LiveOn NY Featured in Huffpost Among Big Nonprofit Wins of 2017

"17 Wins in 2017: Nonprofits Driving Policy Change"

We are honored to have our work, which was a collaborative effort alongside seniors, providers, and other advocates, featured in HuffPost as one of "17 Wins in 2017: Nonprofits Driving Policy Change". Be sure to check out the article and the tireless work of the other nonprofits featured, each seeking to better our respective fields and the lives of the people we touch.

We look forward to continuing this work and building upon our successes in the New Year!

Featured: Council Member Chin and participants of our member organizations at our 2017 Senior Advocacy Day

Testimony: NYS Assembly Committee on Housing Hearing on Affordable Housing

New York State Assembly
Assembly Standing Committee on Housing
December 14, 2017
Oversight of the State Fiscal Year 2017-2018 State Budget for New York State Homes & Community Renewal

Thank you to Chairperson Assemblyman Cymbrowitz and to the Assembly Committee on Housing for the opportunity to testify today.

LiveOn NY would like to first and foremost thank Governor Cuomo and the entire legislature for the investment made last fiscal year of new affordable housing capital funding. More specifically, we thank the state for the creation of the first capital funding stream for affordable senior housing, allocating $125 million over the next 5 years.

This investment in new affordable senior housing is critical due to the dire need throughout the state. In 2016, LiveOn NY conducted a survey, entitled “Through the Roof” which found that an estimated 200,000 seniors are on wait lists for housing through the HUD202 program in New York City. The lack of affordable housing can have adverse effects on a senior’s health as it forces one to make the difficult choice between skipping meals, going without medications, or avoiding needed healthcare in order to afford rent.

LiveOn NY is hopeful that the critical investments made last fiscal year will help to combat the current housing crisis for seniors and New Yorkers of all ages. Beyond these capital investments, LiveOn NY urges investments to be made in the upcoming fiscal year to fully support seniors by providing service coordinators in both newly constructed and existing senior residences.

Service coordinators in senior housing residences are proven to reduce health care costs. In fact, LiveOn NY’s member Selfhelp Community Services just released a study of the residents in Selfhelp’s senior affordable housing program.  They study compared Medicaid data for residents in their housing in two zip codes and compared it to other seniors living in the same zip codes over two years.

The crucial research found that the seniors living in Selfhelp’s affordable housing had much more positive outcomes including:

68% lower odds of being hospitalized

$1,778 average Medicaid payment per person, per hospitalization for Selfhelp residents, versus $5,715 for the comparison group

53% lower odds of visiting an emergency room compared to a non-Selfhelp resident

In addition, a 2016 study of residents in affordable housing in Oregon showed that Medicaid costs declined by 16% just one year after seniors moved into affordable housing communities. Results also showed that primary care visits increased by 20%, while emergency room visits decreased by 18% and that properties with on-site health services produced the largest decrease in emergency room visits. A 2014 evaluation of the SASH program in Vermont revealed that growth in the annual total Medicare expenditures of program participants was lower by an estimated $1,756-$2,197 per person when compared to the growth of total Medicare expenditures in comparison groups.

In order to truly make New York the first Age Friendly state in the nation, investments in these proven cost-effective service coordinators must be made. LiveOn NY urges a new dedicated funding stream for services in existing and new affordable senior housing buildings. These services can help residents in remaining healthy and independent, supporting the overwhelming desire for seniors to age in place in their homes.  This new program would be a strong pillar of the Governor Cuomo’s Health Across All Policies Initiative. 

LiveOn NY thanks Assemblyman Cymbrowitz and the Standing Committee on Housing for holding today’s hearing and we look forward to working together in the upcoming fiscal year.

LiveOn NY’s members provide community-based services that allow older adults to thrive in their communities. With a base of more than 100 organizations serving at least 300,000 older New Yorkers annually, our members provide services ranging from senior centers, congregate and home‐delivered meals, affordable senior housing with services, elder abuse prevention services, caregiver supports, transportation, NORCs and NY Connects.  LiveOn NY members also develop, operate, and provide services for affordable senior housing building throughout New York City. LiveOn NY advocates for increased funding for these vital services to improve both the solvency of the system and the overall capacity of community-based service providers.

