TESTIMONY
Xing Hui Zheng, Assistant Director at University Settlement, on the Needs of Immigrant Older Adults in New York City
2:51:46
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130 sec
Xing Hui Zheng, Assistant Director of the House And Xi Center at University Settlement, highlights the diverse needs of immigrant older adults in New York City.
- Focuses on providing programming for older adults, mostly immigrants who speak Cantonese and Mandarin, across all five boroughs.
- Advocates for reframing aging as a positive process and offering essential social services, including access to affordable, healthy, and culturally appropriate food.
- Emphasizes the need for assistance in navigating bureaucracy, connecting to city services, safe transportation, and affordable housing.
- Calls for community and wellness programs in native languages and intergenerational programming to enhance connectivity and understanding.
- Suggests more targeted programs to cater to the diverse age range within the older adult demographic, acknowledging the different needs and skills of younger and older seniors.
Xing Hui Zheng
2:51:46
Okay.
2:51:47
Cheers, Hassan, and Evelyn's members of the council.
2:51:50
Thank you for the opportunity to classify.
2:51:53
My name is Xin Wei Zeng, and I'm the assistant director of the House And Xi Center at University Settlement on the Lower East Side.
2:51:59
Each year, university settlement partners with 40,000 New Yorkers in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn through program means for all ages.
2:52:07
For 18 years, The House And Xi Center has provided programming for older adults, mostly immigrants, Cantonese, and Mandarin speakers from all five boroughs.
2:52:18
HSC, we work to refrain aging as a positive process and provide our older adult participants with the knowledge and skills to age well.
2:52:27
We see that immigrant order adults needs social services and supports, including increased access to affordable, healthy, and culturally appropriate food.
2:52:37
They need help never getting complicated bureaucratic assistance and connecting them to city services like snack, access to medical insurance, and qualifying for home health care services.
2:52:50
Our participants need safe transportation options.
2:52:53
Many other AAPI immigrants are afraid to write a subway.
2:52:58
Our older adults need affordable housing.
2:53:01
Our participants when want the independence and communities that affordable senior housing can bring.
2:53:08
They also need community and wellness programs in languages that they speak and offer by people they trust.
2:53:15
Like the ones we and so many other nonprofits provide.
2:53:19
We would love to offer more intergenerational programming to our older adults feel more connected and synced.
2:53:27
Finally, we need to recognize the different needs of younger older adults.
2:53:31
The demographic categories of older adults include the largest range of age.
2:53:38
Ranges of years, it includes sixty years old to even over a hundred years old.
2:53:44
We should divide program means for more target age groups.
2:53:47
For example, Many other adults want to continue workings, but their skills and experience may be vastly different depending on the age.
2:53:55
Thank you so much.