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October 2007 Newsletter In This Issue:
The increasing diversity of New York City's seniors in terms of lifestyles, ability, health and attitudes toward their own aging presents a challenge. The City needs to be able to meet needs that range from traditional services at one end of the spectrum to opportunities for lifelong learning, creative expression and "giving back" to their communities at the other. As with most challenges, this one is also an opportunity. With the modernization of aging services that is currently under way (see below), we have the opportunity to craft a system that will make New York City's response to modern urban aging a model for the rest of the country. Our vision includes City Agencies working together with community partners to match the increase in New Yorkers' average life span over the past century with increases in quality of life and well-being. Whether it be making low or no-cost evidence-based health promotion programs available or fostering "livable communities" that support aging-in-place residents with a multi-dimensional array of coordinated supports, we are working to transform not only how the City delivers services to seniors but also the nature and types of services it provides. 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.
Modernizing Aging Services for All Seniors Last June, DFTA and Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs hosted a Summit conference for 150 professionals representing a spectrum of stakeholders in the future of the City's senior population. That Conference formally kicked off a collaborative process to "modernize" aging services that is now in full swing. Over the summer and early fall, four workgroups have been meeting to drive the process. Their charge from the Deputy Mayor and DFTA Commissioner has been to develop a framework for change in a service system that has not yet found a way to incorporate new ideas about how to help older people live longer, healthier lives. These ideas range from more disease prevention and health promotion programs and better supports for aging in place to creating opportunities for seniors to be socially, civically and creatively engaged. The workgroups, comprised of representatives from the aging, health, long term care, academic and City Agency communities are each addressing a different area. One workgroup is looking at the role of senior centers in translating the latest in aging research into low-cost consumer-focused health promotion programs. A second workgroup is developing recommendations for redesigning case management service. Case management is the service targeted to older persons who need ongoing coordination of long-term services and care. The purpose of redesign is to ensure that case management clients receive a holistic assessment of their needs and a comprehensive care plan. A third group is examining nutrition services, particularly home-delivered meals and modalities of service delivery that will make them more responsive to consumer preferences. The fourth is focused on the City's long term care point of entry planning. Concept papers on proposed restructuring and public responses are being posted on DFTA's web page as part of the process. DFTA's case management concept paper and all responses can currently be accessed at nyc.gov/aging. DFTA's new Request for Proposals to provide case management service is also available at this web address. As the process continues, other concept papers will be shared with the public.
"Senior Stroll" Celebrates Healthy Lifestyle
The Senior Stroll is an annual event sponsored by the Department to encourage older New Yorkers to stay fit through exercise. The Stroll also honors the Big Apple Senior Strollers for the number of pedometer-measured steps they have achieved cumulatively during the year. This year the clubs clocked over 76,000,000 steps, or the equivalent of one and one half times the earth's circumference when translated into miles! Also recognized for their achievements are individual walking club "winners" of DFTA's annual competition. Clubs can choose among three goals - to walk around their neighborhood, to walk around their borough, or to walk around New York City. Clubs achieving the most steps in each category are announced at the Stroll, and awarded certificates. This year's winners were the Great Kills Friendship Club of Staten Island, which, at a cumulative 22,522,693 steps, walked approximately 11,300 miles around New York City; the United Hindu Cultural Council Senior Center in Queens, in the category of Walk Around Your Borough; and the Sebco Senior Program in the Bronx, achieving the most steps in the category, Walk Around Your Neighborhood. Joining Commissioner Mendez-Santiago in welcoming the seniors were ING Marathoners, 92-year old Ida Keeling and 84-year old Dr. Sam Koide, as well as Assemblymen Ruben Diaz and Jeffrey Dinowitz. All not only greeted the seniors, they participated in the Stroll and the dancing that followed.
Foster Grandparent Program Honors Length of Service
At the Foster Grandparents Annual Recognition Luncheon September 28th, Tirado was presented with a "Spirit of Service Award" by the Corporation for National and Community Service, which is the agency that manages the Foster Grandparent Program for the federal government, as well as other Senior Corps programs and the AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America programs. The Award is given each year to individuals who exemplify the spirit of national service and serve as role models for others in their community. Tirado also received a President's Volunteer Service Award for Lifetime Achievement. Seven other Foster Grandparents who have served more than 15 years also received Presidential Service Awards. The Presidential Service Award is a presidential recognition program for Americans of all ages who contribute a significant amount of time to volunteer services. Work site supervisors at Kings County Hospital and Queens Hospital Center and several work sites were also recognized for their length of service. DFTA's Foster Grandparent Program is celebrating its 35th year as a program that offers seniors 60 years of age and older an opportunity to volunteer as mentors, tutors and caregivers for children and youth with special needs in elementary schools, hospitals, day care programs, after-school programs and Head Start programs.
