village care of new york

SUMMER 2009
 summer 2009 | V O L UME 4 , N UM B ER 1

F E AT U R E S
8 More Than Just a Companion
BY Samantha Thacker

NewHorizons Engaged Aging how pets help us stay healthy and give us purpose

Editor-in-Chief
By Emma DeVito, President and CEO
Louis J. Ganim

Managing Editor
Brett C Vermilyea One thing that we’ve certainly learned is 12 Putting Patient Care First
BY Bonnie Rosenstock

—————— that isolation in old age is very often bad for More than just physical therapy, a hot meal and
activities. It’s a community.
Published by
Village Care of New York your health.
154 Christopher Street
And while loneliness isn’t a “medical condition,” it can spawn complications – poor
New York, New York 10014

Chairman
David H. Sidwell
nutrition, depression, frailty, for example.
This issue of New Horizons examines socialization among older adults as well as
20 Aging and Happiness
BY Samantha Thacker

President & CEO aging and happiness. Village Care’s Renee Cottrell, who is in charge of our Senior Studies show that happiness increases with age
emma devito
Information Center in Chelsea, points out in one of the articles that “social isolation is a
www.vcny.org key factor in depression and anxiety for seniors.” She spends a fair amount of her time
(212) 337-5600
helping older adults who drop by the Center with advice on addressing social services,
medical and legal issues. She also supplies information on where to go to socialize. 26 Seniors and Socializing
BY Bonnie Rosenstock
Also in this issue, you’ll get a look at Village Care’s adult day health program. Adult
Getting together with other people can keep you
day has considerable benefit for seniors with care issues, addressing their medical
mentally and physically fit
needs and giving them the opportunity to interact with others in a congregate setting.
This helps combat the isolation they might otherwise endure.
The full range of services that the day program provides includes personal care,
meals, health screens and monitoring, coordination of medical appointments and care,
In the News 2
educational programming and counseling. Guides for Family Caregivers and Health Care Providers;
D E P ARTMENTS
Older Adults Face Mounting Anxiety; EMR is now “live’ at
Many who attend adult day might otherwise be homebound and could also be at risk Village Nursing Home; You Must Remember This; Village
Nursing Home To Receive Annual “Wish List” Grants;
of having to go into a nursing home.
Emma DeVito Named CEO at Village Care
Village Care’s SeniorChoices programs are all aimed at making growing old a better
Senior Perspective 7
proposition. For some, that may only mean a little bit of help and guidance. For others, How do you feel about the economy since President
Obama took office?
it may require considerable support and care.
For whatever level of help, Village Care is there as your best choice for better health Opinion 30
Aging Group Sees Call-to-Action Needed for Chronic Care
and well-being. Reform; Caring About Long-Term Care 

The Last Word 32

The (Not So) New Old Age
 Older Adults Face Mounting Anxiety
Newswise — For older adults who than did younger people. In today’s eco- over-the-top grim predictions won’t
have lived through the Great Depression, nomic crisis, however, older adults have come to pass.

In the News
news stories comparing present circum-
stances to the harsh realities of food
lines, few jobs and extreme poverty of
the 1930s may be panic-producing. Add
that to the fact that an economic crisis
disproportionately affects older adults
who need access to retirement funds,
and it’s not surprising that seniors are
feeling anxious.
Saint Louis University psychiatrist
George Grossberg, M.D., has seen an
increase in economy-related anxiety.
“The anxiety and worry are immense. It
is affecting millions and millions of peo-
the most to lose financially and a sense
of what a true economic depression can
look like.
Retirees who have planned to rely on
investments are hit hardest by finan-
cial downturns, but they may also have
less obvious reasons for their fears. For
some, the worry extends beyond retire-
ment funds to a general and sometimes
intangible sense of unease. “I’ve had
patients who are themselves financially
secure talk about their anxiety for society
as a whole or their worry that there may
be unprecedented problems, like civil
— Don’t act impulsively. Be careful
that you don’t make poor decisions in a
moment of panic. Grossberg gives the
example of one patient who sold off the
bulk of his investments while the market
was low, fearful that he was losing his
retirement savings. Discuss what you
plan to do with someone else before you
make a rash decision.
— Count your blessings. Take time to
think about the things for which you’re
grateful. Whether it’s your health, your
family, or $1.49/gallon gas, being thank-
ful is a healthy reminder of what’s good

Guides for Family Caregivers and
Health Care Providers
To improve the working relationship between family caregivers
and health care providers, the United Hospital Fund has launched
the “Next Step in Care website” (www.nextstepincare.org). The
website offers a range of guides and checklists – most intended
for family caregivers of persons with serious illness, with some
specifically for health care providers – designed to make patients’
transitions between care settings smoother and safer.
The website is the first stage of a larger campaign, called Next
Step in Care, which will engage hospitals, nursing home reha-
bilitation facilities and home health agencies, as well as patient
advocacy groups and other family caregiver-focused organizations,
in addressing a range of transition-related challenges.
Many studies have shown that miscommunication and lack
of coordination in transitions lead to errors, particularly around
medication changes. The tools are expected to reduce confusion
and anxiety for family caregivers – family members or friends who
provide or manage care – as well as improve patient outcomes and
reduce unnecessary rehospitalizations.
“Family caregivers are the invisible work force in health care,”
said Carol Levine, director of the Families and Health Care Project
at United Hospital Fund. “They are usually responsible for coor-
dination of care after a stay in a hospital, nursing home, or after
home care services end. Yet they are rarely trained, supported
or included in transition planning. These guides are intended to
give them basic information to navigate an increasingly complex
system.”
An estimated 34 million Americans, or one in five adults, are
family caregivers – defined as relatives, partners, friends or neigh-
bors who provide or manage full- or part-time care to a chronically
ill or disabled person. Family caregivers are an essential part of the
health care work force, providing 80 percent of chronic and long-
term care in the U.S., and pressures on them are growing.
Shorter hospital stays and increased use of outpatient proce-
dures – changes that have increased the effectiveness of medical
care in many ways – have shifted responsibility from paid to unpaid
providers of care, increasing burdens on family caregivers.
Coordinating care during transitions is particularly challeng-
ing in today’s health
care system, in which
chronically ill patients
visit many physicians
during any given year and
may take a dozen prescription
medications daily. When frail elder-
ly or chronically ill patients move from one facility to another, each
transition brings new challenges, new providers and new financial
concerns, as well as changes in medication and treatment. The
responsibility for many of these changes often falls primarily on
the family caregiver.
Next Step in Care aims to help family caregivers better man-
age transitions in care, in part by helping providers and family
caregivers to work more effectively together. Created and tested by
the United Hospital Fund, its tools can guide family caregivers in
determining what issues to consider, how to seek assistance, how
to manage medications, and how to better communicate with phy-
sicians and other health care professionals.
For example, one guide – “What Do I Need as a Family Care-
giver?” – asks a number of basic questions such as, “Can you lift
the patient?” and “Can you give an injection?” These are designed
to help providers and family caregivers assess how well prepared
the family caregiver is, what training and support, if any, he or she
may need, and what tasks the caregiver cannot manage alone.
“Ultimately, we hope Next Step in Care can change provider
practice so that family caregivers are routinely included in transi-
tion planning,” said David Gould, senior vice president of United
Hospital Fund. “Smoother transitions mean fewer medication
and other errors, better patient outcomes and greater satisfaction
among family caregivers and health care providers.”
The guides and checklists available on the Next Step in Care
website were developed and tested by a team of current and former
family caregivers, long-term care experts and health care providers
from hospitals, rehabilitation units in nursing homes and home
care agencies. In English and Spanish, these tools can be down-
loaded for free at www.nextstepincare.org.
ple, especially those who were looking
forward to a comfortable retirement,”
said Grossberg.
Grossberg, who directs Saint Louis
University’s geriatric psychiatry pro-
gram, notes that in many cases, older
adults respond well in a crisis, drawing
on a lifetime of experience. For example,
after September 11, seniors often had a
less impulsive, more measured response
Abdul Madeen, CNA at Village
Nursing Home, one of the facility’s
EMR “champions,” demonstrates use of
the touch-screen.
unrest,” said Grossberg.
The constant drum beat of bad eco-
in your life.
— Take care of your health. Exercise,
nomic news and promises of worse eat right, get enough sleep and don’t
to come can be stressful to everyone. put off preventive doctor visits. Staying
For those who are suffering because of healthy will help you to deal with finan-
economy-related stress, Grossberg offers cial issues and other stressful problems,
the following pieces of advice: and exercise has benefits for mood.
— Do a reality check. Take a breath — Get help. If you feel overwhelmed,
and look at the facts. Don’t let specula- anxious, or depressed, seek help from a
tion about the future run wild. Most doctor.
EMR is now “live’ at Village Nursing Home
Village Care continues to roll out electronic medical record (EMR) technology, with
Village Nursing Home expected to be fully “live” during the first half of this year. Nurses
and certified nursing assistants are now using
touch-screens on the units to document patient
findings and to record tasks and results directly
into the patient record.
A wireless EMR network will be an essential
part of the new Village Center for Rehabilitation
and Nursing, which is currently under construc-
tion and scheduled to open in 2010.
Sally Forde, one of the first CNAs at Village
Nursing Home to begin using the touch-screen
EMR system, said that it allows her to spend
more time with residents. “This is why I love
the computer,” she said. “It allows us to provide
quality care – that’s what matters.”
In addition to Village Nursing Home’s EMR,
two AIDS Network program sites are now using
“electronic progress notes.” Available to the staff
at the Rivington House and 20th Street AIDS day
treatment centers, these electronic notes offer ready access to activities involving each
client and are available to all disciplines to view. This helps assure continuity of care.

