30 Wellness IT’S A HOME RUN - GreatCall...Power, Apple iPhone 7 and Sonim XP3. Debbie Graab, the...
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New York Post, Monday, November 18, 2019 nypost.com 30 Senior Health& Wellness By ELIZABETH KIEFER P AUL Covington pur- chased the cheery apart- ment on the second floor of a regal brownstone in Harlem in 1998. Six years after that, he got married, got a tenant for the apartment and moved out. Two years ago, after separating from his wife, he moved back in again. Now 81, he had begun thinking about ways to supplement his in- come. Then his son saw a subway ad for a New York Foundation for Senior Citizens (NYFSC) Home Sharing Program, which matches seniors with roommates. Coving- ton was curious and filed an online application with NYFSC. Meanwhile, James English, 63, had been living on his own in Morris Park but was looking for a change. “People get older and they need a little more compan- ionship,” he says. English met Covington in person for the first time on a Wednesday morning in early July, chatting out- side before ascending the stairs to see the apartment. The men became roommates almost five months ago, an arrangement they agree has been working out well. Linda Hoffman, founder of NYFSC, pioneered the sharing program in the early 1980s, taking inspiration from similar initia- tives elsewhere. In the years since, it has successfully paired upwards of 2,500 roommates, some of whom remain together for decades and who are referred to as “hosts” and “guests.” Matching a guest with a host is handled by licensed social work- ers every step of the way. Appli- cants fill out a comprehensive set of questions covering lifestyle, habits and more; they also provide references or undergo a back- ground check. Prior to meeting in person, NYFSC arranges a pre-match meeting via video conference, so they can decide whether to move forward. If they do, they’ll solidify the expectations and arrangement with a signed document. At the start, the Home Sharing Program was confined to people 60 and up and limited in geo- graphic scope. Today it’s intergen- erational and citywide, the only nonprofit, non-sectarian agency that serves NYC’s elderly across all five boroughs and every neigh- borhood, according to Hoffman. NYFSC is adopting a more data- driven approach and is about to launch a new campaign. The city- and state-funded nonprofit will be sending letters to approximately 36,000 seniors in the city who live in areas that the Department for the Aging has identified as vulner- able to increased foreclosures. These will target people who live alone or in single-family homes, age 60 and up; down the line, Hoff- man plans to send people on a door-to-door campaign. At a time when the affordable housing landscape is becoming in- creasingly dire, creative ap- proaches like this can enable older people to remain in their homes longer as well as help renters find economical solutions. “It used to be that social security, pension, and your assets were ex- pected to get you through the older years and retirement,” says Katelyn Andrews, the director of public policy at LiveOn NY, an ad- vocacy organization for the city’s seniors. “But now, especially in NYC, not a lot of people have eq- uity in their house, so that leg of the three-legged stool is gone.” Increasingly, savings — whether because of the 2008 financial crisis or lack of opportunities to have grown wealth over a lifetime — aren’t there. “If all you’re left with is social security, it’s simply not going to be enough,” says Andrews. “So while you may never have lived in pov- erty previously, the cumulative disadvantages you might have ex- perienced are going to add up into hardship eventually.” But the setup is about so much more than the money. A cure for loneliness and isolation figures into the equation, as does the po- tential for connection. “People need to feel secure,” she says, pointing to the example of a 93-year-old host who lives in a doorman building on the Upper East Side and currently rents a room to an NYU student. The student pays very little but, in ex- change, is on-site to watch over the host, make sure he’s eaten breakfast and sometimes ac- company him to medical ap- pointments. “Similar interests and val- ues are key, and that’s where the social work component comes in,” says Hoffman. “When a match occurs, we keep following up, and fortu- nately they seem to go well. But it’s all totally voluntary. They can call us anytime and we’ll be there to help.” As the baby-boomer popu- lation continues to age in New York City and else- where, innovative solutions will be key for caregivers and seniors alike. Caroline Ci- cero, Ph.D., is the director of the University of Southern California’s Age Friendly Univer- sity Initiative, and says that reach- ing elderly people to inform