Elderly Welfare

Elderly Welfare services are designed to support seniors to ensure their needs are met on a long term basis. The elderly welfare system includes a variety of services such as:

Senior Centers and Home Delivered Meals
Case management, supportive counseling, adult day services, senior transportation, adult protective services
Home health care and geriatric mental health services

Recent Advocacy:

FPWA successfully advocated to defeat proposed cuts to the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) grant program. However, with continued projected revenue shortfalls, protecting this important source of income for low-income elderly and disabled individuals will continue to be our advocacy focus.

Recent Policy Documents:

Testimony to the NYC Council Aging Committee on the 2009-2010 Budget pdf (51848 bytes) (May 18, 2009)

Recommendations:

The NYC Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) puts the poverty rate for elderly New Yorkers at 32%, because of this high need, funds for senior services such as senior centers, home delivered meals and case management should not be cut.
Further investments are needed to meet the increased demand and projected future needs for this growing population.
Funds also need to be made available for non-DFTA funded senior centers to accommodate the growing number of seniors within their communities.

Portfolio Expert: Kathleen Fitzgibbons, MPA
Kathy Fitzgibbons

Fact Sheet: Key Facts on Elderly Welfare pdf (29647 bytes)

GET INVOLVED:

E-fax a letter to the Governor and your state legislator supporting funding for elderly services.

Did You Know?

*In New York State, census figures show roughly 143,000 grandparents are responsible for meeting the basic needs of 409,000 children with 60% of the grandparents residing in New York City.

*The number of elderly needing mental health services is expected to grow from 180,000 to 300,000 by 2030.

Where We Stand:

The Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies believes elderly persons should be involved in making decisions that affect their lives to the fullest extent possible and that they are to be treated with the utmost respect and dignity.

With the projected growth in the elderly population throughout the coming decades, it is essential that sufficient programs and funding exist so that older adults may remain in the comfort of their homes and communities for as long as possible.
{Link to full Policy Statement in the folder}

Strategic Collaborations:

The New York Citizens Committee on Aging (NYCCOA) promotes the status and well being of older persons as productive members of society. The committee ensures that policy issues affecting older persons are heard, understood and acted upon.

Click here for a list of additional collaborations.