Minutes

• Minutes From March 18, 2010
• Minutes From February 18, 2010
• Minutes From November 19, 2009
• Minutes From October 15, 2009
• Minutes From September 17, 2009
• Minutes From March 19, 2009
• Minutes From February 19, 2009
• Minutes From October 08, 2008
• Minutes From September 18, 2008
• Minutes From March 20, 2008
• Minutes From February 15, 2008

West Side Interagency Council on Aging
Minutes of General Meeting Held on 03/18/10

The meeting started as WSIACA Co-Chair, Arleen Stern, greeted and thanked everyone for attending. She asked all attendees to sign in; and encouraged anyone who was not a member, to become a member of WSIACA. Ms. Stern also reminded the group of the next general meeting which will be held on April 15th, 2010. The guest speaker will be Benjamin Cirlin, CSW, speaking on: "Grief and Bereavement: How It Affects Us As Clinicians"

Ms. Stern invited the attendees to introduce themselves.

Announcements:

Diane Schottenstein, President of Elite Home Services, LLC, introduced her new blog, elitehomeservicesmuc.com. She stated that anyone can add comments to the blog on how to deal with financial abuse of seniors.

Michael Hoffman, WSIACA Bea Goldberg Committee Co-chair, reminded everyone of our Annual Bea Goldberg Memorial Lecture, May 12, 2010. Dr. Christina Zarcadoolas, Mt. Sinai, will speak on Medical Literacy: The Pathway to more Effective Communication.

Deborah Scheinberg provided a flyer from The National Network for Social Work Managers. On April 29th and 30th at Fordham University at Lincoln Center, a seminar will be held on the topic of “Visionary Management: Preparing to be Agents for Change in a Post-Recession Environment.” For further details, www.socialworkmanager.org or contact Shelly Wimpfheimer at swimpf@aol.com.

Guest Speakers:

Jim Palmer, WSIACA Membership Committee Co-chair, introduced guest speakers from StoryCorps, Charlotte Okie and Liam Pierce--StoryBooth Department Interns, and Alexis Creer--Memory Loss Initiative Coordinator. Their topic of discussion was: "Honoring the Life Stories of Older Adults."

Liam Pierce, a booth worker at StoryCorps, began with a question – “Is there a fact about you, that by looking at you, a person would not know?” Mr. Pierce went on to tell us that the mission of StoryCorps is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives. This is accomplished through both the StoryCorps interview experience and the content that emerges from these interviews. (http://storycorps.org/about/mission-and-principles). The interview is an opportunity to highlight voices often overlooked in our society and ensure their stories are passed on to future generations.

The next StoryCorps speaker was Charlotte Okie. She informed us that the organization has been in existence since 2003. Over 10,000 people have shared life stories with family and friends through StoryCorps. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to share and a copy is preserved at the Library of congress. Millions listen to the PBS broadcasts on public radio and the web. StoryCorps is the largest oral history project of its kind. Through these life stories, youth have a chance to learn from their elders and grow closer to family and friends.

Alexis Career is in charge of the Memory Loss Initiative (MLI) at StoryCorps. The MLI was launched in 2006 to encourage people affected by memory loss to share their stories. A person does not have to have clinical diagnosis in order to participate. So far, StoryCorps has done over 1700 interviews and recordings under the Memory Loss Initiative. The Memory Loss Initiative has two other programs: StoryKit The Door-to-Door. Through StoryKit, family members can interview and record their loved ones at home. The Door-to-Door program is the one in which trained staff visits different sites. The Door-to-Door Program is recommended for organizations, schools, churches, institutions, and families. StoryCorps will bring portable recording equipment to a location to record up to six 40-minute interviews per day. Organizations across the country have used Door-to-Door sessions to celebrate anniversaries and milestones, add a personal voice to fundraising and marketing materials, and provide the meaningful StoryCorps experience to their community.1 Both the StoryKit program and Door-to-Door program are not exclusive to the Memory Loss Initiative, but under the Memory Loss Initiative fees are waived for both programs

The meeting concluded with a Q&A session. The representatives from StoryCorp answered questions from the audience. It was an enlightening and informative meeting.

Respectfully Submitted,

Ruth F. Lewis
Amsterdam Adult Day Health Care Pgm.

Minutes, WSIACA General Meeting
February 18, 2010

WSIACA Co-Chair, Arleen Stern welcomed attendees to the meeting and encouraged everyone to peruse wsiaca.org where it is now possible to sign up for e-mail meeting notices. Arleen encouraged attendees to support WSIACA by joining the organization. She then introduced our new administrative person, Dee Greenwood. Introductions of all attendees followed.