DFTA Job Fair Nets 16 Jobs for Trainees
Behind them were weeks and sometimes months of computer and customer skills training, job readiness coaching and opportunities to prepare for the job market by working for community organizations and attending job fairs throughout the City. Now, resumes letter-perfect, dressed "for success," and primed to demonstrate that older workers offer dependability, experience and maturity, they buzzed with excitement as they visited the stations of prospective employers. On hand to talk with them were representatives from New York University Medical Center, CVS Pharmacy, Walgreen's, Career Blazers, Daffy's, Partners in Care, NYC OTB, FJC Security, Adecco Employment Services and nine other companies and organizations. The representatives described job opportunities in settings as diverse as electronic offices, restaurant and hospital kitchens, stores, pharmacies, OTB and home care. As a result of the Job Fair, 16 trainees have already been hired and the number increases each day. With its employer bank numbering almost 600 organizations, the Employment Unit is planning other Job Fairs this year. DFTA's Senior Employment Services Unit (SESU) has been providing training to and developing jobs for people 55 years of age and older for more than 28 years. Older persons enroll in the Unit's programs for various reasons. Many are workers who lost their jobs and have a keen financial need to update their skills so they can return to the job market. Others are retirees seeking the stimulation of a work environment at the same time they supplement their social security and retirement benefits. Whatever their need, the SESU works with them for as long as it takes, first to find employment, and then, through follow-up calls for a period of year, to help them keep their jobs.
City Chosen for National Initiative to Improve Hispanic Elders' Health On October 23, DFTA's Assistant Commissioner Sonia Rodriguez and other members of New York City's Taskforce on Hispanic Elders' Health attended their first meeting with their counterparts in a federal initiative aimed at improving the health and quality of life of Hispanic elders. New York City is one of eight metropolitan communities selected to participate in this initiative by the Department of Health and Human Services. Teams of local leaders from each of the eight communities are working together in a year-long learning and sharing network to develop comprehensive and coordinated strategies for overcoming the barriers that impede Hispanic elders' access to healthcare and social supports. Assisting them in their efforts are the Administration on Aging, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "What we learn through this partnership will be shared with other communities across the nation," said Assistant Secretary Carbonnel of the Administration on Aging. New York City's team is focusing its efforts on the communities of the South Bronx and East Harlem. Key goals include reducing the prevalence of diabetes and diabetes-related cardiovascular disease, as well as improving care management and the quality of life for elders with diabetes in these communities. Strategies will be developed to improve prevention, care, education, research and surveillance and will complement efforts already underway to address Hispanic health disparities with evidence-based solutions. "We are just beginning this process, but already the information we've gained from our national partners has been invaluable," reported Rodriguez after the Conference. Taskforce members represent the Department for the Aging, the City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Health and Hospitals Corporation, Generations Plus/Northern Manhattan Health Network, Metropolitan Hospital, the Hispanic Federation, Communlife, Inc., the Institute for Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly, Neighborhoold Self-Help for Older Persons, and the Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging and Longevity.
23rd Alzheimer's Disease Conference Spotlights "Uncle Junior"
Mr. Chianese will be rounding out a lunchtime plenary session at which the latest findings from the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research will be presented. Morning workshops will range from overviews on Alzheimer's disease, legal and financial issues and new perspective on aging to workshops addressing such specifics as working with unfamilied clients, financial planning for caregivers' health needs, sexuality and the older adult and livable communities. Exhibits featuring products and resources for Alzheimer's patients and caregivers will be open for browsing all day. Mental health, vision, hearing and cancer screening and information will also be available. The Conference will be held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, 655 West 34th Street from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Please download a registration form at nyc.gov/aging.
Flu Shot Season Kicks Off at Senior Centers
Senior centers are active partners in the outreach effort. Centers provide volunteers who can help people complete paperwork, direct the flow of traffic and, if necessary, help in translation. They promote the clinics and pre-register as many members as possible to aid planning, since adults 50 and over who are not center members can also participate in the clinic if there is available space on the sign-in list. Many centers also organize educational sessions where Department of Health educators discuss the importance of influenza and pneumococcal vaccination with seniors. Influenza remains a very serious disease in the United States, responsible for approximately 36,000 deaths and 226,000 excess hospitalizations annually. Nearly all these complications occur in people 65 and older.