2 N E W HORI Z ONS | Summer 2009 3


You Must Remember This
If you can’t seem to remember things as well
as you used to, “conquering the planet” may help.
From the American Geriatrics Society
salmon, tuna, and sardines, which are
rich in heart- and brain-healthy omega-
Double-check your meds
with your health care pro-
vider. Certain antidepressants, anti-
anxiety drugs, blood pressure and
cholesterol medications, sleeping pills,
Village Nursing Home To Receive Annual “Wish List” Grants
F
lushing Savings Bank
selected Village Nursing
Home to receive the finan-
cial institution’s first ever award
in the Senior Crimestoppers
program, a nationally spon-
sored undertaking that provides

I
n the first study of its kind, research-
ers recently found that older adults
can improve their memories and
other mental abilities by playing a video
game in which players use planning and
strategy to take over the world.
As we grow older we all tend to find it
somewhat harder to remember and carry
out other mental tasks. Looking for a
way to help older adults boost these abili-
ties, researchers trained volunteers in
their sixties and seventies to play “Rise
of Nations,” a video game that rewards
you for successfully managing, building
and expanding empires. Compared with
20 older people who hadn’t played the
game, those who had showed improve-
ment in working memory (the ability to
“hold on to” small bits of information for
a short period of time), visual memory
(the ability to recall information from
pictures and lists, for example), and
other thinking abilities, the research-
ers report in the journal Psychology and
Aging.
Dominating the world isn’t the only
way to improve your memory and other
thinking abilities, of course. Seeing your
3 fatty acids – is essential. And don’t
forget activities – like yoga, meditation
and prayer – that take the edge off
stress, which can make it harder to learn
and recall. Activities that involve solv-
ing problems and other mental “work”
such as reading, learning an instrument
or language, playing bridge or partici-
pating in a discussion group also keep
your mind fine-tuned, as does socializing
regularly.
In addition, consider these tips, spe-
cifically for maximizing memory:
See your health care provid-
er if you snore at night and
feel sleepy by day. Snoring while
sleeping and feeling drowsy the next day
can be signs of sleep apnea. People with
untreated sleep apnea stop breathing
briefly, but repeatedly, while sleeping.
Eat your carbohydrates.
Diets that are very low in carbohydrates
– such as fruits, vegetables, bread, and
pasta – can interfere with memory. That’s
because your body breaks down carbo-
hydrates or “carbs” into a form of sugar
called glucose, and your brain runs on
glucose. In another recent study, women
ulcer drugs, painkillers and allergy meds
can affect your memory, especially if
you take more than one of these drugs.
Talk to your health care provider if you
start having trouble remembering things
after starting a new drug. Adjusting the
dose of your medications, or switching
from one drug to another may well solve
the problem. If you’re being treated for
diabetes, making sure the treatment is
just right is particularly important, since
blood sugar levels that are too high or too
low can cause the memory to fail.
Trust your memory. Worrying
about forgetting can make it harder to
remember things. In a recent study pub-
lished in the journal Psychology and
Aging, a group of healthy older adults
who were told that “aging causes forget-
fulness” did worse on memory tests than
a group that wasn’t told anything about
aging and memory. Older adults in a
third group who were told that memory
declined only somewhat with age scored
the highest of all.
Here are some time-tested memory
strategies:
Write it down. Keeping some
“wish list” grants and crime
prevention assistance to skilled
nursing facilities and other
senior living programs.
The award, which included
a presentation of a plaque to
Administrator Neil Pollack, was
announced at a ceremony at
Village Nursing Home that was
attended by many residents and
staff. The presentation was
made by Marie A. Grasso, the
bank’s executive vice president
and chief operating officer.
As part of the award, Village
Nursing Home will receive
$1,000 annual “quality of life”
grants for five years that will go
toward fulfilling the facility’s
“wish list” for residents. This Village Nursing Home Resident Angelo Diaz holds a plaque given to Village Nursing Home as part of the
year, the grant is being used Senior Crimestoppers award from Flushing Savings Bank. Standing, from left, are: Peter Gwaltney, CEO and
for the purchase of a flat-screen vice chairman of Senior Housing Crime Prevention Foundation; Neil Pollack, VNH administrator; Marie A.
Grasso, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the bank; Sandy D. Freeland, VNH director
television.
of operations and support services, and Daniel Babb, vice president of the New York Bankers Association.
The national program Seated in the front are Weyman Monakey and Julia Casartelli, both VNH residents.
is sponsored by the Senior
Housing Crime Prevention
Foundation.
Peter Gwaltney,
Foundation’s CEO, was emcee
the
Emma DeVito Named CEO at Village Care

health care professional regularly is a
crucial part of maintaining your “mental
vitality.” That’s because health problems
such as high blood pressure, diabetes
and depression can cause thinking prob-
lems if left untreated.
Exercising – at least 30 minutes,
three times a week – can also help, by
increasing blood flow to your brain and,
some research suggests, helping new
brain cells grow. In fact, exercising the
body helps the brain grow nerve cells
in that part of the brain where working
memory resides. And the more exercise
the better.
Getting enough sleep – at least
7 or 8 hours a night – can help you con-
centrate and remember better. Eating a
good diet – lots of fruits and vegetables,
along with whole grains, and fish like
on a low-carb diet scored significantly
lower on memory tests than those eat-
ing a more balanced diet. When these
women started eating carbs again, their
memories improved.
Minimize multitasking. Doing
two or more things at once, like reading
this tip sheet and listening to the news at
the same time, will make it harder for you
to recall either later. That’s because mul-
titasking makes it harder for you to pro-
cess detailed information. Multitasking
overloads your working memory circuits.
According to researchers at UCLA, you
usually process new information in the
part of your brain called the cerebral cor-
tex. But multitasking forces your brain
to process some information in an area
called the striatum, which can handle
fewer details than the cortex.
sort of diary in which you write down
your appointments, and carrying it with
you, can help you keep track of what you
need to do, when and where.
Give everything a place.
Designate a specific place for your glass-
es, say, on your nightstand. Every time
you take them off, put your glasses in
that spot. Designate other places for your
keys, your medications, your wallet, your
checkbook and the remote control.
Finally, your brain works like a com-
puter, but think of it as a muscle. Keep it
healthy, happy and well worked out. Find
something that really stimulates your
mind and an exercise, like walking, that
you really enjoy. Then find a partner to
share the fun. With a companion you
will be much more likely to enjoy the
effort and more likely to keep going.
of the recent presentation
event. He said the Senior
Crimestoppers program is
designed to reduce and prevent
the occurrence of crimes in
long-term care facilities and in
senior housing communities.
The Foundation will also be
providing each Village Nursing
Home resident with a lock-
box for rooms to store valu-
ables. Founded in 1994, the
Crimestoppers program also
provides a toll-free tip line for
family and residents. In addi-
tion, Village Nursing Home
received a “Time of Your Life”
video series for residents.
“It’s a trip down memory
lane,” Gwaltney said.
T
he board of directors of Village Care
of New York has appointed Emma
DeVito as the organization’s president
and chief executive officer.
Ms. DeVito, who has worked in Village
Care since 1991, was named chief operating
officer in 2003.
“We are extraordinarily pleased that we
have someone within Village Care who can
readily step up to the challenges of bringing
quality care to older adults and persons living
with HIV/AIDS.” said David Sidwell, Village
Care board chairman. “The board is truly
excited about working with Emma and looks
forward to her leadership as we tackle the
challenges of a difficult economic environ-
ment.”
Mr. Sidwell pointed both to Ms. DeVito’s
lengthy financial experience along with
her understanding of, and commitment to,
Village Care’s programs as key factors in
taking over the reins of the not-for-profit
organization.
Ms. DeVito joined Village Care as its chief
financial officer in 1991. In her most recent
role as COO, she was responsible for manag-
ing the daily operations of the organization
in serving some 10,000 individuals annually
with a staff of more than 1,500 employees.
Village Care operates SeniorChoices and
a Network of AIDS Services, which provide
both community-based and residential ser-
vices. The organization is also building
a state-of-the-art rehabilitation and skilled
nursing care center on West Houston Street,
which is scheduled to open in 2010.
Ms. DeVito replaces Arthur Y. Webb,
Village Care’s CEO since 1993, who has
become the chief operating officer at neigh-
boring St. Vincent’s Hospital.

4 N E W HORI Z ONS | Summer 2009 5

 s e n i o r perspective

How do you feel about the economy

since President Obama took office?
Vern Fry, Greenwich Village
The economy is the same as
before. The current administration
is making mistakes on how to attack
this failing economy. They need to go
back to the basics to fix this mess. They
have to stop all of these complex ideas
and trickery with our tax dollars
and focus on job creation
and revenue-generating
techniques. While the
bailouts have a good
Art Exhibit at Village Adult Day Health Center underlying purpose,
it’s just costing us way
Donald Long, Kips Bay
The plan by President Obama
to fix the economy had definitive
purpose to help all Americans. I
think that he has done a good job
of that so far, but there is definitely
still more work to do. I believe
in President Obama and his views
on how to fix this staggering
economy. My only hope
is that partisan politics
don’t get in the way
of his long-term
plan to boost

V
Artist Paul illage Adult Day Health Center hosted
Catalanotto stands an art exhibit featuring the works of
by one of his works artist Paul Catalanotto. Paul invented
displayed at Village a new medium known as Polished Fresco,
Adult Day Health which is made up of plaster and hollow
Center in the West wooden doors.
Village.
“I rely heavily on the physical properties
of color, how they react with each other and
my plaster medium to embody our visual
experience,” Catalanotto said.
This exhibit is the first in a series of art
Older Volunteers’ Benefits Vary with Program Traits
our economy.
shows being brought to the center. “Our par- too much money and Locally, I must
ticipants who enjoy art will benefit greatly from we’ll never be able to say that the
the exposure to different art styles being pre- recuperate from that. city has not
sented to them by the artists,” Nancy Ferrara, done enough for the senior population. We are losing our
director of the Center, said. A photography homes and assets rapidly.
exhibit is being planned for the near future. Russell Fleming, Chelsea
The exhibit was open to the public, which
I believe the economy is better than it was six months ago.
has brought members of the community I do believe, however, that this is a false-positive and the economy
into the Center, and Catalanotto’s works were is actually going to get worse. We’ve put ourselves in quite a
available for purchase. He will donate a por- hole and these Band-Aid techniques that we’re doing now to
tion of proceeds to Village. fix the economy will only come back to hurt us worse in the
end. There is too much theft and fraud out there
in the financial sector, and unless we can pass
government regulations, only the greedy will
survive. Seniors, children and the sick
population are the most vulner-
able right now, and who is