LiveOn NY also administers a citywide outreach program that targets seniors in communities where benefits are most underutilized.  This program helps to educate thousands of older adults, including those who are homebound, about food assistance options, as well as to screen and enroll those who are eligible for SNAP and SCRIE/DRIE.

LiveOn NY is also proud to administer the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program for the entire state. A grant project funded by the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL), this program is aimed at preventing Medicare fraud. SMP is modeled around recruiting and actively engaging senior volunteers to promote peer counseling, education, and assistance. This provides seniors opportunities to not only educate themselves on Medicare issues, but also to get involved and give back to their community. SMPs educate Medicare beneficiaries on how to protect, detect, and report Medicare fraud, through this, SMPs are able to empower beneficiaries to reduce healthcare costs caused by errors, abuse, and fraud.

Testimony: NYC Aging Hearing on Congregate & Home Delivered Meals

New York City Council Joint Hearing
Committee on Aging, Chair, Council Member Chin
Subcommittee on Senior Centers, Chair, Council Member Vallone
December 14, 2017
Oversight: Seniors’ Access to Nutritional and Culturally Competent Congregate and Home Delivered Meals

LiveOn NY thanks Chair of the Committee on Aging, Council Member Margaret Chin, and Chair of the Subcommittee on Senior Centers, Council Member Paul Vallone, as well as the rest of the committee for holding this important hearing.

LiveOn NY also thanks Mayor de Blasio, Speaker Mark-Viverito, Finance Chair Ferreras-Copeland, Aging Chair Chin and Department for the Aging Commissioner Corrado for the critical investment of an additional $1.2 million in baselined funding for congregate, home-delivered and weekend meals during last year’s funding increases associated with the “Year of the Senior” campaign.

At inception, senior centers, borne out of the Older American’s Act, were aimed at providing nutritional services so often lacking for seniors throughout the United States. Today, this model has expanded to include services that support a senior’s overall health and wellbeing, such as fitness classes, cultural outings and art programs. What has not changed, however, is the value associated with congregate meals for the lives of thousands of older New Yorkers each year.

For many New Yorkers, food insecurity remains a harsh reality of daily life. With 250 million meals needed to reach food security for all, and seniors making up an estimated 19% of the city’s population, the demand for nutrition services among seniors remains significant.[1] This is highlighted by the fact that 1 in 6 seniors struggles with hunger in the U.S. For older adults, inadequate nutrition can exacerbate existing conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease or osteoporosis.[2] Further, it has been found that the risk of hunger is not equal among all populations, as seniors with disabilities, African Americans, and other minorities are more at risk of hunger.

Both home-delivered meals and congregate meals combat more than just the strains of food insecurity among seniors. For example, congregate meals offered by senior centers offers not only a nutritious meal but an opportunity for socialization with peers. This socialization improves lives, as isolation has been found to be a greater predictor of morbidity than obesity.  Further, attended by nearly 30,000 seniors daily, senior centers provide critical nutrition services for seniors of all backgrounds, language capacities, religions, and socioeconomic status.

The benefits of home-delivered meals have been well documented after years of programmatic success. Meals on Wheels of America found that 92% of seniors say home-delivered meals enables them to remain in their homes.[3] Given the cost of nursing home use, the ability for home-delivered meals to facilitate the aging in place model should be seen as a cost-savings mechanism for the city. Further, 81% of seniors stated that home-delivered meals improve their overall health and 90% agree that the program makes them feel more safe and secure. The majority of seniors utilizing the program tend to be women, living alone, receiving meals that on average account for ½ or more of their total food for the day.

Given these statistics, we must continue to ensure the programmatic success of both home-delivered and congregate meals by both modernizing and contextualizing the programs.

