Take Charge!
The Complete Guide to Senior Living in New
York City
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To the social workers of New York City,
who make life better for us all
Contents
Preface xiii
Choices in Life Enrichment 1
Chapter 1: Arts and Entertainment 2
Senior Centers and Public Libraries 2
Sundays at JASA 2
Senior Action in a Gay Environment 3
Discounts at Museums and Exhibitions 3
Discounts at Concert Halls 3
Free and Discount Theater Tickets 3
Discounts at Movie Theaters 4
Senior Theater Companies 4
Elders Share the Arts 4
Elder Craftsmen 5
Financial Assistance 5
Chapter 2: Recreation and Travel 6
New York City Department of 6
Parks and Recreation
Other Recreation Programs 7
Low-Cost Day Trips 8
Discount Travel 8
Discount Travel Swindles 13
Learning and Travel Opportunities 15
Work and Travel Opportunities 15
Healthcare for Travelers 17
Travel Resources for the Disabled 19
Low-Cost Senior Camps 21
Vacation Camp for the Blind 22
Chapter 3: Learning Opportunities 23
Senior Centers and Public Libraries 23
Computer Classes 23
High School–Level Learning 24
College-Level Learning 25
Learning and Travel Opportunities 29
Chapter 4: Job Training, Employment,
and Volunteer Opportunities 30
Job Programs for Low-Income Seniors 30
Job Programs for All-Income Seniors 32
Opportunities for Craftspeople 33
Local Volunteer Opportunities 34
Volunteer Opportunities Outside the City 35
Advocacy Groups 36
Chapter 5: Preventing Abuse and Crime 38
Elder Abuse 38
Age Discrimination 41
Swindles 42
Assistance for Crime Victims 46
Safety Tips 48
viii CONTENTS
Choices in Housing and
Long-Term Care 52
Chapter 6: Standard Housing 53
Programs for Homeowners and Renters 54
Programs for Homeowners Only 58
Programs for Renters Only 75
Seniors-Only Rental Housing 82
Other Below-Market Apartments 87
Chapter 7: Home Care and Community
Support Services 90
Home Care 90
Community Support Services 113
Chapter 8: Supportive and Long-Term
Care Housing 128
Congregate Housing 130
Personal-Care Housing 135
Medical- and Personal-Care Housing 141
Chapter 9: Paying for Long-Term Care 154
Will I Need Long-Term Care? 154
What Does Long-Term Care Cost? 155
Medicaid 156
Supplemental Security Income 156
Medicare 157
Department of Veterans Affairs 157
Workers’ Compensation Board 157
Assisted Living Contracts 158
Life Insurance 158
Corporate and Union Retiree Health Insurance 158
Long-Term Care Insurance 158
CONTENTS ix
Healthcare Choices 170
Chapter 10: Healthcare Programs 171
Medicare 171
Insurance to Supplement 183
Fee-for-Service Medicare
Alternatives to Medigap Insurance 188
(“Medicare+Choice”)
Medicaid 202
Department of Veterans Affairs 206
Workers’ Compensation Board 208
Chapter 11: Self-Help Healthcare 210
Exercise 210
Nutrition 212
Weight Management 214
Getting the Most from Your Doctor Visit 215
Electronic Storage of Medical Information 217
Self-Help Information and Support Groups 218
Resources for Common Health Concerns 220
Financial and Legal Choices 254
Chapter 12: Income Programs 255
Social Security 255
Supplemental Security Income 272
Department of Veterans Affairs 277
Food Stamps 279
Public Assistance 281
Emergency Public Assistance 281
Chapter 13: Money Management 283
Choices in the Ownership and 283
Management of Property
x CONTENTS
Banking 293
Credit 295
Electronic Delivery of Federal and 301
State Cash Benefits
Some Federal Tax Breaks 302
Some New York State and City Tax Breaks 305
Free Help with Tax Returns 305
Some Insurance Guidelines 307
Pensions and Profit Sharing 310
Financial Planning 312
Estate Planning 319
Investment Swindles 321
Sweepstakes Swindles 324
Chapter 14: Legal Services 326
Free Legal Assistance 327
Self-Pay Legal Assistance 329
Choices at the End of Life 332
Chapter 15: End-of-Life Healthcare 333
Advance Directives 333
Hospice 337
Chapter 16: Assisted Death and Suicide 340
Assisted Death 340
Suicide 341
Chapter 17: Disposal of Remains 344
The Death Certificate 344
Choices in the Disposal of Remains 345
Death Ceremonies 348
Service Providers 349
CONTENTS xi
Payment Sources 355
Death Notices and Obituaries 357
Bereavement Support Groups 358
Chapter 18: Distribution of Property 360
Safeguarding Your Wishes 360
The Distribution Process 366
Appendix: Multilingual Help and Information 371
Acknowledgments 387
Index 395
About the Author 401
xii CONTENTS
Preface
What’s out there for people over 60? A lot, especially if
you live in New York City.