them is part of the challenge. “We expect people to walk into a senior center and say, ‘I’m old. Please help me,’ ” Cicero says. “We need to find places that older peo- ple gather anyway and reach out to them. Cities and local communi- ties need to really step up and help older people age in place.” For Covington, the supplemen- tary income of a renter helps him stay on top of his mortgage, but the main benefit he sees is big picture. “The notion of sharing for se- nior citizens, or anyone who is alone, is fantastic,” he says. “The way it was done was really smooth and comfortable, and it also helps you meet people you wouldn’t normally encounter.” English agrees. “I’m so pleased to have Paul as a friend.” Having a roommate means more income, less loneliness IT’S A HOME RUN Stephen Yang Staying connected “CONNECTIONS are good for all minds but particularly for the older mind,” says Michael Perskin, M.D., a clinical profes- sor of geriatric medicine at NYU. But while cellphone us- age among people 65 and older is on the rise, choosing the right tech can be a challenge. “It’s about what the device can do for them,” says David Inns, CEO of GreatCall, which manufac- tures a senior-targeted phone called the Jitterbug, available as a flip phone and tablet. Both are smartphones equipped with a medical alert, tech sup- port and concierge services. Caring.com, a resource site for people caring for aging loved ones, recently ranked cellphones for older adults and put Jitterbug at the top. It also included phones from Con- sumer Cellular, an AARP-ap- proved provider, along with the BlackBerryKey2 LE, Motorola Moto G7 Power, Apple iPhone 7 and Sonim XP3. Debbie Graab, the site’s chief marketing of- ficer, says the features to prioritize are large buttons, bigger screens, hearing-aid compatibility, voice com- mand and caregiver sup- port function- ality like loca- tion tracking. “Those are the most critical, beyond price, ease of use and coverage,” she says. Optimizing functionality is key, too. Anita Perr, a clinical professor of occupational ther- apy at NYU, recommends pre- programming numbers, enlarg- ing the font size, increasing screen contrast and tailoring ringtones and auditory alerts. “Lower tones are easier for people to hear — and make sure they know how to use the volume,” she says. Bottom line: “The more we can keep people connected to the world, the richer their lives are,” says Perr. — Elizabeth Kiefer The Jitterbug gets rave reviews for its usability and functions for seniors. Choosing the best cell phones for seniors James English (left) and Paul Covington share an apartment and good times thanks to a roommate program.
Transcript of 30 Wellness IT’S A HOME RUN - GreatCall...Power, Apple iPhone 7 and Sonim XP3. Debbie Graab, the...
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By ELIZABETH KIEFER
PAUL Covington purchased the cheery apartment on the second floorof a regal brownstone inHarlem in 1998. Six yearsafter that, he got married,
got a tenant for the apartment and moved out. Two years ago, after separating from his wife, he moved back in again.
Now 81, he had begun thinking about ways to supplement his income. Then his son saw a subway ad for a New York Foundation for Senior Citizens (NYFSC) Home Sharing Program, which matches seniors with roommates. Covington was curious and filed an onlineapplication with NYFSC.
Meanwhile, James English, 63, had been living on his own in Morris Park but was looking for a change. “People get older and they need a little more companionship,” he says.
English met Covington in personfor the first time on a Wednesday morning in early July, chatting outside before ascending the stairs to see the apartment. The men became roommates almost five months ago, an arrangement they agree has been working out well.
Linda Hoffman, founder of NYFSC, pioneered the sharing program in the early 1980s, taking inspiration from similar initiatives elsewhere. In the years since, it has successfully paired upwards of 2,500 roommates, some of whom remain together for decades and who are referred to as “hosts” and “guests.”
Matching a guest with a host is handled by licensed social workers every step of the way. Applicants fill out a comprehensive set of questions covering lifestyle, habits and more; they also provide references or undergo a background check.
Prior to meeting in person, NYFSC arranges a prematch meeting via video conference, so they can decide whether to move forward. If they do, they’ll solidify the expectations and arrangement with a signed document.
At the start, the Home Sharing Program was confined to people 60 and up and limited in geo
graphic scope. Today it’s intergenerational and citywide, the only nonprofit, nonsectarian agency that serves NYC’s elderly across all five boroughs and every neighborhood, according to Hoffman.