Contextually, the makeup of older adults in New York City has changed in recent years and will continue to evolve in the years to come. As of 2015, almost 50% of older New Yorkers were foreign born, reflecting a significant need for meals that are culturally appropriate to an array of backgrounds.[4] Further, diversity of religious and health requirements also impacts the variety and associated cost of the meals providers must serve. According to DFTA’s senior center standards, providers must offer menus that “are appropriate to participants’ cultural backgrounds”. This requirement brings a fiscal implication: for example, in 2015, DFTA stated that, “in DFTA’s HDML network, each catered Kosher [meal] is on average $1.38 more than non-Kosher catered meals.” Similar to Kosher meals, Halaal, gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, or other consumer demands have an associated cost-increase.

LiveOn NY advocates that the city fully reimburse providers for all types of meals and support provider’s efforts to serve culturally appropriate meal variations as needed.

Further, LiveOn NY believes that the city must modernize the structure of cost per meal reimbursements to one that consistently reflects rising food costs such as ingredients and labor. From 2008-2013 alone, the cost of food increased by 11% according to the Consumer Price Index. As inflation continues to rise, a system must be put in place to automatically reimburse providers for the full cost of each meal, rather than reimbursing at a consistently insufficient rate. Currently, this lack of adequate reimbursement forces providers to subsidize all meal contracts, a practice that is exacerbating the system’s ability to make ends meet. Additionally, senior center and home delivered meal contracts should be fully funded in terms of the cost of administrative and overhead costs associated with a contract. This change would enable providers to deliver high quality services to older adults as a result of full funding.

These recommendations are supported by the findings from LiveOn NY’s recently held membership convening entitled Senior Centers: Visions and Priorities for the Future. Here, 80 individuals from LiveOn NY member organizations engaged in thoughtful and productive conversation discussing priorities and their vision for how to serve older adults today and in the future. What we found was that members overwhelmingly identified "enhanced nutrition capabilities" as one of the top five collective priorities when looking at their vision for the future.  Discussions around this issue included increasing their ability to offer high quality and more variety nutrition options to best serve their communities. LiveOn NY is continuing to compile the incredible ideas and information discussed at the event which will be shared more broadly with Council and the Administration in the future.

LiveOn NY looks forward to working with NYC City Council and the administration to implement policy and secure funding to bolster this critically important program for seniors in every community.

[1] Food Bank for York City, 2014

[2] Department for the Aging, Annual Plan Summary, 2019

[3] Meals on Wheels of America, 2017

[4] Center for an Urban Future, 2017

LiveOn NY’s members provide the core, community-based services that allow older adults to thrive in their communities. With a base of more than 100 community-based organizations serving at least 300,000 older New Yorkers annually. Our members provide services ranging from senior centers, congregate and home‐delivered meals, affordable senior housing with services, elder abuse prevention services, caregiver supports, case management, transportation, NORCs and NY Connects. LiveOn NY advocates for increased funding for these vital services to improve both the solvency of the system and the overall capacity of community-based service providers.

LiveOn NY administers a citywide outreach program that supports seniors in communities where benefits are most underutilized. This program educates thousands of older adults, including those who are homebound, about food assistance options, as well as screens and enrolls those who are eligible for SNAP and SCRIE/DRIE.  

LiveOn NY is also proud to administer the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program for the entire state, which works to prevent Medicare fraud and its associated healthcare expenses. SMP is modeled around recruiting and actively engaging senior volunteers to promote peer counseling, education and assistance on how to protect, detect, and report Medicare fraud. SMPs empower beneficiaries to reduce healthcare costs caused by errors, abuse, and fraud.