T
he advantages of vol-
unteering reported by
adults aged 55 and older
are largely dependent upon the
characteristics of the activities in
which they participate, accord-
ing to a recent article appear-
ing in The Gerontologist. The
lead author is Nancy Morrow-
Howell, PhD, of Washington
University in St. Louis.
She and her colleagues doc-
ument the benefits of volun-
teering as identified by older
adults – a departure from
many previous studies, which
have focused on the benefits
observed by researchers. They
also compare reported ben-
efits with information about
the volunteer program, such
as volunteer training, support
and stipends.
“These findings suggest
that characteristics of volunteer
programs can be strengthened
to maximize the benefits of
volunteering to older adults,”
the authors said.
Morrow-Howell’s team sam-
pled 401 people aged 55 and
older from 13 volunteer pro-
grams. The volunteer activities
included teaching, tutoring,
mentoring, policing and pub-
lic safety work, conservation
efforts and supportive counsel-
ing. More than 30 percent of
participants said they were “a
great deal better off” because
of the service they contributed,
and almost 60 percent identi-
fied a benefit to their fami-
lies. Twenty percent reported
improved overall health.
The reported benefits
depended upon the partici-
pant’s demographics as well
as the type and characteristics
of activity.
For example, among those
who received compensation
for their work, the positive
relationship between stipend
and perceived advantages was going to help them?
weaker for the oldest of the 55+
sample, for non-white older
adults, and for those with lower Emily Rich, Chelsea
education and lower income. Well, I sure hope the economy is
Women and lower-income getting better. There is too much false
volunteers also reported more information and propaganda out there
to truly know if the measures taken Merle Lister-Levine, Chelsea
benefit than others from par- I think President Obama is the greatest thing
ticipating in public security are working. As a local artist, I can
say that it is getting harder each to happen to this country in my lifetime. We are
programs. The researchers indeed in troubled times, but his high confidence
speculated that those older day to survive and my business
has not increased at all, only level helps to increase morale across the country.
adults who traditionally had This will ultimately lead to more production and
less authority thrived in roles decreased. Obama’s promises
sound great, and if his a stronger economy. As our President warns us,
involving law enforcement.   it will not happen overnight, but I believe we
Support for this research hopes and goals come
true, then yes, I do have the right man in office making the right
was provided by the MetLife decisions. God bless President Obama and the
Foundation and the Longer believe the economy
will be better. United States of America.
Life Foundation.

6 N E W HORI Z ONS | Summer 2009 7

 46&Ten resident Lillian Horowitz with her thirteen-year-old Shitsu, Monkeyface.

More Than Just

a Companion

Pets help us
stay healthy and
give us purpose

By Samantha Thacker

P
ets are an important part of our
lives. In fact, the term “pet owner-
ship” seems to be a bit of a misno-
mer as those of us who have pets often
consider them to be friends, companions
and roommates – even seeing them as
“children.” Pets bring us happiness.
Take the cats Horatio and Jane, who
have lived with Peggy Keating at The
Village at 46th & Ten for the past four
years. The nine-year-old, part-Maine Coon
brother and sister felines were born in
the West Village in a deli between the two
streets for which they are named.
They came to live with Keating, who
then lived in the West Village and she
has raised them from kittenhood. When
they were five, she decided to relocate to a
senior living apartment and being able to
take Horatio and Jane with her was a big
factor in the decision-making process.

8 N E W HORI Z ONS | Summer 2009 9

 “Had I not been permitted to take my
cats, I would not have moved here,” says
Keating at The Village at 46th & Ten. “But
Village Care is very sensitive to our needs
and would not have us forsake our pets.”
Keating appreciates the distinct per-
sonalities of each cat, calling 35-40 pound
Horatio “as sweet as he can be,” and a
devoted companion. The more petite Jane,
on the other hand, is “a seductress,” who
flirts with all that come to visit. “I don’t
know where I’d be without them,” says
Peggy.
Lillian Horowitz, Keating’s neighbor,
would agree with that sentiment. Lillian
lives with her thirteen-year-old Shitsu,
Monkeyface (a nickname Lillian’s mother
had called her as a girl), whom she adopted
when Monkeyface was five, and for the
past eight years, she has walked her at least
three times a day.
“People will ask me how can I go out in
all sorts of weather to walk my dog, but it
has to be done,” says Horowitz. “And I do
it gladly.”
Horowitz also notes one of the ben-
efits of having a dog: it keeps her mov-
ing. “It’s so easy not to move,” Horowitz
remarks. “Besides, Monkeyface just makes
me happy.”
Clearly, living with a pet provides the
human counterpart with more than just
pleasure. The routines of feeding, walk-
ing, changing a litter pan or birdcage or
cleaning a fish tank are thought to be key
factors in retarding some of the negative
aspects of aging, such as loneliness, seclu-
sion, memory loss and becoming seden-
tary. Experts say that caring for an animal
companion offers a sense of purpose and
the opportunity to give and receive love
and affection, unconditionally. Our pets
are also our confidants. They are friends
to talk to, and even if we don’t speak the
same language, they seem to understand
us and vice versa.
Any pet owner can tell you that the
responsibility of caring for our pets gives
us a feeling of significance. Our furry,
feathered and finned friends depend on
us and in turn we depend on them for all
they have to offer. Many of us don’t like to
admit to feeling lonely – unlike our animal
friends who are not always shy about voic-
ing their objections to being alone. Any
dog owner who’s come home to signs of
displeasure or separation anxiety – a torn-
apart pillow or half-eaten shoe – can attest
to this.
10 N E W HORI Z ONS | Summer 2009
Loneliness is a more serious condition
than many realize, particularly for older
adults, and animals can help overcome the
pain it causes and combat depression and
feelings of isolation.
Among the many benefits of pet com-
panionship is the social interaction it offers.
Discussing our pets acts as an ice breaker
in social situations. Older adults who find
themselves in new social environments
can talk about their pets with enthusiasm,
whether the pets are dogs, cats, birds, fish
or guinea pigs. Also, as dog walkers know,
walking our dogs can lead to striking up
conversations with complete strangers, as
well as providing the dog and its owner
with exercise.
Research has shown that having a pet
can add years to our lives. In addition to
being a friend and companion to live for,
the simple act of petting a cat, watching
them play or observing fish in their envi-
ronment can lift up a bad mood or offset
that sense of loneliness.
“My little bird greets me when I walk
in the door,” said an 82-year-old, former
opera singer who didn’t want to be identi-
fied. “She’s excited and whistles. I let her
out of her cage and she sits on my shoul-
der and we sing together.”
Pets are also therapeutic, whether they
live in our homes or are found in more
institutional settings.
A number of studies have found that
just 10 minutes of physical interaction
with a beloved pet can lower blood pres-
sure and increase finger temperature —
both clear signs of relaxation, reports
an article by Mara M. Baun and Nancy
J. Dapper. Baun is a professor at the
University of Texas Health Science Center
at Houston School of Nursing, and Dapper
is vice president of program operations for
Delta Society.
They also report that there are well-
documented benefits of pet ownership
to people with high blood pressure. They
cited a study that involved two groups of
stockbrokers who were already being treat-
ed with ACE-inhibitors, a common therapy
for people with hypertension or who have
suffered congestive heart failure.
The study broke the stockbrokers on
medication into two groups – one with
pets, one without – and found significant
differences in their physiological reactions
to stress tests. Those with pets were about
half as reactive to stressors. This is sig-
nificant because ACE-inhibitors play an
important role in controlling resting blood
pressure but they do not control blood
pressure related to stress.
The article also reports on studies
regarding Alzheimer’s patients who live
in special-care units. It was revealed that
“residents were less agitated and expressed
more socially interactive behaviors when
therapy dogs were present.”
It has become increasingly widespread
for birds and fish to be placed in com-
munal areas of senior environments for
the enjoyment of all residents and visitors.
Additionally, the use of service animals has
become a more common practice over the
years when or where people cannot them-
selves care for a pet. Animal visits and
pet-assisted therapy have existed for many
years within nursing homes and hospital
settings based on the mounting evidence
that people benefit from interacting with
animals.
Brico – a 13-year-old Belgian Malinois
whose face and ears resemble that of a
German Shepherd – is a docile and obedi-
ent dog who will wander up to those he
encounters in such a laid-back manner
one might think he’s saying, “Hey. How’s
it going?”
He was raised in Germany and origi-
nally trained as a service dog for law
enforcement and the secret service. Ten
years ago he was adopted by Dr. Stephen
Klein and his wife and re-trained to aid in
Dr. Klein’s practice. Now Brico is not only
a service dog but a much-loved member
of the Klein family. Dr. Klein, a New York
physician who specializes in pain manage-
ment and rehabilitation, often introduces
Brico to his patients, both in his office and
at the day treatment programs at which Dr.
Klein provides his expertise.
“Brico makes people feel special,” says
Dr. Klein, who notes that his patients are
very receptive to Brico’s calm and unob-
trusive, yet friendly nature. He cites an
occasion when he brought Brico to a nurs-
ing home to see a patient — a man in his
mid-70s with mild mental retardation and
in a wheelchair.
“He was ornery, restless and uncom-
fortable,” says Dr. Klein of the man. “Until
he met Brico.” The dog warmed to the
man and showed him affection in a way
only dogs can. “The stimulation from
the dog licking his fingers made the man
happy, and he was smiling and laughing
by the time he was wheeled back to his
room.” g
11
 More than just physical
therapy, a hot meal
and activities.
It’s a community.

