The Aging in New York Fund, Inc. is proud to support innovative initiatives to respond to the evolving needs of the aging population of New York City for over three decades. Its inception and history is rooted in creating pilot programs such as City Meals on Wheels, which successfully spun off as an independent nonprofit, as well as its specialty employee assistance program for empowering caregivers, the Partnership for Eldercare. 

Please consider ways in which you can support efforts to keep the City's seniors healthy, active, and independent.  Donations are greatly appreciated!

Current demonstration efforts:

TimeBanksNYC (TBNYC) is a new citywide program connecting individuals who recognize that each person has talents to share, and that the overall community is strengthened when neighbors help one another with a wide range of services. For each hour a TBNYC member spends providing a service or sharing a skill with another member, she or he earns a "time credit" for the exchange. This "time credit" can then be redeemed for a service from someone else in the network, and so on. For more on TBNYC call 866-244-6469 or JOIN Today.

Bridging the Gap (BTG) is an intergenerational community service initiative that connects to TimeBanksNYC.  The goal is to link pairs of two low income, middle and senior high school students with a member of a neighborhood senior center with whom they will partner over the course of the program, to implement projects that benefit the senior center, the school or a third organization in the area. The school/center partnerships this year are: (1) Port Richmond High School and Catholic Charities Senior Center in Staten Island; (2) the High School for Service and Learning and Ft. Greene Hazel Brooks Senior Center in Brooklyn; and (3) the Museum School and the Hudson Guild Senior Center in Manhattan. Some of the projects they are undertaking include writing letters to the troops, creating crafts for sale at the senior centers, and making a quilt for donation to a nursing home. For more on BTG Call 212-788-6589.

It's My Money! is an interactive financial literacy game offered in English, Spanish, Chinese and Russian designed to educate seniors about fraudulent activites that are targeted specifically at the elderly. The game contains two units, Senior Scams Prevntion and Identity Theft Prevention and was generously supported by an anonymous donor, JPMorgan Chase, and the McGraw-Hill Foundation. The project focus group period has concluded and the game is now available for download HERE. For more on It's My Money! call 212-788-6589.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DFTA/ANYF Pilot Program Collaborations:

The NYC Coalition on Aging and Vision was developed with initial support from the Reader's Digest Partners for Sight Foundation, to improve and increase access to vision-related services for older adults with vision loss. Coalition members include Visions/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired (VISIONS), the Jewish Guild for the Blind (the Guild), Helen Keller Services for the Blind (HKSBC), and Lighthouse International (Lighthouse), who comprise the core network of vision rehabilitation services in New York City for older adults. The Coalition is responsible for different programs including an interpreter bank for member agencies, funded by The New York Community Trust, that provides translation assistance during clinic and other vision related visits to elderly clients who speak a variety of languages such as Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Russian. For more on The Coalition call 212-442-0965.

Ongoing DFTA programs that receive ANYF support:

Alzheimer's and Long-Term Care Services provides year-round counseling, referrals and educational services for families of Alzheimer's patients and professionals, as well as guidance for families seeking help on long term care for elderly relatives. The Center also sponsors the Annual Mayoral Conference on Alzheimer's Disease, which attracts 1,000 participants from social service, medical and caregiving sectors. Call "311" and ask for the Alzheimer's and Caregivers' Resource Center.

Assigned Housing Counsel provides enhanced social work services to the vital pilot initiative addressing the legal needs of seniors who are involved in eviction and other housing-related legal matters in the Manhattan and Brooklyn Housing Courts. Call "311" and ask for an Assigned Housing location.

The Grandparent Resource Center provides assistance to people aged 50 or older who are raising grandchildren or other young relatives.  Services include access to grandparent caregiver support groups, information about financial and health benefits to which a grandparent and his/her family are entitled, information on adoption, kinship foster care and child custody options, counseling and respite services. Call "311" and ask for The Grandparent Resource Center.

 

HICAAP provides monthly in-person multi-lingual community lectures on Medicare's coverage, costs, enrollment requirements, claims processing and preventive services. In addition, this expert unit --knowledgeable in the many facets of health insurance information counseling and assistance to medicare eligible New Yorkers -- provides panel discussions on how to select a Medicare Advantage Plan.

The Intergenerational Program recruits students who receive course credits toward high school graduation and invaluable work experience by forging relationships with frail elderly while seniors gain an opportunity to mentor the next generation. With support from the Michael Scarfia Foundation and an anonymous donor, two and four year college scholarships are provided to outstanding participants in the NYC Department for the Aging's Intergenerational Work Study Program. Call "311" and ask for The Intergenerational Program.