Testimony: State Assembly Aging Committee Hearing on Community-Based Services for Seniors

New York State Assembly
Assembly Standing Committee on Aging
December 6, 2017
Examination of Non-Medical Programs that Support Seniors in the Community

Thank you to Chairperson Assemblywoman Lupardo and to the entire Assembly Committee on Aging for the opportunity to highlight the cost-effective and exemplary work of the non-medical programs statewide that support a senior’s ability to age with dignity and grace in their communities. Further, we want to particularly recognize Chairwoman Lupdaro’s support and efforts last fiscal year to prevent the devastating Title XX cuts that would have closed 65 senior centers in NYC alone. We also recognize and thank Senator Sue Serino, Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Aging for her leadership on these issues as well.

LiveOn NY’s members provide these core, non-medical services that allow older adults to thrive in their communities. With a base of more than 100 community-based organizations serving at least 300,000 older New Yorkers annually, our members provide services ranging from senior centers, congregate and home‐delivered meals, affordable senior housing with services, elder abuse prevention services, caregiver supports, transportation, NORCs and NY Connects.  LiveOn NY members also provide the crucial Expanded In Home Services for the Elderly Programs (EISEP) which include case management and homecare. LiveOn NY advocates for increased funding for these vital services to improve both the solvency of the system and the overall capacity of community-based service providers.

LiveOn NY also administers a citywide outreach program that targets seniors in communities where benefits are most underutilized.  This program helps to educate thousands of older adults, including those who are homebound, about food assistance options, as well as to screen and enroll those who are eligible for SNAP and SCRIE/DRIE.

LiveOn NY is also proud to administer the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program for the entire state. A grant project funded by the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL), this program is aimed at preventing Medicare fraud. SMP is modeled around recruiting and actively engaging senior volunteers to promote peer counseling, education, and assistance. This provides seniors opportunities to not only educate themselves on Medicare issues, but also to get involved and give back to their community. SMPs educate Medicare beneficiaries on how to protect, detect, and report Medicare fraud, through this, SMPs are able to empower beneficiaries to reduce healthcare costs caused by errors, abuse, and fraud.

The topic of today’s hearing surrounds non-medical programs that support seniors in their community. We would like to open by acknowledging that while programs such as senior centers, NY Connects or home-delivered meals are non-medical by definition, their impact most certainly has a positive effect on the overall health of a senior and even a reduction in costs that would otherwise be imposed on the healthcare system. The work of these non-medical community based services can certainly have health impacts, from lowering rates of depression, to preventing isolation, to even reducing hospitalization rates for seniors. It is important to challenge our current framework used to think about community-based services to one that represents their reality: a network of programs in every community working together to holistically improve a senior’s quality of life and their overall health.

The work of the non-medical community-based service sector must be seen as a viable partner and compliment to the overall healthcare system in New York. Funding and policy is needed to enable community-based organizations to expand their data collection and analytics capacity in order to fully and appropriately integrate with the healthcare system. While the community-based service providers have decades of experience in improving outcomes for their senior participants, articulating this fact has been near impossible due to these funding and data limitations. It is our desire to work with the State Office for the Aging, the Department of Health, the legislature, Governor Cuomo, and all interested parties to find ways to come together to continue to improve the quality of life of seniors throughout the state.

Further, this network of community based services, from senior centers, to transportation services, to elder abuse prevention programs help enable seniors to tap into the unquestionable momentum that is accumulated in later life. After years of working to build families, careers, and communities, Older New Yorkers throughout the state use this momentum to even further power up the economy, the political system, and their communities.  In the 2017-18 city and state budget cycles, seniors sent over 40,000 letters to elected leaders to advocate for increase funding for senior services, a shining example of this point.

Beyond the aforementioned health impacts, New York state benefits an estimated $32 billion annually from unpaid caregiving services alone. This $32-billion-dollar impact is thanks to the over 4 million family caregivers providing unpaid care, the estimated 125,000 grandparents raising grandchildren throughout New York, and the multitude of kinship caregivers supporting their loved ones. Beyond economic gains stemming from caregiving, seniors contribute an estimated 119 million hours of volunteerism in the state at an economic value of $3.35 billion.