Village Adult Day Health

Putting Patient
Care First

T
he workday starts with a
flurry of activity at Village
Care’s adult day health
program.
Even before the patients arrive,
breakfast must be set up and last
minute details fine-tuned for the
day’s activities.
At Village Day, located at 644
Greenwich St., Evelyn Quin-
tana, program assistant, on this
particular morning was eagerly
looking forward to celebrating
Mardi Gras with the patients;
there will be beads, special music
and a special lunch. (She hung
the decorations the day before.)
At 9 a.m., when the van, which
provides door-to-door transporta-
tion to and from the center, drops By Bonnie Rosenstock
the patients at the entrance, a
staff member meets the vehicle,
someone is at the front door and
another greets them inside. This

12 N E W HORI Z ONS | Summer 2009 13

 “three-point system” is crafted so the
patients are kept safe from the moment
they arrive to the moment they depart.
The breakfast is good, pronounced
director Nancy Ferrara, who makes it a
point to check all the food. “The food
comes from Village Nursing Home,
and our chef, who is a graduate of the
Culinary Institute of America, adds spe-
cial things to the meals.”
After a light breakfast, the program
assistants, who are CNAs – certified
nursing assistants – with broader
responsibilities, help those who need
toileting.
During the week, Recreation
Assistant Migdalia Roman, Physical
Therapist Randi K. Schwartz or one
of the program assistants take turns
jump starting the patients’ day. They
talk about current events, what day it
is, look at the calendar and horoscope
and give the patients an opportunity to
share some thoughts or concerns – all
activities geared to getting the memory
going.
Then there is some stretching, range
of motion exercises, even some heart
healthy marching in the airy dining
room. They go over the day’s activ-
ity schedule, which is printed up in
English and Spanish. The morning
groups might include creative arts,
cooking, dance, music therapy, jewelry
making, physical therapy, a movie, a live
performance or Spanish, which some
English speakers might also be inclined
to attend. The three main languages
spoken here are English, Spanish and
Chinese. If a patient speaks anoth-
er language, per diem staff would be
hired.
After a hot lunch, the patients attend
more groups, such as bingo, wheel of
fortune, choir practice or a sing-a-long.
Roman leads a variety of recreation ther-
apy activities, including jewelry making.
“I bring in new projects so they can be
more creative,” she said. “It’s a way to
allow them to bring out their skills that
are hidden inside. They might have low
self-esteem, but when they see the fin-
ished project, they feel satisfaction.”
Volunteers and paid consultants sup-
plement recreation therapy activities
with yoga, tai chi, massage therapy and
14 N E W HORI Z ONS | Summer 2009
musical performances. Other services
provided include occupational therapy,
speech therapy and use of the computer
room where patients can check their
e-mail and search the Internet.
There are snacks around 2:30, fol-
lowed by getting ready to leave by 3 p.m.
The reverse preparation ensues, with
toileting, helping patients gather their
possessions, putting on their coats, and
the three-point system to say good-bye.
If they don’t have anyone at home and
don’t qualify for a food service, such as
Meals on Wheels, the center will pro-
vide a take-away meal for them.
“You never see us sitting still,”
declared Quintana. “We are constantly
busy attending to patients’ needs.” And
that is a succinct summary of what
adult day health care is about.
According to the Adult Day Health
Care Council, “Adult day health care
is designed to meet the health care
needs of chronically ill, frail elderly
and disabled adults who require certain
primary, preventative, diagnostic, thera-
peutic, rehabilitative or palliative ser-
vices.” Ferrara added, “They could have
a disability, dementia, Alzheimer’s, dia-
betes, depression, high blood pressure,
“You never
behavioral health issues or mental ill-
ness, which have to impact on them see us sitting
cognitively or functionally.”
This might be the result of an exist-
ing medical condition which worsens,
still,” declared
a new diagnosis which requires acute
or chronic medical care, an accident,
Evelyn
the end-stage of a disease, or a need for
hospice care or restorative therapy. Quintana.
Patients are admitted to the program
based on a referral by a registered
nurse, the person’s physician, a hos-
“We are
pital discharge planner or other medi-
cal provider, a family member or the constantly
patient himself. A full assessment is
made by all center disciplines – social
worker, nurse, recreation therapist,
busy attending
physical therapist and nutritionist – to
evaluate if the program can satisfy the
to patients’
patient’s needs entirely or in part. Once
in the program, there are weekly inter- needs.”
disciplinary team meetings to assess
patients’ progress and to revaluate those
needs.
Adult day health care is a commu-
nity-based long-term care program
15
 designed to help individuals continue
to live in the community. Patients are
not required to live with a traditional
family as long as there is a caretaker
or someone to help them. They may
live in a group home, in specialized
apartments or intermediate housing.
Some live in the neighborhood, but
many come from all over the city – one
is from the Bronx. “Even though they
are fragile, there is no reason to be in
a nursing home if there is someone to
take care of them,” Ferrara said. “Here
they get socialization, which is an issue
that stops them from functioning in
the community, two nourishing meals,
and all their needs are addressed. They
really love it.”
Ferrara said it’s not difficult to get
into the program if the patients fit the
referral and assessment criteria and
have a doctor’s order. The only restric-
tion is they need to be eligible for state-
funded Medicaid; if not, they must pay
privately or have a private insurance
source, Ferrara, who splits her time as
director of both adult day health cen-
ters, explained.
“Here Patients range in age from 55 to the
nineties at Village Day. Ferrara said
they get there are more “younger” patients in
the Village Day program because the
socialization, center has behavioral health care and
Parkinson’s disease specialties. Another
effort specializes in Alzheimer’s and
which is other memory impairments, and the
staff is also being trained for a specialty
an issue in multiple sclerosis.
Depending on assessment, patients
attend various groups designed to help
that stops their particular conditions. They are
free, nonetheless, to choose what they
them from wish to participate in. Since all groups
are therapeutically geared, there is
functioning always something for everyone. “The
younger participants like Wii, the inter-
active video game,” said Ferrara. “It’s
in the also good for physical therapy.”
Schwartz defines her job as a physi-
community.” cal therapist as “being responsible for
keeping everyone preventative more
than treating the consequences of dis-
eases. We try to keep them functionally
intact.” If it’s part of their prescription,
patients receive physical therapy two-to-
three times a week to maintain muscle
strength, joint range of motion and
16 N E W HORI Z ONS | Summer 2009
cardiovascular health. They may also
receive gait training and learn how to
get up and down from a chair and to
walk safely. Eyesight, joint pain and
arthritis impact on their ability to walk
safely, explained Schwartz, so some-
times they need an assisted device, like
a walker, cane or wheelchair.
The gym has sophisticated top-of-the-
line equipment, including two station-
ary bicycles, a treadmill and an upper-
body machine. Schwartz might make a
home visit to assess if the patient needs
adaptive equipment and a better way to
get up and down stairs. “Many live in a
walk up,” she explained. “Home issues
can be difficulty getting in and out of a
bathtub, negotiating steps to the apart-
ment and opening doors.”
In the nice weather, she takes them
out for an hour walk. They might go
to the supermarket or walk down to the
Hudson River pier. Those who can’t
make it that far will sit along the way
with an aide. They also go to a nearby
park. “They sit, do balancing activities,
using the cobblestones, cracks in the
street and curbs. I try to use the outside
environment as much as I can. We want
to keep them mobile in the community
as long as possible,” Schwartz said.
She sees about ten patients a day,
in either a group or individually. At
Chelsea Day, where she also works, she
sees fewer patients. “They are more
dependent and medically complicat-
ed,” she explained. Referring to the
Parkinson’s patients at Village Day, she
acknowledged they don’t get cured.
“We can try to help them maintain
range of motion, muscle strength, flex-
ibility, balance, coordination and walk-
ing to decrease the incidence of falls,
and offer nutritional counseling servic-
es and individual and group education
sessions, but we can’t slow down the
ravages of the disease,” she said.
Lisa Bohmart’s office walls are ablaze
with brightly painted pictures on vari-
ous themes – lots of flowers, still lifes,
abstracts, country and city scenes. Her
collection started when a few patients
gave her paintings from their art class,
and then others wanted their work to be
displayed, too. Her responsibilities are
“to help with any services they might
need,” like home care, recertification for
17
 Medicaid, food stamps, Access-A-Ride,
half-fare cards, outside providers and
all issues dealing with mental health.
She also does individual counseling.
“People with disabilities have a feeling
of loss of independence, aging issues.
They have to deal with family members
and friends dying,” she said.
On Tuesday evening Bohmart runs
a support group for family caregivers
who are dealing with loved ones who
mainly have Alzheimer’s, but it’s open
to everyone. “They have a lot to cope
with, and it’s exhausting,” she said. “It
helps that they receive the emotional
support from people who are going
through the same thing.”
Because adult day health care is
different from a social day program,
they couldn’t operate without a nurs-
ing component, Ferrara said. Rita
Toback, nurse manager, runs the nurs-
ing department and supervises the pro-
gram assistants. Even though 52 is the
mandated daily maximum number that
can come for services, there are over
80 patients enrolled at Village Day.
The medical director at Village Nursing
Home oversees the entire operation.
Toback explained that patients come
in with their own prescriptions from
their private doctors, but they currently
administer and manage the medications
for about 20 patients. Village Care has
its own pharmacy, which delivers once
or twice a day, so that all patients can
get refills. “It’s a great service because
they can call it in or send it in and can
get their medications delivered here,”
Toback said.
The van also takes patients to and
from medical appointments, and the
nurses follow up with their private doc-
tors. “There’s a lot of collaboration,”
said Ferrara.
Toback also conducts health educa-
tion groups and individual counsel-
ing. She focuses on diet, exercise and
how they can manage chronic diseases.
She reported that some patients with
diabetes were able to get off their medi-
cations with proper diet and weight
loss. “Not everyone can do that, but
in a certain number of cases, diet can
control diabetes. With a low sodium
diet, controlling stress and increasing
exercise, it’s also possible with hyper-
18 N E W HORI Z ONS | Summer 2009
tension,” she said.
In addition, nursing students some-
times conduct a Trivial Pursuit group,
with a game from the 1980s. “It’s
a great way to trigger memories,”
stated Toback. She related how one
Alzheimer’s patient had incredible
recall from fifty years ago even though
his present day memory was compro-
mised. “It was very stimulating and
satisfying for him, as well as for oth-
ers,” she said.
The medical staff also handles rou-
tine monitoring – like vital signs, blood
pressure and wound care – with physi-
cian’s orders (especially for those with
diabetes and hypertension) and deals
with medical emergencies with the
back-up support of nearby St. Vincent’s
Hospital.
At the end of February, Village Day
completed a large grant from the New
York State Health Foundation for short-
term rehabilitation care of over forty
Medicare patients who had cardiac and
stroke events and were acutely ill. After
finishing their acute care stay in a hos-
pital, they came here instead of going
to a nursing home or other facility for
rehabilitation. They received physical
therapy two to three times daily, and
they could also participate in any of the
activities available at the center. Ferrara
declared the project a great success.
“We found that not only did people
get better physically, but it was the
socialization piece that was important
for them,” she said. “When three or
four started at the same time, it became
a cohesive group of friends. Getting bet-
“We want to
ter was so much more fun with people
with similar thinking and issues. When
keep them
they were discharged after six-to-nine
weeks together, some kept in touch mobile in the
afterwards. It made a big difference in
their lives.”
“We have a nice little communi-
community
ty here,” Ferrara said. “Socialization
could be a challenge, but because the as long as
staff is so tenured and specialized, they
provide an atmosphere where patients
co-mingle beautifully, take care of each
possible,”
other and become very close.”
“It’s a really nice place. I really like
working here,” added Quintana. “The
people who come here really like and
appreciate it.” g
19
 ln
eir minds to be. – Abraham Linco
t as happy as they make up th
Most folks are abou