Upcoming WSIACA Meetings:
March 18th will feature Veronica Ordaz, NY Site Supervisor of Story Corps speaking on "Honoring the Life Stories of Older Adults."

April 15th, Ben Cirlin,CSW, will speak on "Grief and Bereavement: How it Affects us as Clinicians".

May 12th, Wednesday, our annual Bea Goldberg Lecture, will feature Dr. Christina Zarcadoolas, Mt. Sinai, speaking on Medical Literacy: The Pathway to more Effective Communication.

Announcements:
Jewish Home Lifecare's Insights Connections is available by e-mailing Rise Landsman rlandsman@jewishhome.org with your request and e-mail address.

Susan Mandel, JHL is looking for a LMSW's for fee-for service social workers. Must have home care experience. Interested applicants should check the JHL website, www.Jewishhome.org.

Dorot's Passover Package Delivery, Sunday, March 21, 2010 - 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Annual volunteer opportunity to visit the home bound. Call 212 769-2850, Carrie Jacobs, Mgr. Volunteer Services or Alexandra Newman-Kofinas, Prog. Asst. Volunteer Programs.

Irene Zola, Executive Director, introduced a new volunteer organization called Morningside Village, providing volunteer services in the Columbia University area. This gratis service for older people, serves the 108th-116th St. areas, Morningside to Riverside Drive. Call 917- 775-1199 or e-mail info@supportseniors.org for more information.

Our Speaker:
Jim Palmer, WSIACA membership Committee co-chair, then introduced our speaker, Valerie J. Bogart, J.D., Director, Evelyn Frank Legal Resources Program, Selfhelp.

Ms. Bogart spoke on "Elder Law Update: New Power of Attorney Forms & NYS Proposed Budget Changes for 2010.

Handouts were distributed on: "Statement of the Ad Hoc Statewide Coalition Opposing Cap on Medicaid Personal Care and Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) Services", "NY State Consumer Coalition on Part D, "Wrap-around" coverage in the EPIC and Medicaid Programs for drugs not covered by Medicare Part D plans"; "The New Form M11q in the Medicaid Personal Care (a/k/a Home Attendant) Program in NYC".

Selfhelp will be offering training to understand the new form slated to go into effect on APRIL 1ST. Tuesday, 3/9/10 and Monday, 3/15/10. Valerie Bogart, Esq. and David Silva, Esq. will be the trainers. Please contact Selfhelp if you are interested. vbogart@selfhelp.net or call 212 971-7693.

Ms. Bogart discussed the new Power of Attorney forms, stressing that this is not a do it yourself form. In almost all situations, a lawyer should be involved in facilitating this form.

As always, Ms. Bogart was a fount of information.

Arleen Stern thanked her for her clear and informative presentation.

Respectfully submitted,
Sheila Schlosser, Director, Community Relations, The Esplanade

Minutes, WSIACA General Meeting
November 19, 2009

Co-Chair Arleen Stern: Introductions and next meeting will be February 18, 2010. Valerie Bogart, attorney for Self Help will presen on the new power of attorney and other legal updates. Arleen encouraged all present join WSIACA, and help us with your membership dollars.

Today's speaker is Ms. Gale Brewer, Council Member for New York City since 2002, Upper West Side and Clinton. Ms Brewer is Chair of the Technology and Government Committees, was Chief of Staff for Ruth Messinger.

Ms. Brewer focussed primarily on the topic of bed bugs.

Bed Bugs: Two to three years ago they started to become more visible in New York from SRO's, hotels. This has expanded to private homes, and they are primarily found in mattresses. Department of Health, Dr. Friedan, said at the time that it was not a health problem, but this has since changed. Ms. Brewer contacted the State of New York to institute a program for refurbishing mattresses. Adult Protective Service, hospitals and co-ops have been involved, working together to develop strategies to address this every spreading problem. There is a bed bug task force, with weekly meetings. There is a web site, New York vs. Bed Bugs (newyorkvsbedbugs.org). This contains useful links and information on how to address the bed bug problem. There needs to be education for agencies, workers, etc. in how to advise people to avoid, prepare for and clean up after fumigation. There is also work with moving companies to clean up their trucks and moving equipment.

City Council: Thirteen new members began in the City Council as of last January. Their work focuses heavily on budget rather than legislation which comes out of the state. Councilmember Arroyo is the chair for aging issues.

