by Olivia Young<\/p>\n
More than 200 older adults gathered at Lehman College July 23 for state Sen. Gustavo Rivera\u2019s 10th Annual Senior Health Fair and Luncheon.<\/p>\n
Greater Riverdale is home to more than 13,000 older adults, according to the New York Academy of Medicine, making up 29 percent of the neighborhood\u2019s population, the highest share in any Bronx neighborhood. The health fair involved about two dozen nonprofits, city agencies and community organizations, including Riverdale Senior Services, all highlighting vital resources for community members.<\/p>\n
Some organizations that were present offered information on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, as well as legal services and housing support.<\/p>\n
For local older adults, the event served not only as an opportunity to connect with resources, but as\u00a0 an opportunity to get out and gather. Robert Ackerson, a former city public school teacher who teaches poetry at the Riverdale Y community center, said he was not personally struggling with access to resources, but that the event is important for those in the community that do need help.<\/p>\n
Josephine Vrazzier, who lives in University Heights, has been attending the event since it started. She described it as a \u201cwealth of information,\u201d adding it is \u201cvital for the constituents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople have to be informed,\u201d Vrazzier said. \u201cA lot of people do not know the services that are available for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rivera said older adults in the Riverdale area and beyond are currently struggling to access affordable housing and healthcare, and often find themselves not only alone, but lonely.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s particularly sensitive when we\u2019re talking about seniors who have fixed incomes, who may not have family members who can be supportive of them, and who may have medical conditions that require an extra amount of care,\u201d Rivera said.<\/p>\n
According to the Center for an Urban Future, a thinktank that aims to reduce inequality,\u00a0 about 64 percent of older adults in the Bronx did not report any retirement income, the highest share citywide. Across all five boroughs, nearly 19 percent of older adults also did not report any social security income.<\/p>\n
Concerns around isolation and affordability were echoed by Wilson Guzman, the associate state director for national nonprofit American Association for Retired Persons, which provided resources at the event.<\/p>\n
In some instances, not being able to meet the cost of living becomes a health risk, Guzman said. He offered the example of an older adult with an oxygen tank who can\u2019t afford their electricity bill. Other older adults are also cutting their medication in half to make it last longer as the price of prescriptions increases, Guzman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere we have our older adults who built this city, live in the communities,\u201d Guzman said. \u201cBut meanwhile they can\u2019t afford to stay in their communities, and they\u2019re not having the resources to meet their needs.\u201d<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s budget also does not adequately provide for older adults\u2019 needs, which has been worsened by inflation, Guzman said. According to a July release from the association, this year\u2019s executive budget included a $12 million investment in home-delivered meals for seniors, but the amount still falls short of the $30 million needed to provide meals seven days a week.<\/p>\n
The affordability crisis older adults face is also worsened by technology advances giving way to more convincing scams as well as the rise in caregiving costs, he said. Between 2019 and 2024, the median cost of home care and assisted living increased 50 percent, according to a March report from the association\u2019s public policy institute.<\/p>\n
These challenges make events like the senior health fair all the more crucial, Guzman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s resources, there\u2019s information, there\u2019s pamphlets and they\u2019re also being fed,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s very important that we\u2019re here today, serving our older adults.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\tKeywords<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tGustavo Rivera,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t senior health fair,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t Lehman College,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t Riverdale seniors,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t Bronx older adults,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t Riverdale Senior Services,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t AARP,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t senior resources,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t affordable housing,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t healthcare access,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t aging in place,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t senior wellness,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t Bronx community,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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