Commissioner, Westchester County Department of Senior Program and Services

Eldercare on the Air is your trusted source for expert insights on elder law, special needs planning, and independent living. Hosted by Michael Amoruso, this podcast provides valuable guidance to help individuals and families navigate the challenges of aging.

In this episode, we welcome back Mae Carpenter, Commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Senior Programs and Services. She shares critical insights on the county’s efforts to support seniors in maintaining independence, the growing challenges of caregiving, and the impact of shifting demographics on elder care.

Tune in to learn about available resources for seniors and caregivers, as well as strategies for managing the increasing demand for elder support. Listen on 107.1 The Peak or visit amorusolaw.com to download episodes and access more information.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

You've lived well, you've worked hard to make your place in this world. Your dignity and security are earned and well-deserved. Or maybe you have a loved one who needs you more than ever. Well, we can help you help them plan life better. Amoruso and Amoruso.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

Welcome to Eldercare in the Year, a weekly conversation with guests from the eldercare, special needs, financial services, and independent living industries, where we will empower you to make sound choices when you are faced with an eldercare or a special needs crisis. My name is Michael Amoruso, an elder law and special needs attorney with Amoruso& Amoruso in Rybrook, New York, with services clients in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Florida. www.amoruso.com We really got quite deep into the concept of family dynamics and mediation when you're faced with elder care issues and caregiving issues. Now, to extend on that theme a little bit and really focus in on caregiving here in Westchester County, New York, I'm thrilled to have back on our show Mae Carpenter, who is the West Chester County Commissioner for the Department of Senior Programs and Services. Mae, thanks again for being on the show.

SPEAKER_02 1:38

Glad to be here. Thank

SPEAKER_01 1:38

you. We've had you here a couple of times, and each time you give knowledge to our county residents, which is critical. And I know the county is doing a lot more, and I'm excited to see what else we can tell the audience today. But why don't we first start with... What is the Westchester County Department of Senior Programs and Services?

SPEAKER_03 1:58

The Department of Senior Programs and Services is the designated area agency on aging by the New York State Office for the Aging and the Federal Health and Human Services Administration on Aging. And we're responsible for coordinating services to help keep the elderly in the home and to give them a good quality of life and maintain their independence and their dignity.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

Fantastic, Meg. Fantastic. And I know you do great works in that regard. Now, here in Westchester, there's often a dilemma. We've got working children and their parents are aging. From your experience and the department senior program's experience, are these kids able to care give for their parents?

SPEAKER_03 2:45

Well, first of all, that's based upon the assumption that they live here. And, you know, we lose about 50% of our 25 to 34-year-olds because of the cost of living. So many elderly people are living here without an intergenerational support system. Children have relocated to the west, to the south, to the midwest, where the cost of living is cheaper. So we have 33,000 caregivers here in Westchester County, and in many times it might just be one sibling or one child that's taking care of the older parents. There's a ratio of seven to one of caregivers to an older person in this country. By the year 2030, that's going to move from seven to one to four to one because the baby boomers didn't have as many kids as their parents may have had. And then, as I said before, many young people have moved out of the county. So there's a shortage of caregivers, and I think that what Westchester County is far ahead of the rest of the country in terms of the shortage of caregivers to care for older parents here in Westchester County because of our high cost of living.

SPEAKER_01 3:55

It really is a high cost of living here in this county. You know, property, just property values and property taxes alone are unfortunately forcing folks to go across the borders.

SPEAKER_02 4:06

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 4:07

And I'm sure that you know better than I do that's having a big impact.

SPEAKER_02 4:10

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 4:11

On the seniors here. Who may already own their homes, so they're fixed.

SPEAKER_03 4:15

Yes, and struggling to be able to stay in those homes because of property taxes.

SPEAKER_01 4:20

So with that ratio decreasing of caregiver children available here in the county, what other kind of alternatives may exist for the seniors?

SPEAKER_03 4:29

In Westchester County, we're going to have to learn to take care of each other, take care of ourselves, and take care of each other. We have formed in Westchester over 200 livable community relationship villages. Now, this might be a tenants association, a block club association, a house of worship, a civic service organization, a senior citizen center. But we have over 100,000 seniors, and not only just seniors, in these livable community villages They know what is needed by many of the members. They form care circles within those villages to help each other out. They identify who's going to drive to the doctor, who's going to grocery shop, who's going to make a meal, who's going to take care of a pet when the person is sick and can't take care of their own pets. So we're helping each other out.