Commissioner of DFTA is thinking about the issues of helping to keep people at home. There are tenant's workshops once a month on Wednesdays at Goddard-Riverside to provide legal support and advocacy for tenant's problems. Another incentive is to put up timers near bus stops that indicate how long it will be until a bus arrives; this has been very successful in other cities.

Arleen Stern thanked Ms. Brewer for her time and very helpful presentation.

The meeting adjourned at 10:40a.m. following questions and comments.

Respectfully submitted,
Helena Ross,
Mt. Sinai Visiting Doctors Program

West Side Inter-Agency Council for the Aging, Inc. (WSIACA)
Minutes Thursday 10/15/2009

The meeting was opened by Arleen Stern, WSIACA Co-Chair, who invited everyone, including new attendees to join. Arleen announced the next general meeting's speaker will be Council Member Gale A. Brewer. Arleen also stated that membership letters will be sent out in November.

Arleen R. Stern invited the attendees to introduce themselves and take the opportunity to make announcements as well.

Announcement:

1. Selfhelp Manhattan Nazi Victim office has an opening for a full time position of MSW social worker. The job will be starting on November 15, 2009. Please contact Lilian Sicular at 212-971-5475 or email to lsicular@selfhelp.net.

2. Caring People is looking for a full time Registered Nurse. Please contact Caring People at 718-425-4600 or check on line at caringpeopleinc.com.

Speaker: Mark Goreczny, Program Officer, Citymeals on-Wheels Prior to the spring, there were a number of different meal providers throughout the city that did assessments of possible clients for their individual programs.

Then, New York City's Department for the Aging enacted some changes that would affect the enrollment procedures for the home delivered meal program and how it would be structured.

Many of the same agencies that provided meals are still doing so, but there are only a small set number for the entire city, divided roughly by community districts.

Now, in order for a client to enroll in the program, they must contact the case management agency that serves their area. Case management agencies may screen their clients for home delivered meals and authorize all those deemed presumptively eligible to receive meal services prior to performing an in home assessment.

To be eligible, a client must be 60 or over, homebound, and unable to cook meals or shop for themselves. If a client has 20 or more hours of homecare, they are not eligible. You can call the case management agency with any more specific questions on eligibility.

For Community Boards 4 and 7, the case management agency to contact is Selfhelp Project Pilot, 212-787-8106. To find out the case management agency outside of these districts, you can go to www.citymeals.org , click on "Get Meals" and then put in the zip code under "Find your Case Management Agency"

Speaker: James Nussbaum, PhD, MSPT
Mr. Nussbaum is the Clinical Director of ProHealth and Fitness. He has extensive experience in physical therapy and physical fitness.
Topic: Fall Prevention in the Aging Population
Background
In this country, 35% to 40% of 65 and older adults fall every year which amounts to approximately 350,000 people yearly. Patients in the hospitals and residents in the skilled nursing facilities have three times more falls than in the community. Among all the cases, 25% of the falls result in fracture, laceration and hospitalization. Falls are ranked number five in the cause of death. All these statistics indicate that Medicare pays a huge amount of money to heal and care for people from the results of falls. We can reduce the cost of Medicare by providing fall prevention program to the at risk population.

Goals of fall prevention are improving the quality of life and longevity.

Fall prevention:

Assessment/screening-It is preferred to use a team approach. The team should include patient, family, social worker, home health personnel, physical therapist, occupational therapist, psychiatrist and physician.

Education-Identify the problems and offer solution.

Awareness-Understand the risk factors.

Group Program-Exercise is the key to prevention of many ailments.

Individual Program-Physical therapist needs to work up the program for the specific needs.

Proper Use and Fit of Assisted Devices-All devices need to be fitted by a professional person, such as MD, PT or OT for appropriate usage.

Arleen Stern thanked Mr. Nussbaum for his most helpful presentation. His organization can be reached at 212.600.4781.

Respectfully submitted,
Lillian Tsai, Assistant Director of Social Work
St. Lukes Roosevelt Hospital Center

West Side Inter-Agency Council for the Aging, Inc. (WSIACA)
Minutes Thursday 9/17/2009

Topic: Combining Innovation with "Tried and True" for best Geriatric Practice: Mount Sinai's Visiting Doctors and the Martha Stewart Center for Living Programs

Speakers:
Sheila Barton, LCSW -Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mount Sinai
Helena Ross, LCSW - Mount Sinai Visiting Doctors Program

The meeting was opened by Arleen Stern, WSIACA Co-Chair, who invited everyone, including new members to join. Arleen announced that WSIACA holds 6 valuable and informative meetings throughout the year. The website is up and running and she encouraged everyone to visit the site.