This incredible economic impact is likely to grow as the number of caregivers and older adults is projected to increase dramatically in the coming years. By 2040, it is estimated that the 60-plus-population will rise to an estimated 5.6 million individuals. These are 5.6 million individuals that should have the opportunity to be supported by a fully-funded network of community-based services in their community.

Unfortunately, this cost-effective system is at risk of insolvency due to inadequate funding and outdated capital investments, which in-turn creates extreme difficulty in retaining quality staff. Seniors are falling through the cracks due to stagnation in the overall SOFA budget and at times, even dramatic cuts to these important programs. There’s a human impact of this unfair budget - growing waiting lists, staff burnout, and a lack of a safety net for seniors. 

For the workforce associated with these community-based aging service providers, the need for increased funding could not be clearer. A 2017 report by the Human Services Council (HSC) found that human services workers make less than what is needed to cover expenses, with the annual pay throughout New York averaging less than $30,000, with up-state New York earnings averaging significantly less. Further, 60% of these workers reported having a family member utilize public assistance benefits such as SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, to make ends meet. Given these realities, it is not difficult to conject as to why staff recruitment and retention can be so difficult for aging service providers.

Organizationally, day-to-day realities have increasingly come to mirror the low-income clients that are served: while the participants live paycheck to paycheck, providers are living payroll to payroll. The HSC study also found that 60% of nonprofit service providers reported that state contracts rarely or never provided for the full cost of the contracted services. With 80% of budgets being funded almost entirely by governmental supports, it is clear as to why the solvency of the system is so at risk.

Despite these bleak findings, it is possible for New York State to turn the tide towards a more fair and equitable budget for seniors and the community-based services that support them. Respectfully, LiveOn NY offers the following recommendations to meet this objective and to support Governor Cuomo’s goal of making New York the first Age Friendly state in the nation:

LiveOn NY’s Recommendations

To achieve the success of the Governor’s Health Across All Policies Initiative, which coincides with the overall effort to make New York the first Age Friendly state, strategic investments must be made in the aging services network. Among these investments, priority should be placed on the solvency of:

• New York Connects: No Wrong Door Initiative

• Community Services for the Elderly

• NORCs: Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities

• Services within Affordable Senior Housing

• Elder Abuse Prevention and Services

• A Dedicated Commitment to Supporting New York State’s Nonprofit Human Services

NY Connects/No Wrong Door – funding request $33 million annually

NY Connects is a locally coordinated system of specialized information and assistance on long term services and support options for age 60+, individuals with physical disabilities, caregivers and providers. New York state has spent years building the multi-agency, cross systems approach to service access.  In New York City alone, the five agencies that serve as the NY Connects provider in each of the boroughs collectively served over 16,000 callers in fiscal year 2017, which was from July 2016- June 2017.  In summer of 2017, SOFA conducted a NY Connects public awareness campaign and those call volumes have increased event more.  In fact, the call volume from July 2017-October 2017 was 9,200 calls which was up from 5,504 calls in that same time period the year prior.  It should be noted that these calls were fielded with less staff due to the cuts.

With increased needs and awareness, the system remains woefully underfunded, and in fact experienced cuts in the past 6 months.  The 2016 Tentative Allocation was $33 million and the 2017 Final Allocation was $19.3 million, which is $14 million less than what was promised. This cut required NY Connects providers in New York city to cut staff, and leave positions unfilled. People are falling through the cracks as they are left on hold and ultimately hang up after no response.

LiveOn NY strongly urges the state to fully fund this program.

Community Services for the Elderly- Additional $24 million annually

Community Services for the Elderly (CSE) funding is a powerful funding tool throughout the state due to its flexibility, which allows counties to fund the most critical and appropriate programming for each area. These services may include transportation, social adult day care, home delivered meals, case management and other similar supports.

Unfortunately, an estimated 16,000 older New Yorkers are on waiting lists for these critical supports, a number that, without investment, is likely to grow due to increased awareness from New York Connects and the rapidly growing aging population.