NYFSC is adopting a more datadriven approach and is about to launch a new campaign. The city and statefunded nonprofit will be sending letters to approximately 36,000 seniors in the city who live in areas that the Department for the Aging has identified as vulnerable to increased foreclosures. These will target people who live alone or in singlefamily homes, age 60 and up; down the line, Hoffman plans to send people on a
doortodoor campaign. At a time when the affordable
housing landscape is becoming increasingly dire, creative approaches like this can enable older people to remain in their homes longer as well as help renters find economical solutions.
“It used to be that social security,pension, and your assets were expected to get you through the older years and retirement,” says Katelyn Andrews, the director of public policy at LiveOn NY, an advocacy organization for the city’s seniors. “But now, especially in NYC, not a lot of people have equity in their house, so that leg of the threelegged stool is gone.”
Increasingly, savings — whetherbecause of the 2008 financial crisis or lack of opportunities to have grown wealth over a lifetime — aren’t there.
“If all you’re left with is social security, it’s simply not going to be enough,” says Andrews. “So while you may never have lived in poverty previously, the cumulative disadvantages you might have experienced are going to add up into hardship eventually.”
But the setup is about so much more than the money. A cure for loneliness and isolation figures into the equation, as does the potential for connection.
“People need to feel secure,” she says, pointing to the example of a 93yearold host who lives in a doorman building on the Upper East Side and currently rents a room to an NYU student. The student pays very little but, in exchange, is onsite to watch over the host, make sure he’s eaten breakfast and sometimes accompany him to medical appointments.
“Similar interests and values are key, and that’s where the social work component comes in,” says Hoffman. “When a match occurs, we keep following up, and fortunately they seem to go well. But it’s all totally voluntary. They can call us anytime and we’ll be there to help.”
As the babyboomer population continues to age in New York City and elsewhere, innovative solutions will be key for caregivers and seniors alike. Caroline Cicero, Ph.D., is the director of the University of Southern California’s Age Friendly University Initiative, and says that reaching elderly people to inform them is part of the challenge.
“We expect people to walk into asenior center and say, ‘I’m old. Please help me,’ ” Cicero says. “We need to find places that older people gather anyway and reach out to them. Cities and local communities need to really step up and help older people age in place.”
For Covington, the supplementary income of a renter helps him stay on top of his mortgage, but the main benefit he sees is big picture.
“The notion of sharing for senior citizens, or anyone who is alone, is fantastic,” he says. “The way it was done was really smooth and comfortable, and it also helps you meet people you wouldn’t normally encounter.”
English agrees. “I’m so pleased to have Paul as a friend.”
Having a roommate means
more income, less loneliness
IT’S A HOME RUN
Stephen Yang
Staying connected
“CONNECTIONS are good forall minds but particularly for the older mind,” says Michael Perskin, M.D., a clinical profes-sor of geriatric medicine at NYU. But while cellphone us-age among people 65 and older is on the rise, choosing the right tech can be a challenge. “It’s about what the device can do for them,” says David Inns, CEO of GreatCall, which manufac-tures a senior-targeted phone called the Jitterbug, available as a flip phone and tablet. Both are smartphones equipped with a medical alert, tech sup-port and concierge services.
Caring.com, a resource site for people caring for aging loved ones, recently ranked cellphones for older adults and put Jitterbug at the top. It also included phones from Con-sumer Cellular, an AARP-ap-proved provider, along with the
BlackBerryKey2LE, MotorolaMoto G7Power, AppleiPhone 7 andSonim XP3.
DebbieGraab, thesite’s chiefmarketing of-ficer, says thefeatures toprioritize arelarge buttons,bigger screens,hearing-aidcompatibility,voice com-mand andcaregiver sup-port function-ality like loca-tion tracking.“Those are themost critical,beyond price,ease of use
and coverage,” she says.Optimizing functionality is
key, too. Anita Perr, a clinical professor of occupational ther-apy at NYU, recommends pre-programming numbers, enlarg-ing the font size, increasing screen contrast and tailoring ringtones and auditory alerts.
“Lower tones are easier for people to hear — and make sure they know how to use the volume,” she says.
Bottom line: “The more we can keep people connected to the world, the richer their lives are,” says Perr.
— Elizabeth Kiefer
The Jitterbug gets rave reviews for its usability and functions for seniors.
Choosing the best cellphones for seniors
JamesEnglish (left)
and Paul Covingtonshare an apartment
and good times thanks to a roommate
program.