Arleen R. Stern invited the attendees to introduce themselves and take the opportunity to make announcements as well.

Announcements:
1. Carol Brown, Executive Manager at COHME INC. is currently seeking an LCSW Social Worker, interested in Elder Care Case management. Please contact Carol by email at c.k.brown@cohme.org or 212-514-7147.
2. Dr. Michael Hoffman of MBIA - inviting all to attend a panel discussion on 10/6 and 11/10 at 3pm on Information on changes of delivery services. These meetings will explore impact on recipients. For more information, please send an email to info@mbiac.org. Both meetings will take place at the Manhattan Borough President Office,1 Centre Street, 19th floor.
3. Helena Ross of Mount Sinai Visiting Doctor's is seeking a bi-lingual Social Worker. This is a full time position making home visits and working with an interdisciplinary team out of Mount Sinai. For more information please email, helena.ross@mountsinai.org.

Bruce Nathanson, Director of Communication and Marketing at Jewish Home Lifecare, provided a brief update and explained building plans in a nutshell. He announced the Land swap deal which will move the Nursing Home 6 blocks south to Park West Village. Jewish Home hopes to build a community of caring where the elderly can maximize their independence. They are in the early phases of this project. It will take 2 years to close site there and 4 years to build residential housing. Bruce shared a blueprint which will hold 9 floors for long term patients and 4 floors for short term patients. Jewish Home is working on legal zoning and the residents of Park West Village as they realize the impact on their quality of life.

Sheila Schlosser, Program Committee introduced guest speakers, Helena Ross, LCSW - Mount Sinai Visiting Doctor's & Sheila Barton, LCSW -Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mount Sinai.

Sheila Barton, LCSW - Social Worker, Coffey Practice Associates at the Martha Stewart Center for Living
Ms. Barton explained that Coffey Associates at the Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mount Sinai has always taken the lead in caring for the elderly. They are a hospital based, primary care practice for Geriatric patients staffed by specialists in Geriatric Medicine. Coffey Practice is also a teaching center for Geriatric and Palliative Care fellows who follow their own panels of patients under the supervision of Geriatric and Palliative Care attendings. Coffey Practice follows an interdisciplinary approach in which patients are assigned to a Geriatrics team comprised of a Geriatrician, Social Worker, Nurse Practitioner, Registered Nurse and Medical Office Assistant who work together to provide comprehensive care. Weekly health enhancement programs such as yoga, tai chi and meditation as well as educational seminars are also offered .

Coffey Practice accepts patients from every geographic area. Currently their patient population comes from East Harlem and north of the East and West 50's St. Although the majority of their patients are over 65, Coffey Practice will see younger patients if they have a geriatric diagnosis.

Coffey Practice does not accept patient's with managed care. This option for funding was explored in the past and was found not to be beneficial to continuity of care.

In order to provide continuity of care to their hospitalized patients, Coffey Practice provides a Geriatric Care team to follow them as inpatients. The team is comprised of an Attending Geriatrician, a Registered Nurse and a Social Worker. The team reports to the patient's personal Geriatric Attending at Coffey Practice.

Coffey Practice believes in the convenience of a centralized location to see all of their physicians for primary care as well as for specialized care. Rheumatologists, cardiologists, urologists, and gero-psychiatrists see their patients at the Coffey Practice location.

Future Directions:
Right now they have 1.5 Social workers for 2700 patients and hope to have additional Social worker support in the future. As leaders in Geriatric Care, Coffey Practice will continue to produce state-of-the-art literature and programs on healthy aging for their patients. Future directions include recruitment of additional volunteers and translators to assist their patients in navigating expansive Mount Sinai medical system.

For more information call 212-659-8522

Helena Ross, LCSW - Program Coordinator at Mount Sinai Visiting Doctors Program
Helena started by sharing the famous quote by George Burns "If I had known I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself."

M.S.V.D.P. provides high quality, patient centered primary and end-of-life care to homebound patients. M.S.V.D.P. is the largest academic primary care program for homebound patients in the country. They offer emotional support and social services to the families and caregivers. In additional, they provide education and experience in home care to medical trainees. The doctors are very committed to their patients and the program. During home visits, the doctor may have a fellow or a student with them as a way to train and educate the next generation of providers.

Patients can call 24 hours as doctors are on call. Patients will get a call back and this can prevent a trip to the Emergency room.