To meet demand an additional $24 million on top of existing funding is needed. What is important to note is that the impact of this funding will be both local and powerful, serving seniors who have been desperately waiting to be served.

Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs)

Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities are increasingly popular programs that assist residential complexes and neighborhoods with a notably large cohort of older residents. Support is aimed at allowing these seniors to age independently in their homes, as is now desired by most older adults. This creative approach to supporting the aging in place model helps to delay hospitalization or nursing home placement, as well as supports the overall health and wellbeing of the older adult.

Despite the critical nature of these supports, funding uncertainty has recently clouded the road ahead for many NORCs. The recent cancellation of the state’s Request for Proposal (RFA), has led to budgetary planning complications, implementation questions, and uncertainty around the statutory requirements set to begin January 1, 2018. Further, NYSOFA recently notified programs that funding will be set to FY2015-2016 levels for the 2018 calendar year, an effective cut for these programs. This notice comes in spite of the fact that the Legislature allocated an additional $2 million in funding to the program for the upcoming fiscal year.

Concerns remain around the stability of the funding source and the ability to meet the needs of a rapidly growing aging population. LiveOn NY requests that the Legislature examine the recent contractual changes and impacts of such on the NORC providers, and work to protect the current funding level for N/NORC programs. Without action, these programs that older adults rely on to remain stably housed and in good health will become limited and stretched beyond capacity.

Affordable Senior Housing with Services as a Pillar of Health Across All Policies Initiative

Service coordinators in senior housing residences have proven to reduce health care costs. In fact, LiveOn NY’s member Selfhelp Community Services just released a study of the residents in Selfhelp’s senior affordable housing program.  They study compared Medicaid data for residents in their housing in two zip codes and compared it to other seniors living in the same zip codes over two years.

The crucial research found that the seniors living in Selfhelp’s affordable housing had much more positive outcomes including:

• 68% lower odds of being hospitalized

• $1,778 average Medicaid payment per person, per hospitalization for Selfhelp residents, versus $5,715 for the comparison group

• 53% lower odds of visiting an emergency room compared to a non-Selfhelp resident

In addition, a 2016 study of residents in affordable housing in Oregon showed that Medicaid costs declined by 16% just one year after seniors moved into affordable housing communities. Results also showed that primary care visits increased by 20%, while emergency room visits decreased by 18% and that properties with on-site health services produced the largest decrease in emergency room visits. A 2014 evaluation of the SASH program in Vermont revealed that growth in the annual total Medicare expenditures of program participants was lower by an estimated $1,756-$2,197 per person when compared to the growth of total Medicare expenditures in comparison groups.

Thus, in addition to an ongoing investment in capital funding for affordable senior housing, LiveOn NY, along with a coalition of other affordable housing advocates, urges the Legislature to pass legislation and for the state to fund a new senior housing resident coordinator program.  A new dedicated funding stream for service funding for affordable existing and new senior housing buildings that includes an array of services would assist residents remain healthy and independent and age in place in their homes.  This new program could be a strong pillar of the Governor Cuomo’s Health Across All Policies Initiative. 

Elder Abuse Prevention and Services

The hidden crisis of elder abuse is under-recognized, under-reported and under-prosecuted. According to one New York State study, approximately 260,000 cases of elder abuse go unreported each year. That means that for every one case of elder abuse reported, 23 cases are unreported. Financial exploitation is the most common form of elder abuse with only one out of 44 cases reported. Financial exploitation is costing New York state an estimated $1.5 billion annually, according to the 2016 New York State Office of Children and Family Services study. Community-based programs are on the front lines for connecting with elder abuse victims and preventing elder abuse. They educate older adults about elder abuse prevention; provide social and legal services; link victims to resources, such as law enforcement and APS; work with families; help victims access public benefits; and run victim support groups. The Rochester-based Enhanced Multi-Disciplinary Team (EMDT) model program has recovered more than $1 million in court ordered restitution for financial elder abuse victims - more than the previous ten years combined. Funding to expand and sustain EMDTs throughout the State is crucial.

