REMARKS
Council Member Crystal Hudson opens oversight hearing on interagency coordination for older adults
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7 min
Council Member Crystal Hudson opens an oversight hearing focused on interagency coordination for older adults in New York City, presenting Introduction number 689 to codify the cabinet for older New Yorkers.
- Hudson shares statistics highlighting New York City's ageing population and the comparative small budget of the NYC Department for the Aging (NYC Aging).
- Emphasizes the need for a community care approach that respects the dignity and quality of life of older New Yorkers.
- Underlines the challenges faced by NYC Aging in addressing public policy and service issues for older adults, citing specific examples from service providers.
- Advocates for enhanced interagency collaboration through the creation of the cabinet for older New Yorkers to streamline services.
- Calls for suggestions to improve Introduction number 689 and acknowledges the participation of advocates, public members, and city administration representatives.
Crystal Hudson
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Good afternoon, everyone.
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My name is Council member, Crystal Hudson.
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I'm care of the committee on aging.
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My pronouns are she her, and I'd like to welcome you all to today's oversight hearing on interagency coordination on older adults.
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We will also hear Introduction number 689, sponsored by myself to codify the cabinet for older New Yorkers.
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Most of the population growth in New York state is being driven by older New Yorkers.
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Over the past decade, the population of New York City residents aged 65 in older increased by 36%.
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Today, New York City is home to about 1,800,000 older New Yorkers making up 16.2% of the city's population.
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The New York City Department for the Aging or NYC Aging projects that the population of older adults will reach 1.86000000 or 20.6 percent of the city's population by 2040.
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NYC age overarching mission is to eliminate ageism and ensure the dignity and quality of life of older New Yorkers.
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And the agency is deeply committed to helping older adults age in their home and creating a community care approach that reflects a model age inclusive city.
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However, NYC Aging, which has the largest constituency among all city agencies, also has the smallest budget, less than half of a percent of the city's total budget.
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As a result, NYC Aging faces challenge and its responsibility to address public policy and services issues for and service issues for older New Yorkers.
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While older New Yorkers have many of the same concerns and needs as any other New Yorkers such as affordable housing and accessible health care, they may also require extra for supports.
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This means the city must raise awareness among service and programming providers through an intersectional lens.
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For example, older adults can better avoid debilitating falls and age in place with grab bars in the bathroom.
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And healthcare providers may need more education on how to best serve older adults with HIV who typically have different health outcomes than their younger counterparts.
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In September 2022, given the unique and growing needs of the city's rapidly growing older adult population.
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The mayor announced the NYC cabinet for older New Yorkers.
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The cabinet chaired by NYC aging commissioner Lorraine Cortez Vasquez, includes members from 23 agencies representing a cross section of agencies that provide services to older New Yorkers.
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As an interagency collaborative established to realize and institutionalize an age inclusive New York city through structural, legislative, and systemic solutions.
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I'm hopeful that it will help to streamline and improve the ways in which the city serves older New Yorkers.
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With that in mind, I've been reduced introduction number 689 to codify the cabinet with the goal of ensuring the city's collaborative efforts to improve services for older New Yorkers continue beyond this administrative situation.
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I look forward to discussing any recommendations that NYC Aging and advocates may have to improve this legislation.
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Thank you to the advocates, members of the public, and representatives from the administration who are joining us today.
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I would also like to thank my staff, Casey Addison and Andrew Wright, in aging committee staff, Christopher Pepe, Chloe Rivera, and Samuel Hamid.
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Before I close, here are a few short stories.
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From service providers highlighting the ongoing difficulties in bureaucratic red tape they face when seeking repairs, renovations, and new equipment.
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Some of these stories implicate multiple agencies and reflect an attitude of deflection rather than a spirit of collaboration.
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As we discussed the ways in which the city can and should operate with a holistic vision for addressing older adult issues, these real world stories should inform the city's approach.
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A provider in the Bronx with multiple centers shared.
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Our biggest older adult center needs an electric stove.
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It is located in a nacho building, which is constricted with strict requirements before bringing in a stove Further, NYC Aging is requesting us to find savings in our budget to fund the stove instead of providing the funding from the allowance balance.
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The process of looking for savings and the base budget is not always effective and hence delays the process of getting a stove in time.
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With this center not equipped to cook, we're facing the issue of not being able to find a cost effective way to deliver the meals to the other centers.
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A delivery person was subcontracted to provide food delivery services, but NYC Aging is complaining that the cost is too high.
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Finding a delivery person for cheaper has been unsuccessful so far.
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Further, registration documentation for the delivery trucks is not properly communicated clearly within NYC aging departments when received, which delays budget approval and the invoicing process.
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We also need a computer lab for 2 of our centers.
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And a provider from Flushing Queens has shared hold on one second.
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There's an older adult center that shares the space with a DYCD youth program in the afternoons.
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As of March 2018, there's been a leak in the shared gym space.
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Over the past few years, the OAC director submitted multiple tickets to NYCHA about the leak, which resulted in NYCHA sending roofers to investigate the issue.
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Night should determine that the roof leak is in an area that the roofers cannot access, so they determine that an outside vendor needed to be hired.
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To our knowledge, no vendor was ever hired.
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Much of the time, our nitrile work tickets are closed shortly after the worker comes to inspect the leak.
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On January 19 2024, the OAC director received an email chain by the Nitro Property Manager that there were 2 options to fix the roof.
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1 was to repair the Old Stone roof or 2 to install a new metal roof.
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On this email chain, it was suggested that dyCD should pay for the repairs.
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There's been no follow-up on this email chain as far as the provider is aware.
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On January 25 2024, the OAC Director attended an NYC Aging meeting where the commissioner and mayor Adams were in attendance.
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The mayor's office had staff work with each group to discuss important points to present to the mayor.
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There was a local facilitator, and he recommended that our OAC director bring up the leak in the gym.
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The commissioner responded that it was an issue that she was aware of, and it's a pending issue because they cannot agree with Nitro whether the leak was an outside or inside issue since NICA only takes care of the inside.
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We later learned that the mayor's office called NYC Aging about this issue.
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NYC Aging followed up with the OAC after the meeting and and we reported to NYC Aging that there was no progress on the leak since the January 25th meeting.
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Since that meeting, the OAC director has not submitted new nitrile tickets about the roof since the leak seems to have stopped.
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In the past, nitrile workers have told us that roof needs to be actively leaking for them to do anything.
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The wooden floors under the leak have started to warp from the constant water damage.
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It appears that the damage is spreading.
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For safety, we have blocked off this area.
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The OAC still needs Nitrogen to address the leak and water damage.
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I want to thank the providers for sharing those experiences, and I look forward to hearing from NYC Aging on how these issues can quickly be addressed in order to better serve our older adults.
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And before I turn it over to the council to administer the oath, I'd like to note that we've been joined by council members Lee Juan, Banks, Milley, and Salam.