SPEAKER_01 5:21

That's fantastic. Now, obviously, that does approach... the lines of a cultural and societal shift in education to get folks to open their minds to this new concept. Is that something the county is trying to educate?

SPEAKER_03 5:38

Absolutely. Trying to educate residents about getting to know your neighbors, about helping each other out. People could not have survived in the old days, as the kids would say, without helping each other out.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

We've gotten away from that,

SPEAKER_03 5:56

haven't we? Yeah, we've gotten away from that. We became very dependent upon formal services that we could afford to pay for or we receive benefits from government-funded services.

SPEAKER_01 6:08

That's right. There was a time, my family alone, the entire generations of people first, second, third, and fourth generations all lived in one square block. And you were there to help each other out, and you stayed there. Those days, unfortunately, as you mentioned, have changed. The younger generations are scattering now throughout the country. They're already there. And their older loved ones are still here.

SPEAKER_02 6:34

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 6:35

One of the reasons why we have a Florida office is we tend to see a lot of the folks leaving New York heading down to Florida because they're Kids are already down there.

SPEAKER_02 6:46

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 6:46

Not just a snowbird concept any longer. It's cheaper to live. Property values are depressed compared to New York down there.

SPEAKER_03 6:55

But we have a lot of services here in Westchester County that they don't have there. This was, I guess, it was necessary that we develop both formal systems and now we have been concentrating on developing volunteer informal systems, taking care of each other.

SPEAKER_01 7:14

So with regard to the services that the county has to offer and some of the decisions that need to be made in the aging process, can you just describe how the two go hand in hand and some of the services that they can utilize to keep the senior here and integrate them better in society?

SPEAKER_03 7:35

Well, let me say that we have our Livable Communities Program and we're having a major conference the end of June. It's called My Family's Successful Aging. What are the things that should be done by a family or by an individual at different stages of adulthood to prepare for successful aging. Now, this is very important for young people to know this. One 22-year-old said that I told my parents, you keep it together because you're my safety net. So they're not thinking about planning for their successful aging. We decided to have this project last summer when we read the study that showed that suicide for women between the ages of 45 and 64 was up 60%, and suicide for men for the same age group was up 40%. And the number one reason was caregiving. And the number two reason was unemployed adult children. So we decided to have an intergenerational program where young people would have to become aware of what their parents probably put in place so that they would not fall back on them and that they should start thinking about putting in place programs. whatever changes that need to be made so they don't fall back on their parents because their parents' assets are for the parents in their aging years. So with this project, we have 20 different collaboratives of professionals and scholars and consumers and senior leaders identifying what those tasks and what those issues are that you should be addressing at different stages of adulthood to get ready for successful aging. I mean, for instance... Should you live in a community without public transportation and the nearest bus is five miles away? If you know that you won't be driving when you become alone, should you be living in a three-story house? If you've got arthritis and having difficulty going up and down the steps, you've got to make these decisions on a timely basis, not get trapped. We deal with a lot of people who have gotten trapped in their circumstances. One group, and we know one of the reasons why people don't want to relocate is because they don't want to declutter and de-junk

SPEAKER_02 9:52

the

SPEAKER_03 9:54

house. So one group, one church, they've teamed up to become decluttering partners. Now, I'll go to your house. And you identify all the things that you have not used in the past two years, and I will take them to my house, and we will switch. And if we don't ask for those things in two years, we can donate them. Wow. That's a neat program. To try to declutter, because a lot of people just– the thought of having to face a relocation, when relocation might be the better housing option for many reasons– it's just overwhelming. So this is a way of decluttering, to get ready for that day when you might have to consider another housing alternative, just to have a better quality of life, to have walkability, to be able to have access to libraries and other amenities close by if you're not going to be a driver and walking is healthy for you.

SPEAKER_01 10:51

That's right. You know, the figure you just gave us may on the suicide rate for females 60% in that age group. It's up. That's staggering.

SPEAKER_03 11:02

No, not 60% of those in that age group, but the suicide in that age group is up.

SPEAKER_01 11:07

Is up.

SPEAKER_03 11:08

60%. 60%. Right, increased suicides.

SPEAKER_01 11:12

You mentioned it's partly due to caregiving. Is that the caregiving, the stress on the females, the caregiver for their parents?