A Dedicated Commitment to Supporting New York State’s Nonprofit Human Services

As a member of the Human Services Council (HSC), LiveOn NY also supports the Strong Nonprofits for a Better New York campaign, which is a Statewide coalition of more than 350 nonprofit human services providers, calling for increased State investment in the sector’s workforce and infrastructure. Working under contract with the State, human services agencies provide crucial services to uplift New Yorkers from all walks of life. The State must ensure these organizations can continue their vital work. 

LiveOn NY thanks Assemblywoman Lupardo, the Standing Committee on Aging for holding today’s hearing and we look forward to working with the state legislature, Governor Cuomo, SOFA and the administration to make New York a better place to age.

Testimony: NYC Aging Committee Hearing on Supporting Unpaid Caregivers

New York City Council
Committee on Aging, Council Member Margaret Chin, Chair
Oversight Hearing on Supporting Unpaid Caregivers
November 29, 2017

LiveOn NY thanks Chair of the Committee on Aging, Council Member Margaret Chin, and the entire Committee for holding this hearing on supporting unpaid caregivers in New York City.

LiveOn NY also thanks Mayor Bill de Blasio, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Finance Chair Julissa Ferreras-Copeland, Aging Chair Margaret Chin, and Department for the Aging Commissioner Donna Corrado for the critical investment of $4 million to the newly created Caregiving program in FY18. We are appreciative of all of the work done to make FY18 “the Year of the Senior” with an investment of $22 million to the Department for the Aging and we look forward to continuing these much needed gains in the year to come.

The Department for the Aging recently released “A Survey of Informal Caregivers in New York City” as required by Local Law 97 passed in 2016. The study highlights the difficulties that the estimated 1.3 million unpaid caregivers in New York City experience on a daily basis[1]. From lost earnings to a lack of information about available services, unpaid caregivers, a majority of whom are women, continue to need increased support and resources. More than half of caregivers studied provide at least 30 hours of care each week, and 3 out of 4 caregivers of older adults were over 55 themselves.

It is important to note that these caregivers not only support their loved ones, but New York State benefits an estimated $32 billion annually from these unpaid services[2]. Further, 28% of grandparents in New York City are responsible for raising grandchildren, which significantly alleviates strains on the foster care system and helps to develop the city’s youth.[3] While caregivers are economically supporting the city and state, they are often struggling themselves financially, physically, and emotionally. More can be done to support these invaluable caregivers who reside in every district and make up every race, gender, and socioeconomic status.

Beyond unpaid caregivers, who make up the unseen workforce supporting New York City’s most vulnerable, is a network of services that also provides care, support, and prevention services to seniors. The entire network of services funded by the Department for the Aging are caregiving mechanisms themselves that act as resources and options for unpaid caregivers and their loved ones. For example, social adult day programs offer peace of mind that a senior is looked after in a safe environment so a loved one can remain a part of the workforce; home-delivered meals support homebound seniors who may have nowhere else to turn for a nutritious meal; case management and home care can help a senior avoid the costly move to a nursing home by providing needed assistance with bathing and household chores. The list goes on as senior centers, NORCs, transportation services, and the entirety of the programs funded by the Department for the Aging serve a critical and cost-effective role of supporting New York’s older adults.

With the solvency of the entire system at risk, and a growing population of seniors, it is critical that the administration and City Council continue to invest in, and baseline, these proven effective aging programs and supports specific to caregivers themselves. LiveOn NY supports a fair and equitable budget that supports seniors of all backgrounds in a culturally competent, respectful, and accessible manner.

We look forward to working with our elected officials to ensure that senior and caregiving issues remain a priority and are invested in as such in the coming fiscal year. Thank you again to the New York City Council and the Committee on Aging for the opportunity to testify on the needs of unpaid caregivers.

[1] Department for the Aging, “A Survey of Informal Caregivers in New York City”, 2017.

[2] AARP, 2011

[3] Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2013