The program does accept some managed care programs which they find challenging. One reason it can get difficult is because they require pre-approval. 40% of patients in the program are dual eligible.

End of life care - 56% of patients in Visiting Doctors die at home compared to 20%. in general. They provide assistance with end of life care. During end of life care they work with hospice and palliative care.

A pilot project will commence 10/1/2009. Visiting Doctors received a two year grant to pilot a program to take care of more patients, to accommodate a waiting list of 100-150 people. Under this project, patients will be assigned to a team. Physicians and NP's (Nurse Practitioners) will use a team approach in caring for patients, with the physicians having primary responsibility. The NP will provide the follow- up visits and will do triage. With this new structure, physicians will be able to see 8 patients a day as compared to 5-6 patients.

For more information visit the website: www.mountsinai.org/visitingdoctors

Respectfully submitted,

Yesenia Zuniga, MSW
Director, Home Outreach Program for Elders

West Side Interagency Council on Aging
Minutes of General Meeting, 3/19/09

Topic: Hoarding- A Clinical Understanding and Pragmatic Approach

Speakers:
Susan Siroto, LCSW, Search and Care Inc.
Kristen P. Bergfeld, Owner, Bergfeld's Estate Clearance

The meeting was opened by Arleen Stern, WSIACA Co-Chair, who reminded the attendees about Bea Goldberg's memorial lecture on Intimacy and Aging, which will be held on May 13th, 2009. The next general meeting will be held on April 23rd, the guest speaker will be Valerie Bogart, who will be discussing wins and losses in the 2009 NY State Budget; updates on Medicaid home care and the Lombardi program.

Arleen R. Stern invited the attendees to introduce themselves and take the opportunity to make any announcements as well.

Barbara Danish from SPOP announced that her agency wishes to hire a Spanish speaking Part-Time CSW.

Deborah Scheinberg, WSIACA CO-Chair, introduced guest speakers Susan Siroto and Kristen P. Bergfeld.

Susan Siroto provided a detailed hand out that explained the definitions and presenting features of a hoarder, which primarily occurs in the elderly population. A hoarder is an individual who collects and accumulates an excessive amount items primarily in their home. The individual is almost always reluctant to discard any items which cause significant clutter at his or her residence.

It is unlikely for a hoarder to acknowledge that he or she exhibits hoarding patterns and that the home environment is unsafe. Hoarders tend to block walkways with their objects and/or utilize their bed or bathroom to store items.

There are proposed explanations for hoarding behavior that is not limited to the elderly. Individuals with a diagnosis with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder may develop compulsive hoarding syndrome. Associated diagnoses include dementia, anorexia, and mental retardation and individuals who experience significant depression, social phobia and isolation.

Hoarders may have emotional attachments to possessions and may have distorted beliefs about the nature and importance of items. Also, individuals with hoarding behaviors may be cognitively impaired which would affect their ability to make decisions and process information. Behavioral and cognitive treatment is recommended during and after a heavy cleaning is completed.

Kristen P. Bergfeld reviewed the services offered by her agency. Bergfeld's Estate Clearance Service was founded in 1987. The agency's primary purpose is to clear a home vacated by death, move, or relocation with care and dignity. Moreover, the agency assists in improving the quality of life of individuals who live in hazardous conditions due to hoarding behaviors. The discussion was mainly focused on the steps that need to be taken when assisting an individual with hoarding patterns.

Deborah Scheinberg thanked our speakers for their informative talks.

Respectfully Submitted,
Melody Lespier, MSW

West Side Interagency Council on Aging
Minutes of General Meeting, 2/19/09

Topic: NYC Budget Changes in Aging: What to expect in our Neighborhood and our City

SPEAKERS:
NYC Council Member Gale A. Brewer
NYC Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito

The meeting was opened by Arleen R. Stern, WSIACA Co-Chair, who discussed the charge of the organization. WSIACA was introduced as the first interagency council in NYC, founded in 1968 to encourage organizations and individuals to unite their resources and their efforts to better serve the elderly in the NYC Upper West side.

Deborah Scheinberg, WSIACA CO-Chair, invited the attendees to introduce themselves and their agencies. Attendees were encouraged endorse a petition to President Obama to make homebound elderly the beneficiary of the national service movement.