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d e r w e g e t ,
The ol c o m e .
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listen an d so m ’s just two
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– On
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happiness. b y th e U niversity of m er ic an
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20 N E W HORI Z ONS | Summer 2009 21
prehensive examinations of happiness in
America. It is based on data from the
National Science Foundation-supported
General Social Survey (GSS) of the National
Opinion Research Center at the University
of Chicago. Since 1972, a scientifically
selected cross-section of Americans ages
18-88, totaling about 28,000 over a 32-year
period (1972-2004), were asked this ques-
tion: “Taken all together, how would you say
things are these days – would you say that
you are very happy, pretty happy or not too
happy?” The question is administered with
other queries in face-to-face interviews.
“Understanding happiness is important
to understanding quality of life. The happi-
ness measure is a guide to how well soci-
ety is meeting people’s needs,” said Yang
Yang, assistant professor of sociology at the
University of Chicago and author of the
article, “Social Inequalities in Happiness
in the United States, 1972-2004: An Age-
Period-Cohort Analysis.”
The study found that Baby Boomers
are not as content as other generations,
African-Americans are less happy than
Caucasians, women are happier than men;
happiness can rise and fall between eras,
and, as people age, their happiness increas-
es while the differences between genders
and ethnic groups narrow. Of the 88-year-
olds, 33 percent said they are “very happy,”
versus 24 percent of those under 25.
The increase in happiness with age is
consistent with the “age as maturity hypoth-
esis,” Yang said. With age comes positive
psychosocial traits, such as self-integration
and self-esteem. These signs of maturity
could contribute to a better sense of overall
well-being. In addition, group differences
in happiness decrease with age due to the
equalization of resources that contribute to
happiness, such as access to health care,
including Medicare and Medicaid, and the
loss of social support due to the deaths of
spouses and friends, Yang added.
The time span of the survey also helped
determine how different people in the
same generational group fared. A definite
rise was observed when the nation flour-
ished economically. For example, 1995 was
a very good year on the happiness scale
when the nation’s economy was on an
upswing, but the Baby Boom generation
(born from 1946 to1964) was still the least
happy among those surveyed.
“This is probably due to the fact that the
generation as a group is so large, and their
22 N E W HORI Z ONS | Summer 2009
expectations so great, that not everyone in
the group could get what he or she wanted
as they aged due to competition for oppor-
tunities. This could lead to disappointment
that could undermine happiness,” Yang
said.
A separate University of Chicago
study, also published in the American
Sociological Review, noted the significant
effect of socialization on just how happy
older adults are. Those results found that
about 75 percent of people aged 57 to 85
are active in one or more social activities at
least every week, including socializing with
neighbors, attending church, volunteering
or going to group meetings. The nationally
representative study was based on in-home
interviews with 3,005 people in 2005-06,
not including nursing home residents.
Those in their eighties were twice as
likely as those in their fifties to do at least
one of these activities.
“People’s social circles do tend to shrink
a little as they age – that is mainly where
that stereotype comes from, but that image
of the isolated elderly really falls apart
when we broaden our definition of what
social connection is,” said the study’s co-
author and University of Chicago research-
er Benjamin Cornwell.
Ilse Siegler, a 84-year-old retired nurse
manager in Chicago, said in the article,
“Happiness is getting out and being with
people, and that’s why I recommend it.”
Her husband died 35 years ago and she
says that she still misses him every day.
Although she has vision problems and has
slowed down with age, she still swims,
runs a social group in her condo, volun-
teers in a retirement home and is active
with her temple. “Contentment as far as
I’m concerned comes with old age,” Siegler
said, “because you accept things the way
they are.”
Nancy J. Ferrara also sees the advantages
of getting out and being with people. She is
a registered nurse, holds a masters degree
in health care administration and is a
member of the Holistic Nurses Association.
Ferrara is the director of Village Care of
New York’s two adult day health centers in
the West Village and Chelsea.
“People come to Village Care’s adult day
health centers and establish new relation-
ships with others they might not have met
through past circumstances and have the
opportunity to exchange stories and form
new bonds,” she says. They can also experi-
Socializing being a key ingredient to happiness,
The Village at 46th & Ten hosts a social hour
for residents every Friday evening.
ence activities in new ways – going on local
outings, participating in a yoga class or
discussion group – that they find stimulat-
ing.  At any age, socialization is very impor-
tant for retaining a high level of happiness
and health, and for those who would oth-
erwise be socially isolated, this program is
vital. The older adults who come here enjoy
the experience and have reported feeling
better both mentally and physically.”
A study by Heather Pond Lacey, Ph.D.,
and colleagues published in the Journal
of Happiness Studies claimed that greater
happiness may well be a perk of aging.
Lacey works at the University of Michigan’s
Center for Behavioral and Decision Sciences
in Medicine. Her team conducted an online
survey of 273 people aged 21-40 and 269
people aged 60-86. In the survey, par-
ticipants rated their current happiness on
a 10-point scale and estimated how happy
they would be, or had been at ages 30 and
70, and how happy they thought people
generally are at those ages.
Though the survey was conducted over
the Internet, of which many older adults
are not that knowledgable, and was also
not tracked over a period of time, the older
group showed higher happiness ratings in
the survey than the younger group.
Lacey’s team concluded that:
– People may get better at handling chal-
lenges as they age.
– Older adults may tend to play up the
positive and minimize the negative.
– Over the years, people may lower or
change their goals, making success and
happiness more likely.
Life moves out of a red flare of dreams
Into a common light of common hours,
Until old age bring the red flare again.
– William Butler Yeats
Land of Heart’s Desire
I
t has also been theorized that psycho-
logical well-being is U-shaped through
the life cycle. The most stressful times
are between childhood and old age, the
happiest times at both points of the U. In
any case, attitude plays an important role.
Psychology Today reported on yet another
study that found that many seniors find
great joy in living. That study was per-
formed at the University of California at
San Diego, and surveyed 500 Americans
between the ages of 60 and 98. The sub-
jects lived independently and had experi-
enced various illnesses, mental health con-
ditions or other health concerns. Despite
their health problems, on a scale of 1 to 10,
rating themselves on successful aging, the
average rating was 8.4.
“These findings suggest that physical
health is not the best indicator of suc-
cessful aging – attitude is,” stated Dilip
Jeste, lead researcher of the University of
California at San Diego.
“What is most interesting about this
study is that people who think they are
aging well are not necessarily the healthiest
individuals,” said Jeste. “In fact, optimism
and effective coping styles were found to
be more important to successfully aging
than traditional measures of health and
wellness.”
A study released in 2007 found that
people who described themselves as highly
optimistic had lower rates of death from
cardiovascular disease and lower overall
death rates than strong pessimists. Later
research noted that sick and disabled per-
sons are often as happy as anyone else, and
showed that people who spent time each
day socializing, reading or participating in
other hobbies rated their aging satisfaction
higher.
“For most people, worries about
their future aging involve fear of physi-
cal infirmity, disease or disability,” said
Jeste. “However, this study is encouraging
because it shows that the best predictors of
successful aging are well within an indi-
vidual’s control.”
Pychology Today noted four traits com-
mon to people of all ages who consider
themselves happy: they like themselves;
they are positive thinkers; they are outgoing
and they have a sense of personal control.
Again, attitude is key to happiness. Good
self-esteem, optimism, being an extrovert
and having the ability to be independent
contribute to happiness in older years.
Additionally, it is also important to