SPEAKER_03 11:20

Yes. Yes, and step-parents and in-laws. And, you know, with the different family makeups now, you might have two grandparents on each side. Yeah. You might have step-grandparents. You might have your own parents. You might have five generations living. In

SPEAKER_01 11:40

addition to parents. taking care of their own family.

SPEAKER_03 11:43

Oh, yes. We don't even refer to them as the sandwich generation anymore. I call them the club sandwich generation.

SPEAKER_01 11:48

Yeah. Because they really are

SPEAKER_03 11:50

sandwiched in with multiple generations.

SPEAKER_01 11:55

That's right. That's a tremendous amount of stress to put on anyone.

SPEAKER_03 11:58

But one of the other services that we provide for caregivers is our caregiving coaching program.

SPEAKER_02 12:04

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 12:04

A lot of caregivers are housebound with the person they're caring for. They don't know what services are there. They don't have anybody to talk to because others might feel that they're complaining. They might feel guilty about it. So with that caregiving coach that you can relate to by telephone after the initial meeting, you're able to get whatever information is available of how you can make your caregiving easier. Sure. How you can manage your time, recognizing that you have needs, so you must have recreation. You must have some type of stimulation, and you must have some respite.

SPEAKER_01 12:42

Oh, that's critical.

SPEAKER_03 12:43

And so not to feel guilty about the fact that you, too, have needs.

SPEAKER_01 12:47

That's right. That's a very good way to put it, Meg. How can folks find the Department of Senior Services and Programs, whether it be the web or telephone number or both?

SPEAKER_03 12:57

Well, they can call 813-6400 is our main number, but many calls come in 813-6300 because they're confused about Medicare, and they want information about Medicare. They can call to find out where we have nutrition programs. See, the caregiving coach, too, is already trained to be able to let that person know about all services in the community. The village coordinators are all trained to let the residents in their villages know what services are available. I mean, from a cooling center to a warming center.

SPEAKER_01 13:31

Nice. Very good. So, folks, we're going to take a quick commercial break. When we get back, we're really going to dive deeper into the Westchester's Livable Community Program that May has been introducing through the beginning of this program to really see how it can enrich your lives there out in Westchester County. If you missed any part of May's Any part of the show, just log on to our website at www.amorusolaw.com and click on that radio show tab. After the broadcast, May's show will be there and you'll be able to listen to it in its entirety. Be back in a few moments.

SPEAKER_02 14:07

You've lived well. You've worked hard to make your place in this world. Your dignity and security are earned and well deserved.

SPEAKER_00 14:19

Keep control of your assets and plan for the retirement you deserve. Call Amoruso and Amoruso LLP, elder law attorneys with the experience and compassion to help preserve your assets. Michael Amoruso was selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers 2010 and 2011 and also is one of the 2011 top 25 Westchester Super Lawyers. He is a past chair of the New York State Bar Association's Elder Law Section, past president of the New York Chapter National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, and he lectures and publishes nationally on elder care issues. For an experienced elder law attorney, call Michael Amoruso at 914-25 Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

SPEAKER_01 15:15

Welcome back to Eldercare on the Air. I'm Michael Amoruso, and I'm thrilled again to be here with Mae Carpenter, who is the commissioner, Westchester County Commissioner of the Department of Social, excuse me, Senior Programs and Services. Sorry about that, Mae. Before we left, we were talking about the stress on the caregivers, especially the female population, and the fact that here in Westchester County, we do have a tremendous... aging population. What approximately is it now in Westchester?

SPEAKER_03 15:43

Well, we're over 190,000 persons. About 20% of our population is over the age of 60.

SPEAKER_01 15:49

That's a fifth of our county.

SPEAKER_03 15:51

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 15:52

That's quite a large number. So as a result of that, I would presume that one of the biggest initiatives in Westchester has got to be to respond to that population because I don't think we see those kinds of numbers in other areas of the country.

SPEAKER_03 16:07

We're 50 years ahead of the rest of the country in terms of the aging of our population. Globally, if 20% of your population is over the age of 60, you're known as an aging community or aging country. So we have to figure things out because Washington is concentrating on where people are today nationally. And since we're 50 years ahead of the national numbers, we have to figure it out for ourselves.

SPEAKER_01 16:34

So we end up, at least in this area, we become the leaders, hopefully, for Washington.

