From The Senior Gazette, NicheNewsNY by Bette Ann Moskowitz
Admin note: Representatives from Birchez Associates attended this session. At The Birches communities we also have a philosophy of ”aging in place” — for seniors who have made our communities their home!
“If people come together, there is no limit what can be done,” said Michael Burgess, Director of the New York State Office for the Aging, and keynote speaker at the recent conference entitled Community Empowerment for Livable Communities, hosted by the Partnership for Healthy Aging, a coalition of Ulster County agencies.
Held on June 15 at Ulster County Community College in Stone Ridge, this was third in a series of informative forums presented by the Partnership. Its Director Burgess talked about “aging in place” – the phrase used to describe the desire/intention/practice of letting older people remain in their own homes even as they are challenged by things they can no longer do, by providing services and support within the community. He talked about Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) in the State, giving an historical context to NORCs and other “aging in place” models, from the early ones, mostly in New York City, in single apartment buildings, to the “neighborhood NORCs” which spread out a bit, and made way for the rural models, which are being started or studied by some upstate communities, including Poughkeepsie and Woodstock.
Burgess talked about the importance of coalitions of all sorts of people, from health care workers to faith-based organizations, to housing specialists and community activists in order to “mobilize community groups” and push forward with solutions for older people that give them choices, preserve their dignity and keep them safe.
Toby Krawitz, a planning consultant for the recent aging in place start-up called Staying In Place, in Woodstock, talked about her outreach into the northern Ulster communities targeted for Staying In Place, about the high level of interest (20% or more responding to her questionnaire, a great return) and some of the concerns of the respondents. At the top of many lists was transportation, followed by worries about eventually sliding into poverty by way of taxes and the gradual devaluation of income not keeping up with rising costs of living, loss of ability to do the activities of daily living, of isolation and fear of living alone, as well as concern that the county would not have enough affordable rentals when people were ready to transition to smaller, less expensive, more manageable living situations. She posed the question of whether, in this economy, it was still feasible to support such initiatives as aging in place, and concluding it was, even more so.
Amy Godes, President of Staying In Place, talked more specifi cally about what the organization, at present, offered (transportation, assistance with tasks and referral and discounts to reliable services, as well as social support), as they build their network of members and volunteers. Godes said they are linked to the American Association of University Women and the Woodstock Time Bank, which allows members to exchange skills on a barter system.
Sally Taylor, board member of Hudson Valley Home Matters, in Poughkeepsie, another aging in place organization, described the grassroots genesis of her organization, and enlivened the discussion with anecdotes meant to personalize and particularize how successful and important aging in place is, which they did. She also talked about the enormous task of “vetting” service providers, through interview, feedback, background checks, as well as careful investigation of volunteer drivers as well – their driving records, their insurance — and of the agencies who supplied home health aides to their members. She emphasized, as Godes had, the importance of the social component, and said that volunteers to drive people were not limited to rides to doctors, but could take folks out to shop, to concerts, and so on.
Doris Rubinsky of the Orange County Jewish Family Services “Town of Newburgh Senior Project” described the project that started as a simple friendly visitor program in the Monroe area of Orange County, which turned out to provide so much more – much needed monitoring of the older people they serve, transportation, and fulfilling small needs that might slip through the cracks, but without which life could be a challenge to an older person. She gave the example of an older woman who, no longer able to get on a stepstool and change her lightbulbs, sat goals were: to increase awareness of what Ulster and other communities have done and are doing to support independent living for seniors, to suggest possible avenues of exploration for municipal planners, town governments and city agencies (as well as the general public), and to encourage focusing attention on local “aging in place” initiatives.
Present were members of the sponsoring agencies, community activists and members of the public.
Published: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 ESOPUS — The Birches at Esopus is one of three developments financed by state of New York housing agencies* to be named finalists in Affordable Housing Finances’ sixth annual Reader’s Choice Awards.
The Birches at Esopus is the first affordable housing community for senior citizens in the town of Esopus and provides 80 energy-efficient apartments for low-income seniors. Units are accessible to people with disabilities, and the development includes outdoor and community space, craft and media rooms, an exercise studio and an on-site nursing program, which provides services like physical and speech therapy, health and wellness programs and health aides.
