, movement, improvisation and other tools, they presented scenes from Chicago, the Sound of Music and The Color Purple, complete with costumes at a performance for the center community on June 10.
After presenting and developing theatre arts programs for children in city schools for 25 years, working with senior centers was new territory for Inside Broadway. "Its' been a learning experience for us as well as the seniors," says Michael Presser, Executive Director of Inside Broadway. "I must tell you that it's a joy to work with seniors and see their enthusiasm not only for the old shows, which many of them know by heart, but for today's Broadway as well. They can quote you chapter and verse for the shows they love."
More than 300 attorneys, financial managers, social workers, medical professionals, clergy and other professionals explored ways they could help the families of elder abuse victims at a multidisciplinary conference on elder abuse and the family on June 18.
The older man on the cover of the Optimal Life and Health Club (OLAH) brochure is obviously fit, active and loving life. Bermuda-shorted, feet planted in a green field and arms outstretched against a blue sky, he epitomizes health and vigor.