develop close relationships. It was found
that those with several supportive friends
seem to experience greater health and
happiness. Often in the retirement years,
people have lost many friendships from
their workplace, and feel isolated. Being
able to confide in a close friend enables a
person to feel relaxed and at peace. Some
psychologists believe that when there are
few social connections, greater depression
23
occurs. Friendships provide support in dif-
ficult times, and enhance your life experi-
ence.
A spiritual connection is also found
to be beneficial. Studies have shown that
older adults report being happier when
they are active in a church or religious set-
ting. The spiritual community can offer an
essential network of social support, as well
as purpose in reaching out to others.
Rest and exercise are also necessary
for a positive outlook. Rumor has it that
older adults don’t need as much sleep at
night because sleep habits change, but the
National Institute on Aging recommends
that older adults get as much nightly sleep
as younger adults – seven to nine hours.
When you awaken refreshed, you have the
energy needed to accomplish your daily
goals. Lack of sleep can contribute to anxi-
ety, depression, attention problems and
other physical illnesses, as well as general
crankiness. Exercise can also help in reliev-
ing many of these problems. Surveys show
that people are in better spirits and experi-
ence less stress when they exercise.
Laura Carstensen, director of the
Stanford Center of Longevity, has also
found that people generally get happier as
they age. She attributes the greater happi-
ness to a desire to make the most of the
time left. The frequency of negative emo-
tions declines in old age, as well as the
duration, she noted.
Research by Gene Cohen, a psychia-
trist, gerontologist and director of George
Washington University’s Center on Aging,
Health and Humanities, supports this the-
ory. He found that brain function changes
as a person ages. Imaging studies have
shown that older people’s brains react less
intensely, and for less time, to negative
emotions. This contributes to increased
morale in old age. Older people become
more experienced in handling problems
and challenges, and they may have also
lowered their expectations, thereby mak-
ing it easier to experience happiness.
In a radio interview, Catherine Ross,
professor of sociology at the University
of Texas in Austin, said older people have
more positive emotions, not negative, and
the life experience that comes with old age
tends to have a calming effect.
“They feel more calm, they feel more at
ease, more content. Older people are not
only less emotionally negative, their emo-
tions also tend to be more passive,” said
Ross who added that having more positive
24 N E W HORI Z ONS | Summer 2009
and passive emotions means that those
older adults are less likely to have negative
and active emotions like anxiety and anger.
Joan O’Kray, 61, was an international
tour director for more than twenty years,
and has worked as a mediator in conflict
resolution since 1994. She enjoys her
work and has no plans to retire. She’s
always been physically and socially active,
and in recent years has participated in two
bike-a-thons — the New York City Five
Borough Bike Ride and the Boston to New
York AIDS Ride, which took three days to
complete.
A frequent visitor to Village Care’s
Senior Information Center at 220 W. 26th
St., O’Kray takes part in programs such as
focus groups, holiday events and computer
training, and finds she can use her own
vast knowledge to help others.
With her impressive background and
cheerful outlook, one may doubt O’Kray
ever had insecure bone in her body. Still,
she says, “When you’re younger, you’re
still feeling your way. As you get older and
have more experience under your belt,
there’s less of the unknown. You have a
better understanding of how to deal with
things, giving you more control over how
to handle them and the ability to do so
more calmly.” O’Kray has noticed that this
accumulated wisdom is heeded by many
people she knows. “I find aging to be very
empowering,” she adds.
Singularity is only pardonable in old age
and retirement; I may now be as singu-
lar as I please, but you may not.
Philip Dormer Stanhope,
4th Earl of Chesterfield,
British statesman, man of letters,
in a letter to his son on April 5, 1754.
Chesterfield was 60 at the time,
and his son 22.
T
he senior years provide an opportu-
nity to pass on the knowledge that
life has given us. Youthful thinking
can be an inspiration to the old, and the
wisdom of age can bring great enlighten-
ment to the young. And as the Earl of
Chesterfield imparts to his son, it gives us
the right to be unconventional.
Many older adults reinvent themselves
in their senior years. They find a differ-
ent focus or career, try new things and
go after dreams of more youthful years.
Many actors, scientists, politicians, states-
men, teachers, writers, and Nobel Peace
Prize winners have been most productive
in their senior years. Mother Teresa was
almost 70 when she received her Nobel
Peace Prize. Benjamin Franklin was 70
when he helped edit the Declaration of
Independence, and 81 when he worked on
the Constitution of the United States of
America. In possibly the most well-known
case of making lemonade when handed
lemons, Anna Mary Robertson Moses was
in her seventies when arthritis kept her
from doing the needlepoint she had been
creating for most of her life. She turned
to painting and became a prolific and
admired artist. Grandma Moses lived from
1860 to 1961, passing at the age of 101.
In a 2006 article titled “The Surprising
Power of the Aging Brain,” Time magazine
focused on the case of Crook and Strozier,
and the confidence and stamina their
new brain power afforded them. Barbara
Hustedt Crook started writing her first
musical just before turning 60. Robert
Strozier, her friend and collaborator, was
65. Both had had careers in New York City,
writing and editing, and Ms. Crook has a
background performing. They are creative
people, but neither thought they had the
“chops” to tackle a musical.
In the article, author Jeffrey Kluger
states:
“Far from slowly powering down, the
brain as it ages begins bringing new cog-
nitive systems on line and cross-indexing
existing ones in ways it never did before.
You may not pack so much raw data into
memory as you could when you were
cramming for college finals, and your
short-term memory may not be what it
was, but you manage information and
parse meanings that were entirely beyond
you when you were younger. What’s more,
your temperament changes to suit those
new skills, growing more comfortable with
ambiguity and less susceptible to frustra-
tion or irritation.”
“I find that my brain makes leaps it
didn’t make so easily. I can hear my inner
voice and trust instincts and hunches
in ways I didn’t used to,” said Crook.
“Somehow I have the confidence I didn’t
have before.”
Strozier acknowledges that they are
both more willing to take chances than
they once were. “At a certain age, you
either get older or you get younger. If you
get younger, you venture out and take
risks.”
While the Earl of Chesterfield felt that
age granted him the right to be unconven-
tional, English poet Jenny Joseph’s 1960
poem – Warning – has empowered older
women to be unique, to be bold, to be
noticed, and not to be thought of as just the
cookie-baking, apron-wearing grey-haired
granny. Warning is probably more recog-
nized from its opening lines:
When I am an old woman I shall wear
purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go and doesn’t
suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy
and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money
for butter.
Though Ms. Joseph was not yet 30
when she wrote Warning, now 76, she is
known to wear purple and red hats. The
poem prompted the founding of The Red
Hat Society, an international organization
of ladies of a certain age (you must be 55
to join), who gather for events in regions
throughout the world, wearing red hats
and enjoying themselves.
The Red Hat Society’s founder, Sue
Ellen Cooper states: “The Red Hat Society
began as a result of a few women decid-
ing to greet middle age with verve, humor
and élan. We believe silliness is the com-
edy relief of life, and since we are all in
it together, we might as well join red-
gloved hands and go for the gusto together.
Underneath the frivolity, we share a bond
of affection, forged by common life experi-
ences and a genuine enthusiasm for wher-
ever life takes us next.”
Sixty-six-year old Andrew Weil, well-
known author and physician who pop-
ularized integrative medicine notes the
resilience in older people and their ability
to enjoy the simple things as a key to hap-
piness in later years.
Happiness comes from within. To para-
phrase Abe Lincoln, you are as happy as
you make up your mind to be. As research
on happiness, contentment and satisfac-
tion continues in years to come, it will be
interesting to observe if the Baby Boom
generation, as they come into the senior
years, will overcome the noted dissatisfac-
tion their high expectations seems to have
brought them, and be happy with the sim-
plicity of old age. g
25