Council Member GAIL A.BREWER was introduced as representing the NYC Upper West Side since 2002 and the member of the Council’s Committee on Aging and the Budget Negotiating Team. Ms. Brewer spoke about what she sees as happening in the district in the area of improving services for the aging. There are budget issues and policy concerns, and discussions about what the services for seniors should look like. Issues of case management, specifically delivery of food are being thoroughly explored. Technology and seniors issues were discussed in terms of ways to encourage Senior Centers to use more technology, in accordance with President Obama’s ideas, providing seniors with opportunities to use computers, thereby staying connected to the contemporary world.

Council Members Brewer and Mark-Viverito are members of City Council Budget Negotiation Team. This year, budget hearing at DFTA will be taking place on March 13. The Budget Negotiation Team will be looking on how we are doing given the budget cuts of the previous year, making plans accordingly for the year 2010. They will be looking at what programs are needed, not at the $ 60 - 69 million budget that they have. For example, several programs, such as legal elder abuse prevention and mental health for seniors, are some sort of “champions”, the Council is adamant about these programs. The major budget decisions are being formulated between now and June, advocating, lobbying, speaking to the Council members now is very important. From this point of view, this meeting is very timely. The program advocates have to have their programs seen and heard by the Council members. We do not know what the Stimulus Package would bring but we know how important the advocacy on behalf of the non-profit community is. We represent hundreds of programs on the West Side of our city, we continue working as a Budget Negotiation Team, as Council Members, as individuals, because we care for our seniors.

The next speaker is Council Member MELISSA MARK-VIVERITO. She has served in this capacity since the year 2006. She has focused on preserving affordable housing and maintaining programs for seniors in the East Harlem, South Bronx, and from 96 to 110 streets on the West Side. The speaker shared how the City Council works. She spoke about the world of the City Council being very interesting in terms of how it interacts with the Mayor. She emphasized that it plays a vital role in setting up priorities for agencies and programs, in the ways they are seen, for example, by DFTA. The City Council works closely with the Administration on how they look at the services. Therefore, when it comes to funding, they give valuable recommendations about priorities. Since Council Members have their own individual allocation funds, they make active use of this money to enhance the DFTA funding of programs they consider most important. They have initiated funding of a number of their own unique projects to create an Age-friendly New York City. Another example, City Council used its own funds to enhance the DFTA funded food programs, to assure space and food allocations in the Senior Centers. Other programs, such as NORCs or prevention of AIDS, are mentioned as those under the close attention of the City Council in terms of their funding and functioning. The idea that caregivers to the elderly should be protected by the Human Rights Law is pending, and was given as an example of the legislative work of City Council.

QUESTIONS mainly reflected on the audience’s concern about the quality of services provided to the elderly. Suggestion was made to establish a system, which would assure that those elderly who do not attend Senior Centers and are not the NORC residents, would not be left behind. Attention was brought to the matter of seniors having difficulty paying their rent or affording long-term care. Also highlighted was the need of directing funding into inter-generational visiting programs in order to address the growing social isolation amongst seniors in our community. Keeping Access-A-Ride and Meals-on–Wheels available was emphasized.

Council Members Brewer and Mark-Viverito assured the audience that they understand and share their devotion to helping seniors live with dignity.

Respectfully submitted,
Inna Kreyman

West Side Interagency Council on Aging
Minutes of General Meeting, 10/08/08

Arleen Stern, WSIACA Co-chair, made the opening remarks. After introductions, Arleen encouraged all present to become WSIACA members and to complete updated agency forms. Estelle Abramson announced that membership letters would be mailed out the following week, with the cost of membership remaining at $50 for an agency and $35 for an individual. Michael Hoffman pointed out that the Bea Goldberg lecture is scheduled for May, 2009.

Announcements

Barbara Danish made the following announcements:

SPOP has an opening for a bilingual (Spanish) psychiatrist, 7 hours per week.

SPOP will be conducting Educational Seminars on "Cultural Considerations in the Treatment of Adults" on 10/23/08 at 9AM and "Music Therapy with Older Adults" on 11/13/08 at 9 AM. Call 212-787-7120 x520 or go to www.spop.org.

The SPOP Widowed Persons Service is sponsoring free bereavement support groups on the West Side and the East Side. Call 212-787-7120 x520 for more information.

Program:

Mayumi Okuda, M.D. Gambling Counselor at the Columbia Gambling Disorders Clinic of the New York State Psychiatric Institute, spoke on "Gambling in Older Adults."

Dr. Okuda defined the difference between recreational gambling and disordered gambling and provided the diagnostic criteria for pathological gambling, which is estimated to have a prevalence of 0.4% to 2.0%.