But before you can take advantage of the opportuni
ties, you first have to get used to the cluttered landscape
of aging: agencies, programs, laws, regulations, income
and asset limits, forms, questionnaires, acronyms, and
jargon. Dealing with some of the bureaucracies can feel
like standing at the edge of a country where there’s no
map and the language sounds like gibberish. Lawyers, ac
countants, and social workers spend entire careers keep
ing track of the changing pathways.
Part of the problem is that the social and medical
needs of seniors have been recognized one by one over
many years. The programs that address these needs have
also arisen one by one, each with its own budget, its own
rules, and its own administrators. The minimum age for
some programs is 50, for others 55, 60, 62, or 65. The
income and resource limits for various programs are even
more diverse. Legal documents, such as powers-of-attor
ney and healthcare directives, differ for every state. Se
nior housing differs not only by state but by county,
provider, and building.
For the senior who needs precise information, another
problem exists: Most self-help guides are written for a
national or statewide audience; they don’t describe local
variations. They often say that something “may be avail-
able in your community,” but they don’t know for sure,
and they don’t give names and phone numbers. If they
tell you to “call your local area agency on aging,” you
may be kept on hold for long periods of time or chan
neled into a maze of recorded messages. And what do
you get? Often only a generic answer and perhaps an-
other phone number.
A final problem is that aging is awash in single-subject
resources — hotlines, websites, books, pamphlets, direc
tories, catalogs, magazines, brochures, fliers, fact sheets,
newsletters, and reports. Although they contain useful
information, they rarely tell you how one subject relates
to and influences another. If you want the whole pic
ture — and one that’s appropriate to who you are and
where you live — you have to gather a massive quantity
of material and organize it yourself.
This book does the gathering and organizing for se
niors who live in New York City. It’s the first attempt
anywhere to compile an all-inclusive guide.
Every senior concern (as identified by journalists, so
cial workers, consumer groups, advocacy groups, govern
ment agencies, and gerontologists) is covered here. There
are descriptions of programs (national, state, city, and
borough), local offices for national and state agencies, ex-
planations of laws (national, state, and city), estimates of
costs, places to go for help, clarifications of jargon, free
hotlines and websites, free and low-cost publications,
places to relax and expand the mind, and warnings about
things to avoid.
I hope this guide helps you understand the New York
City landscape after 60 and makes your journey more
fulfilling.
xiv PREFACE
Choices v
in Life
Enrichment
✍
1 Arts and
Entertainment
Senior Centers and Public Libraries
Most neighborhood senior centers and libraries present
free daytime events, including live performances; classes
in art, writing, and acting; videos and films; and read
ings, talks, and discussion groups. Calendars of these
events are available at each center and library. The li
braries of New York City also provide books-by-mail ser
vices (see “Library Books for the Homebound” in chap
ter 7).
For the locations of senior centers: d 212/442-1000,
www.ci.nyc.ny. us/aging
Sundays at JASA
The Jewish Association for Services for the Aged
(JASA) sponsors a wide variety of Sunday arts work-
shops at Intermediate School 41, 100 West 77th Street,
Manhattan.
For information: d 212/273-5304 (Sundays, 212/
579-5748)
Senior Action in a Gay Environment (SAGE)
SAGE is a community support agency that serves sexual
minorities (lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender
persons). It offers arts workshops, discussion groups, day
trips to cultural sites, and restaurant and theater outings,
among other programs. Participation in many SAGE ac
tivities is free. Those who pay a yearly membership fee of
$35 receive a monthly newsletter plus discounts on SAGE
activities for which a fee is charged.