Seniors and Socializing:
A Way to Keep Fit
Ballet class at the Sirovich Senior Center
Mingling with others keeps
the body healthy and the mind sharp.
26 N E W HORI Z ONS | Summer 2009
P
eople over age 60 make up more and caring.
than 16 percent of New York City’s Hudson Guild, 119 Ninth Ave., closest
population, with Manhattan hav- to the information center, offers adults 55
ing the highest rate of seniors living and older classes in bridge, poetry, arts
alone in the country. Fifty-one percent
aged 75 and over live by themselves. Put
these statistics together, and they add up
and crafts, yoga, aerobics, creative writing
and the lively arts, to name a few. The
Caring Community, the largest non-profit
to a major risk factor for psychological agency for seniors, has three locations in
distress. Greenwich Village and one in Tribeca.
According to the New The Educational Alliance’s Sirovich Senior
York City Department Center, 331 East 12th St., is well-known
of Mental Health and for its free ongoing ceramics and paint-
Hygiene, the greatest ing classes. The Jewish Association for
number of seniors with Services for the Aged (JASA), West Side
emotional problems Senior Center, 120 W. 76th St., has con-
caused by low levels versation, meals, discussions on current
of contact with fam- affairs and history, exercise and wellness
ily, friends, neighbors programs, classes in dance, art, music,
and community, live in writing, trips, parties and celebrations.
downtown Manhattan Barbara Steele, 59, who makes use
– in the Lower East of free Internet access at the Senior
Side, Chinatown and Information Center, suggested the Judith
Little Italy. C. White Senior Center at Greenwich
“Social isolation is House, 27 Barrow St. She goes there for
a key factor in depres- breakfast and lunch and to participate in
sion and anxiety for their stretch and tone, tai chi and belly
seniors,” acknowledged dancing classes and “to meet new people
Renee Cottrell, director and experience new challenges,” she said.
of community social “Interaction is important and keeps me
services, at Village Care younger.” Indeed, in a study, reported in
of New York’s Senior the February 2008 Personality and Social
Information Center at Psychology Bulletin, across all ages (24
220 West 26th St. to 96), “cognitive functioning was better
Along with the the higher the level of participants’ social
advice Cottrell dispens- interaction.”
es to seniors on social Many of the senior centers offer field
services and medical trips to museums, tickets to theater events
and legal issues, she or walking tours, which are head and heart
also supplies informa- healthy. A British study published in the
tion on where to go to Journal of Epidemiology and Community
socialize. The usual Health, November 2003, showed that
places, she suggested, are senior citizen “independent of socio-economic position,
centers. A common thread that centers the highest level of cognitive ability was
share is that in addition to having a wide
array of activities and events of both the
physical and intellectual kind – meals,
associated with regular cultural visits to
theaters, art galleries and stately homes.”
A leisurely stroll or a brisk walk in the
outings, movies and Internet services –
they also create a sense of community
Great Outdoors is a healthy way to meet
active seniors. Walking groups abound
By Bonnie Rosenstock
in the Big Apple to raise funds for chari-
ties and for fun, fitness and friendship.
Google “Manhattan Walking Clubs” for
an extensive list.
Cottrell observed that many of the
seniors come to the Information Center
to use the computers because they don’t
have one at home. “There isn’t a lot of
instruction here,” she said, “so they help
each other and get to know each other.”
Steele agreed there is a lot of mutual aid,
and she met “a wonderful lady” here that
way.
The Village and Chelsea neighbor-
hoods have not been identified as “most
at risk” for socially isolated seniors; how-
ever, there are large pockets, especially
among the lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender community. The reason is
that they often have no adult children
or a permanent life partner and fre-
quently face prejudice and discrimina-
tion. “Paul,” 58, who comes solely for
the center’s computers, goes to SAGE
(Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual and Transgender Elders), 305
Seventh Ave. (at 13th Street), which he
said is a great place for older gay men to
socialize. “Some have pets, but human
contact that comes from senior citizens
centers is also important,” he said.
Don’t underestimate pooch power, not
only for home companionship but also
as a people magnet. Neighbors and dog
lovers can’t resist striking up a conver-
sation with the owner of a cute canine.
Also, there are dozens of dog runs in
Manhattan, where both dogs and owners
have a grand time exchanging pleasant-
ries, which can always open the door
to socialization outside of the enclosed
circuit. You can find a list at www.nycgov-
parks.org/facilities/dogruns
Paul also enjoys the senior programs
at the Marble Collegiate Church at 1 W.
29th St. Many houses of worship have
meal programs, activities for seniors,
holiday and other events where seniors
27
Few Friends Combined with
Loneliness Hurts Health for Elderly
Newswise – Although not having many
close friends contributes to poorer health
for many older adults, those who also feel
lonely face even greater health risks, a
study from the University of Chicago sug-
gests. Older people who are able to adjust
to being alone don’t have the same health
problems.
The study is the first to examine the
relationships between health and two dif-
ferent types of isolation. Researchers mea-
sured the degree to which older adults
are socially connected and socially active.
They also assessed whether older adults
feel lonely and whether they expect that
friends and family would help them in
times of need.
“Social disconnectedness is associated
with worse physical health, regardless of
whether it prompts feelings of loneliness
or a perceived lack of social support,” said
study co-author Linda Waite, Lucy Flower
Professor in Sociology at the University of
Chicago.
At the same time, researchers found a
different relationship between social iso-
lation and mental health. “The relation-
ship between social disconnectedness and
mental health appears to operate through
feelings of loneliness and a perceived lack
of social support,” Waite said.
Older adults who feel most isolated
report 65 percent more depressive symp-
toms than those who feel least isolated,
regardless of their actual levels of connect-
edness. The consequences of poor mental
health can be substantial, as deteriorating
mental health also reduces people’s willing-
ness to exercise and may increase health-
risk behaviors such as cigarette smoking
and alcohol use, Waite explained.
Among the study’s findings
• The most socially connected older
adults are three times as likely to report
very good or excellent health compared to
those who are least connected, regardless
of whether they feel isolated.
• Older adults who feel least isolated
are five times as likely to report very good
or excellent health as those who feel most
isolated, regardless of their actual level of
social connectedness.
• Social disconnectedness is not related
28 N E W HORI Z ONS | Summer 2009
to mental health unless it brings feelings
of loneliness and isolation.
Older adults who are able to withstand
socially isolating circumstances or adjust
their expectations so they do not develop
strong feelings of loneliness may fare
better, the study suggests. “We need to
better understand how older adults adapt
to changes in their social relationships,”
Waite said.
The work is reported in the article, “Social
Disconnectedness, Perceived Isolation and
Health Among Older Adults,” published
in the March issue of the Journal of Health
and Social Behavior, a quarterly journal
of the American Sociological Association.
Waite conducted the study with lead author
Erin York Cornwell, a postdoctoral associ-
ate in sociology at Cornell University.
For their research, the scholars exam-
ined the results of the National Social Life,
Health and Aging Project, a nationally
representative study of older adults sup-
ported by the National Institute on Aging.
The study, a comprehensive look at aging
and health, included interviews with about
3,000 people aged 57 to 85 between 2005
and 2006.
Because of the size of the survey, the
researchers were able to consider in detail
older adults’ social networks, their partici-
pation in social activities, their feelings of
loneliness and their perceptions of the
availability of help or advice from friends
and family members. They also asked
questions about physical health, mental
health and feelings of sadness or depres-
sion.
The work should help policymakers
develop programs to compensate for the
problems brought on by social disconnect-
edness and loneliness among older people.
Aging often brings changes in social rela-
tionships as individuals retire, take up new
activities, endure losses and experience
health changes, the authors said.
“For some older adults, a shrinking
circle of friends and family can lead to feel-
ings of loneliness or isolation. Our find-
ings suggest that those who adapt to losses
so that they don’t feel isolated fare better
with respect to both physical and mental
health,” Cornwell said.
feel welcome and part of a compassionate
community.
Cottrell also noted that many of the
“When they come seniors who come in for information say
they want to socialize but don’t want to go
to a community to a senior center. “They feel they don’t
fit in there,” she said, “but would like a
like this, where discussion group to talk about aging.” So
she obliged and started one. A big issue is
they have a lot in also support for decluttering, so she has
ten different ongoing decluttering groups.
common, it helps “They meet with other seniors, talk about
what to save, what to throw out, and work
them blossom out how to do it together,” she said.
The local Y’s are abuzz with social
again, where before activity. Many have special classes or pro-
grams for seniors at discounted rates, like
they were shut the Educational Center for Retired Adults
at the 14th Street Y, which is at 344 14th
in and didn’t see St.; the McBurney Y, 125 West 14th St.;
and the 92nd St. Y, 1395 Lexington Ave.
people very often.” In addition, the Chelsea Recreation
Center, at 430 West 25th St,. between
Ninth and Tenth avenues, is a state-
– Roberta Mikhael of-the-art facility run by the New York
City Department of Parks & Recreation,
The Village which offers a $10 annual membership
for seniors 55+ for use of all its recreation
at 46 & Ten centers and indoor pools. Chelsea is one
of the largest recreation centers in the
city and features a six-lane, 25-yard pool,
a gymnasium with basketball and volley-
ball courts, fitness rooms, a dance studio,
Hudson Guild’s Fulton Center provides
a game room and an arts and crafts room.
many social opportunities for seniors,
such as this movie discussion group. It also has a computer resource cen-
ter with instruction and senior painting
workshops. The Asser Levy Recreation
Center, 501 Asser Levy Pl., at E. 23rd St.,
also caters to seniors with senior swim
time and special Fitness Room hours.
Being a student is a great way for
seniors to expand their social network.
Many schools and universities have
programs for seniors at reduced rates,
such as New York University’s Osher
Lifelong Institute (www.scps.nyu.edu/
learning), the Lifelong Learners Program
at Columbia University (www.columbia.
edu/cu/bulletin/uwb/), and some of
CUNY’s schools of continuing educa-
tion. However, if you don’t want to com-
mit to courses, there are book clubs at
local libraries, readings at local theaters,
museum lectures and talks at historic
institutions, which are listed in news-
papers, on websites and on community
bulletin boards.
Claudia Teller, the activities director
at Village Care’s 82-apartment senior liv-
ing residence, The Village at 46th &
Ten, saw great changes in people who
participate in the building’s acting group.
“They have to work together,” she said.
“They have movement, hearing and sight
issues, which they have been able to con-
quer in the acting class. It’s a marvel to
see them.”
Roberta Mikhael, director of commu-
nity relations at the residence, sees the
value of community up close and per-
sonal every day. She says that as people
get older and friends die off or move way,
they feel isolated. “When they come to
a community like this, where they have
a lot in common, it helps them blossom
again, where before they were shut in
and didn’t see people very often,” Mikhael
said. She cited the example of one cur-
rent resident, who previously lived on his
own. “He wouldn’t see people for a long
time and wouldn’t talk on the phone.
When he came here, he became one of
our very active residents. I love to see this
happen,” she said.
A lot of the seniors who drop in at the
information center are already engaged in
political action and issue-oriented groups
like the Grey Panthers and Chelsea hous-
ing groups, said Cottrell. Getting involved
with like-minded individuals and causes
is not only an invaluable socializing tool,
but can also benefit your building, neigh-
borhood or the world at the same time.
With budget cuts and layoffs, volun-
teers are more necessary and appreci-
ated than ever to keep social programs
running. In New York City there are
myriad opportunities, such as working in
a community garden, feeding the hungry,
visiting the homebound seniors, tutoring
immigrants, taking care of pets or help-
ing out at an understaffed non profit.
New York Cares, a leading volunteer
organization, has dozens of postings on
its website.
Lastly, a word about Internet chat
rooms. While they provide some net-
working for seniors, Facebook will never
replace face time. Scientists have con-
cluded that there is a biological differ-
ence between virtual communication and
real communication. People who get
too involved in online activities are not
exercising or engaging with others, which
are by far the best ways to live long and
prosper. g
29
standpoint
Aging Group Sees Call-to-Action
Needed for Chronic Care Reform
WASHINGTON, DC – The results of the
A new survey Reforming Health Care: Americans Speak Out
About Chronic Conditions and the Pursuit of