Dr. Okuda spoke of the adverse consequences of pathological gambling. These include:

• Family dysfunction and domestic violence: 15%
• Money losses: 22% reported losing
• Loss of jobs, debt and bankruptcy
• Alcohol and drug related problems: 30%-50%
• Smoking
• High rates of suicidal ideation and attempts
• High rates of criminal behavior
• Health consequences: Insomnia, GI and Cardiac problems, High Blood Pressure, and headaches

Dr. Okuda then spoke specifically about older adults and gambling. She reported that the percentage of 65-and-older Americans who recently gambled jumped from 20 percent in 1974 to 50% in 1998, a surge unmatched by any other age group. She stated that 1 in 10 older adults may face a significant risk of getting addicted.

Dr. Okuda then listed the warning signs of pathological gambling. She offered suggestions on "how to help," which include knowing where to find help, learning about legislation and public policy, increasing community awareness, education and skill development, and early intervention.

The Columbia Gambling Disorders Clinic can be accessed at www.ColumbiaGamblingDisordersClinic.org and is located at 1051Riverside Drive, NY, NY, 10032. Telephone: (212) 543-5367 or (212) 543-5280

Dr. Okuda's slide presentation may be viewed at www.wsiaca.org.

The next general meeting will be held on: Thursday, November 20th at 9:30AM, in the JH&H, Friedman conference room.

Submitted by:
Rob Bruno, Morningside Retirement and Health Services (MRHS)

West Side Interagency Council on Aging
Minutes of General Meeting, 9/18/08

Deborah Sheinberg, WSIACA Co-chair, made the opening remarks. Everyone was asked to introduce him or herself and encouraged to help boost WSIACA's membership. It was announced that the WSIACA website (www.wsiaca.org) is up and running and that WSIACA is aiming to go green. All WSIACA announcements and correspondents will soon be transmitted via the Internet. Co-chair Arleen Stern then collected feedback and ideas for the new website.

Announcements
DOROT seeks volunteers for their Friendly Visiting program. This is a flexible volunteer opportunity to make weekly visits to seniors on the West or East Side of Manhattan. Volunteers of all ages are welcome to engage in a mutually rewarding relationship. Professional support is provided. Contact: Deborah Scheinberg, Director, Friendly Visiting program at 212-769-2850 for more information.

Program:

John Ramos, Community Affairs Police Officer, spoke on Identity Theft, the #1 crime in the country.

Only a few pieces of valid personal information are needed for a thief to commit fraud and they can be obtained through dumpster diving, skimming, stealing, shoulder surfing, dishonest employees, hacking, and changing an address through stealing mail.

Numerous types of identity fraud can be committed; including credit card fraud, utility fraud, check fraud, telemarketing fraud, and Internet fraud. All types can be devastating to one's credit, finances, and personal affairs.

Ways to prevent becoming a victim include keeping your personal paperwork private, shredding unneeded personal information, only carrying necessary personal information away from home, protecting computer passwords, updating computer virus protection programs, being careful with debit and credit card use, and never giving out your social security number.

To report identity theft:

1. Close all open fraudulent accounts .
2. Place a "Fraud Alert" on credit report.
   Equifax: 1-800-525-6282 www.equifax.com
   Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN www.experian.com
   TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289 www.trw.com
   
3. Go to your resident precinct to file report.
4. Report theft to Federal Trade Commission
   Online: www.ftc.gov/idtheft
   By phone: 1-877-ID-THEFT or TTY, 1-866-653-4261
   By mail: Identity Theft Clearing House
   Federal Trade Commission
   Washington, DC 20580
   

John Ramos can be reached at:
212-694-7723 or 646-246-7719
john.ramos@gw.nypd.org

The next general meeting will be held:
Thursday, October 16th at 9:00AM, in the JH&H, Friedman conference room.
Meeting subject: Gambling Addiction and Older Adults.

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West Side Interagency Council on Aging
Minutes of General Meeting Held on 03/20/08

Arleen Stern:  Co-chair of WSIACA, made the opening remarks.  Everyone was asked to introduce themselves.

Announcements:

Anne Cunningham:   Council member Gail Brewer monthly housing clinic is held every third Thursday of every month at Goddard Riverside Community Center.

In conjunction with One Stop Senior Services et al, Council member Gail Brewer is holding a forum on “Aging Friendly in New York City” on Thursday, March 25^th at the American Bible Society.  Everyone who wishes to attend must RSVP.

Michael Hoffman: – Bea Goldberg lecture at Jewish Home and Hospital,

May 14^th.

Deborah Scheinberg: full time social worker position opening DOROT.  Call at 212-769-2850 for further details.

