March is Social Work Month and at LiveOn NY, we celebrate our members who are essential to the work we do in making New York a better to age. Throughout the pandemic, social workers in the human services sector have been on the frontlines working tirelessly to ensure all New Yorkers have the support they need. Here are quotes from some of our members on what moved them to become social workers and their experience as an essential worker.
Today, LiveOn NY announced a partnership with the Reframing Aging Initiative, which is a multi-year strategy to counteract ageism and improve the way policymakers, stakeholders, and the public think about aging and older people.
LiveOn NY unequivocally opposes the continued, systemic attacks on older adults in need of assistance, namely low-income seniors, immigrants, communities of color and other marginalized populations.
At LiveOn NY, we work hard to make sure that the public hears about the issues affecting older New Yorkers, as well as the incredible momentum that exists as we grow old. To this aim, we are proud of each and every time we are able to share this narrative with the press and our local communities.
The time is now to commit to older New Yorkers and remove the barriers that have pushed out communities. Unfortunately, LiveOn NY and our members have seen the hurdles older adults have experienced to simply get a shot, and distribution has also revealed the racial inequities that already plague communities of color. As it stands, Black and brown residents, who represent 22% of the City’s population, have only received 9% of the vaccines.
Currently, more than 11,500 older adults are on waiting lists for State Office for the Aging (SOFA) community based services, particularly waiting lists for home-delivered meals, case management, home care, and transportation that have arisen throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Such services enable older adults in counties across New York to age safely and independently in their communities, avoiding unwanted moves to costlier institutional care settings. This is likely the tip of the iceberg in regards to demand across the state, as federal stimulus funds have helped keep larger waiting lists at bay, and the mere presence of a waiting list is often untenable for an older adult in need, forcing the individual to make the immediate decision to enter an institutional setting.
The vaccine distribution in New York continues to reveal the gaps as older New Yorkers of color are less likely to have access to the internet and technology and yet, we as a State, as a City, and in counties across New York, continue an over-reliance on the use of technology to distribute information and access to this life saving vaccine.
Throughout the pandemic, LiveOn NY’s members and the entire aging services network have found new ways to provide critical services to older New Yorkers in the face of unprecedented demand and a public health crisis. Technology has been the core to making this work possible. Overnight Senior Center classes went virtual and phone calls became the main mode of communication with clients. This work is critical, as isolation is now understood to be a significant health risk and predictor of morbidity. The ability to remain connected virtually has undoubtedly saved lives.
2020 was a year like no other. The COVID-19 pandemic swept across communities, creating a rippling effect that exposed the current political, economic and social gaps that impact older New Yorkers including access to affordable senior housing, food insecurity, the rise of social isolation due to the pandemic and inadequate funding for vital senior services. Yet despite the challenges, organizations and providers have worked tirelessly to make New York a better place to age and ensure older adults have the support they need to truly thrive in New York. Here, we look back at some of our top moments from LiveOn NY and our community in 2020.