commissioned Healthier Lives survey shows many chronic
disease sufferers are delaying health care due
by the non- to cost. As a result, they are living in pain and
feel abandoned by their health care providers.
profit National The survey was conducted of more than
Council
1,000 Americans, 44 and older with a chronic
illness such as heart disease, arthritis, hyper-
on Aging tension and diabetes. Surveyors found that
more than two-thirds (68 percent) have two or
(NCOA) more chronic conditions – and 20 percent have
four or more chronic conditions. Alarmingly,
reveals a bleak one in four (25 percent) survey respondents
have delayed health care or not filled much-
and broken needed prescriptions due to cost in the past
year, despite the fact that they are frequently or
health care sometimes living in pain (71 percent), stressed
system for (65 percent) or depressed (50 percent).
While most survey respondents say they rely
millions of on the health care system for ongoing help,
many feel as if they are not getting the support
Americans they need.
Over half (57 percent) of those surveyed
suffering from say their health care providers have not asked
whether they have help to manage their prob-
a variety lems and 45 percent say that they rarely or
of chronic never receive referrals to resources such as
classes, counselors, dieticians and health edu-
conditions. cators. Over one-third (38 percent) say they
don’t have the money it takes to do things that
will improve their health, and this percent
is much higher among Latinos (63 percent),
African-Americans (58 percent), people with
annual household incomes below $20,000 (65
percent) and people with four or more chronic
conditions (59 percent).
With chronic conditions as the central chal-
lenge to American health care today, the NCOA
seeks to identify gaps in appropriate chronic
care, including self-care, to inform the national
conversation about health care reform. The sur-
vey examines the attitudes of Americans with
chronic conditions and explores their quality
of life, health needs and experiences with the
health care system. The survey also identifies
barriers to self-care and what is needed to bet-
30 N E W HORI Z ONS | Summer 2009
viewpoint
Caring About Long-Term Care
By Lisa Eckenwiler Progress, outlines seven ethical principles of
caregiving that can help guide policy mak-
As Americans live longer, the need for ers and other stakeholders in their efforts to Thanks in part
long-term care and long-term caregivers will ensure that the country meets its obligations
ter manage overall health.
continue to grow. Indeed, a defining issue for to the dependent elderly and their caregivers. to a century
“Chronic disease accounts for more than 75
percent of the nation’s $2 trillion medical care
current and coming generations is how the From this principled foundation, we can bet-
ter envision and design specific policy strate- of progress in
United States and other nations will address
costs,” said Nancy Whitelaw, senior vice presi-
the needs of their aging populations and  pro- gies. The seven principles are:
dent of NCOA’s Center for Healthy Aging. “In
vide adequate care for the dependent elderly. An Ecological Ethic: Recognizing the public health
order to truly help direct health reform efforts,
The number of Americans over the age of interconnectedness of people, systems and
NCOA listened to those most affected to get a policies. and medicine,
better understanding of their challenges and
75 will more than double and the number of
those over 85 will roughly quadruple in the Respect for Human Dignity: Respecting
what they need to better manage their health.
first half of this century, overwhelming the the unique worth of all people and their pur- many people
Given what the survey participants told us, we suit of a good life at all stages.
nation’s long-term care services with 80 mil-
identified three areas of focus necessary for
lion elderly by 2050 – up from the 34 million Beneficence: Maximizing benefits, includ- are enjoying
reforming the health care system in order to ing health and security.
today who are already mostly underserved
support Americans with chronic conditions.”
or worse. The current health care system is Compassion: Demonstrating concern for healthier lives.
NCOA characterizes the following three the well-being of others, especially the vul-
areas of focus as:
poorly suited to serve the needs of the elderly
and their families, and we lack a framework nerable. Yet the success of
Policy: The federal government needs to Reciprocity: Appreciating and compensat-
make investments in community-based pro-
to address and improve it.
Assisted living facilities, residential care ing those who give back to society. modern medicine
grams, and in primary care and hospital set-
tings to ensure team-based, coordinated care
facilities, and adult day care centers are
plagued by insufficient funding; shortag-
Temperance: Taking a long view rather
than looking for short-term fixes. also presents us
across all settings.
Practice: Health care professionals have a
es of staff, particularly experienced staff, Social Justice: Treating all people fairly
and equally and building just social institu- with challenges
and unsafe conditions. And paid caregivers
responsibility to connect their patients to effec-
tive community self-care programs, as well as
account for only 20 percent of long-term tions.
care. The report reviews the circumstances fac-
improve the quality and coordination of care to
The majority of long-term care – a stag- ing the dependent elderly and their paid
people with chronic conditions. and unpaid caregivers. It highlights how the
Personal Skills: Americans with chronic
gering 80 percent – is provided by unpaid
caregivers, usually family and friends. At needs of dependent elders and those who care
conditions need to develop the skills and con-
fidence to manage their health and to advocate
least six out of 10 of these caregivers are also
employed in the paid work force, and 42 per-
for them are intertwined. And it shows that
policy sectors are interconnected, affecting
for the help and support they need.
According to NCOA, a key element for suc-
cent are over the age of 50 themselves. Yet decisions made across the policy spectrum
and, in turn, affecting the lives of these giv-
few employers have written policies regard-
cess resides in community-based programs
that focus on self-care, which includes teaching
ing elder care, and even fewer subsidize any ers and recipients of care. The report follows
elder care benefits. this ecological analysis and elaborates on the
problem-solving, decision-making and com- ethical framework that can guide policymak-
The United States is ill-equipped to han-
munication skills that are needed by people ers and other stakeholders in their efforts to
dle the current demand for long-term care,
with chronic conditions to manage their own envision and implement specific, integrated
and the growing elderly population will only
health outside of the clinical setting. policy strategies and ensure that the country 
exacerbate these strains. It is therefore vital
“It is important for Americans with chronic meets its moral obligations to the elderly and
to explore the range of concerns raised by
conditions, especially older adults, to seek their caregivers while also growing stronger 
the current system of caregiving now and
support programs in their local areas to bet- socially and economically.
create an ethical framework for addressing
ter manage their health,” said Dr. Chad Boult,
the issues.
professor of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School (Ms. Eckenwiler, associate professor of phi-
A strong ethical framework for discussing
of Public Health. losophy in the Department of Philosophy and
and understanding long-term care – as well
Evidence-based health programs can result director of health care ethics at the Center for
as evaluating programs and practices – will
in significant improvements in energy, health Health Policy Research and Ethics at George
provide a foundation for meeting the needs
status, social activities, less fatigue and lower Mason University, is a visiting fellow at the
of the dependent elderly and their caregivers,
use of the hospital and/or emergency room. For Center for American Progress, www.american-
and serve as a guide for policymaking.
more information, please visit www.healthyag- progress.org. She is the author of An Ethical
The report, An Ethical Framework for
ingprograms.org. Framework for Caregiving.)
Caregiving from the Center for American
31
the l a s t word
By Louis J. Ganim
The (Not So) New Old Age
T
he other evening, an upstate woman
was featured on TV news as having
“reinvented” herself. She was in her
early sixties.
The woman had lost her job of many,
many years as a comptroller (pronounced
controller, by the way), and, not wanting to
retire, what did she do? She started baking
pies. And selling them.
She started in her own kitchen and her
pies were so good, or at least sold so well,
that she soon outgrew the space and sought
out a nearby ARC (Association for Retarded
Citizens) for baking assistants and a larger
kitchen.
At last count, they were baking – and
selling – more than 800 pies a month. But
things are about to get more demanding.
She just signed a deal with a local super-
market chain. Starting soon, she and her
ARC workers will have to turn out some
5,000 pies a month!
They say they are ready for the challenge,
however daunting it may seem.
At the end of the news piece, the reporter
asked the financial-pro-turned-baker if she
had any advice for people. She said:
“Don’t worry about what you are going
to do tomorrow – worry about what you are
going to do today.”
What surprises us as we get older, I
think, is less about how frail we can get – we
always expected that – than it is in realizing
how much we can do and accomplish.
We also learn that the well-worn adage
was indeed wrong. You can teach an old
dog new tricks.
This isn’t anything new. It’s always been
this way. I think we notice it more now
because there simply are more people living
longer and who, as singer Curtis Mayfield
put it, “keep on keepin’ on.”
There’s a lot of talk about how Baby
Boomers are going to “redefine retirement.”
Retirement as a concept is itself relatively
new in the first place. You don’t have to
look much farther than the early 20th
Century when there was no such thing as
“retirement.” After all, the life expectancy
32 N E W HORI Z ONS | Summer 2009
of someone born in 1901 was just under
50 years.
Not a lot of demand for retirement
planning in those days, except that there
was one unfortunate consequence in that
women were expected to outlive men, by at
least three years, it was estimated, of those
born in 1901. As the U.S. population grew,
so did the numbers of destitute widowed
women
As the decades of the 20th Century
moved on, life expectancy kept advancing
primarily due to modern developments
in public health and the development of
antibiotics, interrupted by the occasional
world war.
The generation born in the 1920s-1940s
had a life expectancy of 55 to 60 years. But
you know what? We kept getting better
and better at keeping people alive, so that
by the time these folks reached their “life
expectancy at birth” of 55 or so, as many of
them did, whoops, what do you know, we
discovered they could live maybe another
20 years. Or more.
Remember, we were a manual labor kind
of country for most of the 20th Century and
the opportunities in the workplace often
declined with age, especially with every
influx of new, young, strong workers.
We had to do something with the sur-
vivors: Give them a little Social Security
check, a gold watch maybe, a pat on the
back and off you go into “retirement” for a
while before you go to the “old folks home”
and then into the pine box.
An oversimplification? Perhaps.
There have always been those who have
resisted the idea of retirement. In olden
days it was those with good genes and good
fortune who lived extended lives, and those
who did gave little thought to dropping out
and becoming idle. Ben Franklin, for exam-
ple, invented bifocals when he was 79.
Nowadays, lots more of us live longer
because science and medicine have given
us that opportunity. Baby Boomers, a force
to be reckoned with as they have aged as
a group, are looking to create their own
Order your copy of
Legends of the Village
A compilation of striking photographs and
opportunities to stay active. They will,
assuming the economy cooperates. short stories of the legends of Greenwich Village.
This is a good thing.
We only have to look back to the last
century to see examples of how age is no
barrier to continuing to contribute and to
to order visit
www.vcny.org
excel. Here are some examples:
• Frank Lloyd Wright completed his
architectural design of the Guggenheim
Museum at age 89.
• Choreographer Martha Graham pre-
miered Maple Leaf Gala at age 95.
or call
212.337.5750
• Ichijirou Araya climbed Mount Fuji at
the age of 100.
• Harlan Sanders, make that Colonel
Sanders, started the Kentucky Fried
Chicken franchise at 65, using his first
price: $95
Social Security check.
• Walt Stack completed the Ironman
Triathlon at 73.
Switching subjects (a bit): Some people
just are late bloomers. Anna Mary Rob-
ertson Moses was an embroiderer most all
her life, but arthritis ended that. So, she
started painting. Some of her work, dis-
played in a drug store window in the little
upstate New York village of Hoosick Falls,
was spotted by a collector, and it wasn’t
long before everyone knew who “Grandma
Moses” was.
She painted for much of the next three
decades before her death at 101. One of her
works hangs in the White House. Another Geoffrey Holder
sold for $1.2 million. Artist, Actor
Someone once said that as you grow
older, you become more carefree. Maybe
it’s just that a life of experiences somehow
frees the spirit. A song that captured this
was written in 1967 by Paul Anka, who
adapted the work of three French songwrit-
ers – Jacques Revaux, Gilles Thibaut and
Claude Francois. Anka’s version has lyrics
that include:
I’ve loved, I’ve laughed and cried.
I’ve had my fill; my share of losing.
And now, as tears subside,
I find it all so amusing. Village Care of
That, of course, is My Way, made famous New York
by Frank Sinatra.
33
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