Lilian Sicular:  NV (Nazi Victims) program has opening for a social workers. Call 212 971-7600 for more information.

Arleen Stern:  New website in operation.  WSIACA.com. All meeting material will be posted.  Member and member organizations can now update their information.   Also need people for WSIACA Board. 

Valrey Richards-Lucas: Project Pilot has several vacancies for social workers and case managers.  For more information call 212-787-8106.

Deborah Scheinberg introduced the speaker:

Ted Finkelstein, MSW, Social Worker,

Director of PEA (Project of Equal Access) in the Mayor’s Office – New York City Commission on Human Rights

Highlights of the Presentation

*Aim of PEA (Project Equal Access) is to resolve cases without litigation.

*Educate people on the programs

* Enforce civil rights law and protect people against discrimination, housing,        entitlements, public accommodations etc.

*NYC Human rights law very inclusive, known as the ‘GRAND SCRAM”

GRAND SCRAM = GENDER, RACE, AGE, NATIONALITY, DISABILITY, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, COLOR, RELIGION, ALIEN, MARITAL STATUS

*Landlords cannot discriminate against whom an apartment is rented to if the vacancy is publicly advertised.

*Against the law when renting for landlord to ask about citizenship or permanent residency. 

*Employers should not discriminate against people with criminals records.  *Employers should not discriminate against battered women (including terminating employment).

*Poor people are not a protected class of people.

*Co-ops can reject people as long as the reason is nondiscriminatory.  Bill is pending which will mandate coop boards to disclose to potential buyers the reason for a rejection.

*People are entitled to damages when they are discriminated against.

*The bulk of the discriminatory complaints at this time are from the disabled and older people.

For further information and assistance call:

Ted Finkelstein - 212-306-7330                         

Harvey Fisher – 718-722-3133 (Brooklyn Coordinator)

Respectfully Submitted

Valrey Richards-Lucas, Recording Secretary

Selfhelp Project Pilot

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West Side Interagency Council on Aging
Minutes of General Meeting Held 02/15/08

Arleen Stern: Co-chair of WSIACA
She made the opening remarks. Everyone was asked to introduce themselves. People were encouraged to become members of WSIACA.
Arleen announced that the new website is finished and the webmaster is making final edits. Current members will be afforded the first opportunity to update their information on the newly redesigned website.
This year's Bea Goldberg's speaker will be Dr. Gary Kennedy, geriatric psychiatrist who will speak on aging and mental health concerns; the event will take place on Wednesday, May 14th at the Jewish Home and Hospital.

Announcements
Carla Slomin -WSIACA Board member announced that the WSIACA board is seeking new members; interested parties can call her at 212-580-0535. The Board meets 1st Thursday of each month at DOROT.
SPOP is hosting a series of educational seminars, starts March 7th.
DOROT has opening for a full time SW. Call 212-769-2850.
Selfhelp Project Pilot has openings for a number of Social Workers and case managers. Call 212-787-8106.

Arleen Stern introduced our speaker.
Brett Saarela, LMSW of SPOP:
Her experience includes working with individuals and groups in Substance Abuse. She has worked as Post Graduate Center, Jarvie and SMART recovery program among others. This spring she was nominated as a NASW Member-at-Large and would be delighted to have votes of NASW members.

Highlights of the Presentation


• There are many barriers to overcome in order to detect and treat substance misuse in older adults.
• Substance misuse in older adults is viewed as a hidden epidemic because it is often under recognized, under reported in older adults.
• Barriers to detection and treatment in older adults includes such factors as social isolation; the invisibility of older substance misusers; enabling family members; bias of stereotyping older adults as "drunk;" bias against ability for change; invisibility of older substance misusers
• Examples of chemicals which can be missed or "abused" include alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, sugar, prescription drugs and illicit drugs.
• Substance Abuse in Older Adults can be difficult to detect due to varied reasons. Symptoms can often be confused with signs of dementia, depression, anxiety and other physical problems including memory loss, falls, mood swings, insomnia, irritability and social withdrawal
• The benefits of treating substance misuse elderly are
  -improved quality of life
  -improved ability to care for self
  -less cost for health care system overall
  -positive response to treatment likely

Web sites for self-help groups, exercises & readings:
www.moderation.org
www.niaaa.nih.gov
www.smartrecovery.org


To make a referral to SPOP: 212-787-7120 X514

Respectfully submitted
Valrey Richards-Lucas, Corresponding Secretary
Selfhelp Project Pilot