Collaborative Initiative Tackles Geriatric Depression More than 1,200 seniors now know more about depression and how it differs from "normal aging" than they did before participating in depression workshops at their centers. The workshops are part of a joint education and screening outreach initiative begun 27 months ago by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), DFTA and the Mental Health Association of New York City. Other activities include center-based depression screening, consultation on screening results and referral of seniors who test positive. An evaluation of the initiative at the end of its second year showed that not only did seniors who took part in the workshops change their misconceptions about depression, but more than 80 percent of workshop participants agreed to depression screening and to talk to a mental health professional about how they "scored" on the screen. Furthermore, 72.3 percent of those meeting the criteria for moderate to severe depression accepted a referral to their doctor or to a mental health provider. The project is now in its third year. In its first two years, 51 senior centers throughout four boroughs participated in the initiative. This year, twenty additional centers are involved, along with DFTA's caregiver programs. Workshops have also been expanded from one to four sessions. Seniors screened to be at risk of depression are now offered the follow-up services of a case manager to remind them to "connect" with a doctor, and are rewarded with a twenty dollar gift card when they do. Depression and other mental disorders affect 20% of older adults, yet many never seek treatment for reasons that range from stigma, to misconceptions to lack of knowledge, to lack of bilingual/bicultural providers in minority communities. DFTA, DOHMH and the Mental Health Association undertook this initiative to address these barriers. All trainers and screeners are bi-lingual (speaking Chinese, Korean, Spanish or English depending on the center's population). DOHMH provided detailers to educate primary care providers about geriatric depression and its treatment.
Program Spotlight: Presbyterian Senior Services (PSS) Caregiver Program The PSS Caregiver Program serves the south Bronx and is sponsored by Presbyterian Senior Services of New York. Although the Program is co-located with Andrew Jackson Senior Center, efforts to reach out to caregivers throughout the program's catchment area are ongoing. This year for the first time, in fact, PSS is using social work interns to create caregiver stations at PSS-sponsored senior centers in each South Bronx community district. PSS is even reaching out to the NY Public Library on Fordham Road as a possible site. "Caregivers mostly don't look for help," Katherine Martinez, the Program Director, explains. "You have to do outreach and networking, you even have to educate professionals." PSS doesn't hesitate to "think outside the box" in its approach to caregivers. An initiative of recent years organized volunteer teams to work with assigned families. Throughout the week different members of the team helped out as needed. Although the program is no longer in existence, the hope is to restart it with volunteers from the community. In another "outside the box" initiative, an intern under PSS supervision is starting a five-session scrapbooking workshop for caregivers and their care recipients. Satisfied clients speak to PSS successes. For example, there was the single mom caregiver who spoke Spanish only and had to quit her job while she desperately struggled to dis-enroll from an HMO that would not allow her to place her elderly mother, who has Alzheimer's, in a Lombardi social adult day program. PSS "fought" the system for her and provided respite until the ordeal was over. Ms. Martinez sums up her views on caregiver services this way: "Education is really what we're most about. You have to educate caregivers that they are caregivers, something they don't acknowledge," she says. "And you need to get them to realize that meeting their own needs is critical to being able to meet the needs of their loved one. And still another kind of education is preparing them for the different stages the person they're caring for will go through, especially if it's Alzheimer's or dementia. So, services for caregivers have to be a package. You don't just provide them with respite, or link them to resources. Your real purpose is to empower them."
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2,200 older New Yorkers from across the five boroughs braved a windy, rainy morning at Orchard Beach in the Bronx to "Stroll" in support of "healthy aging" on October 10. More than 100 Big Apple Senior Strollers Walking Clubs from senior centers and other senior programs participated. A special performance by the WNBA Liberty Teams' senior dancers, the Timeless Torches, moved Strollers to their feet while Asphalt Green's Paul Weiss and Patrick Campbell warmed them up for the 1.1 mile walk along the crescent shaped beach.
Emelina Tirado has been a Foster Grandparent in DFTA's Foster Grandparent Program for 28 years. At the age of 95, and with the help of a walking cane, Emelina still travels 50 minutes by bus to her worksite, the Bronx Shield Institute Early Learning Center, where she mentors young children five days a week. On weekends, "Grandma" Emelina calls her fellow Foster Grandparents to say hello and check-in on them. It is no wonder Tirado was chosen for a very special recognition award this year.
"Market yourselves as you would a product -- know your product, know how to raise interest in your product, know where you want your product be." That is what two hundred trainees in DFTA's Senior Employment Services programs heard from their training instructors, workshop leaders and career counselors as they polished their resumes, brushed up on their interviewing skills, and prepared to participate in DFTA's September Job Fair for Mature Workers.
For 23 years, DFTA's Annual Mayoral Conference on Alzheimer's disease has been educating professionals, caregivers and seniors about the disease. The day-long Conference spans the field of Alzheimer's and aging, from the latest research updates, to information about legal, financial and guardianship issues, to caregiver tips. This year's conference on Nov. 8th will offer all that and more. Dominic Chianese, the actor who played "Uncle Junior" on the Sopranos, will tell participants how he prepared for "Uncle Junior's" increasing dementia as the show progressed.
As the flu season approaches, senior centers are once again serving as host sites for the Department of Health's influenza and pneumonia vaccination clinics. The 2007-2008 immunization program began at senior centers October 9th. In collaboration with DFTA and the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, the Department of Health's goal is to immunize 90 percent of the City's older residents.