For information: d 212/741-2247
Discounts at Museums and Exhibitions
Everyone age 62 or older should ask about senior discounts
when entering a New York City museum, art show, or other
exhibition. Discounts range from 25 to 60 percent. At
some venues the minimum age for senior discounts is 65.
Discounts at Concert Halls
Senior discounts are offered to some opera, orchestral,
chamber music, and recital performances, usually in the
form of “rush” tickets that are sold on the day of the con
cert. Call the ticket office several hours before a perfor
mance to see if rush tickets are available. If there is a
minimum age requirement, it usually is 62. Group rates
can sometimes be arranged for parties of seniors.
Free and Discount Theater Tickets
Senior centers in all boroughs are eligible to receive
blocks of 25 free tickets to Wednesday matinees of
Broadway shows. The tickets are donated by the Shubert
Organization. For information and tickets: Senior The
ater Enrichment Project, New York Foundation for Se
nior Citizens, d 212/962-7653 or 962-7559
Arts and Entertainment 3
Many of the city’s senior centers distribute free and
discount tickets that are furnished directly to the centers
by theater producers.
Discounts at Movie Theaters
Most movie theaters in the city offer senior discounts,
usually at off-peak hours or on certain days of the week.
Minimum age requirements vary from 60 to 65.
Senior Theater Companies
Roots and Branches is an intergenerational theater com
pany sponsored by the Jewish Association for Services for
the Aged (JASA). It is comprised of professional and ama
teur actors age 65 and older plus drama students from
New York University. The group creates plays based on life
experiences and improvisation exercises and performs at
senior centers, museums, and other venues.
For information about auditions and performances:
JASA, d 212/273-5200
Seasoned Citizens Theater Company consists of per-
formers age 65 and older who create musical reviews
(song, dance, and comedy) that are presented at senior cen
ters, nursing homes, hospitals, and other venues in and near
the city. Performers are paid a small stipend plus expenses.
For information about auditions and performances:
d 212/358-1523
Elders Share the Arts (ESTA)
ESTA sponsors workshops in theater, storytelling, writ
ing, and the visual arts for seniors and intergenerational
groups. The workshops, which are led by professional
artists, are held at senior centers, schools, nursing homes,
and other neighborhood sites. They are based on the life
experiences of the participants and often culminate in
4 CHOICES IN LIFE ENRICHMENT
presentations and exhibitions. ESTA also sponsors an
nual citywide festivals.
ESTA recruits two paid touring ensembles from among
its workshop participants: The Pearls of Wisdom consists
of senior storytellers; Las Añoranzas consists of women
who perform traditional Puerto Rican songs, games, and
stories.
ESTA publishes training manuals and offers training
programs for people who work with seniors and want to
learn ESTA’s techniques for using personal history in arts
projects.
For information: d 212/529-1955
Elder Craftsmen (EC)
EC offers free teacher training in the crafts for seniors
and representatives of senior organizations, including se
nior centers and nursing homes. It also provides free and
low-cost crafts programs for senior organizations. EC
hosts exhibitions and demonstrations, especially of work
from immigrant and minority groups, and organizes pro
jects to make clothing, toys, and household items for the
sick, homeless, and others in need. The teacher-training
program, called “Elder Crafters Teaching Others,” pays
its senior graduates a small stipend to teach crafts at se
nior centers.
For information: d 212/861-5260
Financial Assistance
The Voluntary Association for Senior Citizens Activities
offers financial assistance to senior groups that want to
host or attend a cultural event such as an exhibition,
play, or concert. Grants are made primarily to the poor
and underserved and to the frail and isolated.
For information: d 212/645-6590
Arts and Entertainment 5
2 Recreation
and Travel
New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (P&R)
P&R operates 25 recreation centers for people of all ages.
Some of these centers host senior clubs, senior aerobics
classes, old-timers basketball, and other seniors-only pro-
grams. Most centers also host senior-friendly activities
such as billiards, shuffleboard, Ping-Pong, table games,
quilting, arts and crafts, bingo, yoga, tai-chi, swimming,
sing-alongs, computer instruction, and ballroom, African,
folk, and line dancing.
For information about P&R recreation centers and
their programs:
Bronx d 718/430-1838
Brooklyn d 718/965-8995
Manhattan d 212/360-8131
Queens d 718/263-4121
Staten Island d 718/390-8023
P&R also operates four seniors-only recreation centers:
Bronx Owen Dolen Senior Center,
d 718/822-4683
