Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Benjamin Driver, Representative from Weinberg Center for Elder Justice on Intro 1184
1:10:38
ยท
125 sec
Benjamin Driver from the Weinberg Center for Elder Justice testifies in favor of Intro 1184, emphasizing the challenges faced by older adult caregivers and the potential risks of elder abuse in caregiving relationships. He supports the proposal to create new kinship caregiving resources and increase awareness of available resources for older adult caregivers.
- Over 1.3 million informal caregivers in New York City, with older adults representing a significant portion
- Caregiving can lead to physical, psychological, emotional, and financial strains, putting both caregiver and care recipient at risk
- The Weinberg Center supports the creation of new kinship caregiving resources and broader awareness of available resources as vital tools in preventing elder abuse
Benjamin Driver
1:10:38
Good afternoon.
1:10:39
Thank you chair Hudson and members of the aging committee.
1:10:42
My name is Benjamin Driver and I'm from the Weinberg Center.
1:10:46
I'm testifying in favor of intro eleven eighty four.
1:10:50
Older adults represent a significant number of over 1,300,000 informal caregivers in New York City.
1:10:56
While occupying a caregiver role can provide older adults with a sense of purpose and deepen bonds with the person they are assisting, these relationships also create immense physical, psychological, emotional and financial strains that put both the caregiver and care recipient at risk of harm.
1:11:10
As older adults age, family may take on new responsibilities to assist with activities of daily living or meet other medical or social needs.
1:11:18
While the majority of informal caregivers provide adequate support to their loved ones, in some situations a well intentioned care provider might lack the training and knowledge needed to meet the scope of their evolving medical and assisted needs.
1:11:29
Neglect by a caregiver who is unable to adequately fulfill their responsibilities can have very serious consequences for the health and safety of an older adult, sorry, an older adult.
1:11:38
Not only does becoming an informal caregiver come with increased responsibilities, it can also dramatically change the relationship dynamic between the care provider and recipient.
1:11:46
These changes may require them to fulfill roles that are uncomfortable and create conflict and stress that exacerbate existing abusive dynamics or create a new fault lines for a breakdown in the relationship.
1:11:55
In DIPTA's twenty seventeen survey of informal caregivers, over half of the respondents reported that they were providing at least thirty hours of care per week and many articulated the pressure of being primarily responsible for another's care and the negative effects of the reorientation of their social and professional lives.
1:12:10
If not properly supported and addressed, these new relationship dynamics can lead to resentment and frustration that risks finding an outlet in physical and psychological abusive behavior.
1:12:20
The Weinberg Center for Elder Justice supports the chair's proposal to create new kinship caregiving resources for older adults and to facilitate broader awareness of available resources for former older adult caregivers through written materials and informational sessions at older adult centers and believes such actions are a vital tool in the prevention of elder abuse for both providers and recipients of informal caregiving relationships.
1:12:43
Thank you.