SPEAKER_03 16:39

Yes, we have been designated by AARP and the World Health Organization as an age-friendly community. We were one of the first seven to receive that designation. And it's based upon our Livable Communities Program and our Caregiving Coaching and Care Circle Program.

SPEAKER_01 16:55

Well, let's dive into the livable communities, Meg. Let's really tell them what this is all about, the different facets of it, the parts that intrigue you and the county and are exciting.

SPEAKER_03 17:06

Well, we started livable communities a few years ago. First, we divided the county into nine different regions, and we appointed a coordinator for that region, and they pulled together livable community planning councils from the different communities, and it was just fascinating to see them work. And then AARP came in and conducted community visioning sessions in each region in terms of what would you like to see in this region. Of course, us. transportation in one part of the county. One community wanted to concentrate on intergenerational programs, getting the youth involved with the quality of life in the community. So we developed agendas for each of our nine regions. Then from there, we created livable community villages in each one of the regions. That's how we ended up with over 200 livable community villages. These are relationship villages, and it's people helping people. neighbors helping neighbors. I'll give you an example. And we identify the assets that are available, and they're all on the county's GPS system, a GIS system, of what's available by block in each community, whether it's a senior citizen center, an adult daycare program, a warming center, whatever's available to serve seniors in a community. With our Livable Communities Program, we wanted to identify the informal assets. For instance, one community And the neighbors all chipped in and bought a commercial snowblower so the elderly would not have to go out and shovel the snow. There was an incident where one neighbor, because it was my neighbor, 52 years old, had an asthma attack and then died of a heart attack out shoveling snow. So we bought the commercial snowblower for the entire block and particularly for the elderly. We don't want to see any older people out there shoveling snow in our community. So you identify assets. One church called and wanted to know, did you have people who could drive members of our church to and from dialysis? And I'm saying, sir. How many good people do you have there on Sunday, and how many of them have cars out in your parking lot? Why don't you ask them? And he did, and he was surprised. Eighteen people volunteered, so I would be drivers. We'll be the driving brigade for the members of the church who have medical visits. So it's pulling people together. We have task forces. Who's interested in safety? Who's interested in lifelong learning and education? Who's interested in technology? Who's interested in other facets of life, health and wellness, and they're able to join those different facet groups. One village was able to get a zone, their street zoned as a senior zone to stop the speeding up and down the street. So they've become somewhat activists. They stay involved on the issues. They Let their opinions be heard of what they would like to see in their communities. We had walkability surveys. We started off in one community where they didn't have a streetlight and seniors had to cross a major street to get to the shopping center. So we were able to get the town to put a streetlight up. We worked with the Department of Transportation, the State Department of Transportation. So then we started off with walkability surveys in those intersections where The state indicated there have been high incidences of accidents involving seniors. that was one of the hottest days. We were out there doing surveys in terms of, it was amazing that one intersection with a large shopping center and across the street was a senior building and there was no way for the seniors to get across that four-lane street.

SPEAKER_01 21:09

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_03 21:10

They didn't have a lower curve. The lights didn't last very long. And they had had several accidents involving fatalities. So we were able to get that One senior who was out with the survey in one community said, it's easier for me to jaywalk than it is for me to go to the corner and wait for the light because the cars making the right-hand turn would not wait. And she was in a wheelchair. Now, this also helps mothers with strollers. It helps seniors and walkers and with wheelchairs. So that led to us surveying over 106 intersections of things that could be done. Of course, we would like to see sidewalks in all the communities. A lot of our communities don't have sidewalks. So that's a safety feature. So you can get involved in whatever area that you're interested in, whether it's affordable housing, whether it's transportation, whether it's safety, whether it's health and wellness, lifelong learning. You can join whatever task force you would like to belong to to let your voices be heard within your communities at the county level, at the state level. So Livable Communities is a self-empowering program. We empower you with information and education about what's available, about what the needs are. We take surveys continuously, what you would like to see happen and change in your community, so we can communicate this information to our policymakers. It's a self-empowerment program.

SPEAKER_01 22:46

It's fantastic, Meg. And boy, does that help build a community again.

SPEAKER_03 22:50

Kind

SPEAKER_01 22:50

of gotten away from that old village concept, and this can bring it back.

SPEAKER_03 22:55

Yes. In one apartment building, and a lot of people might move to senior apartment buildings because they can no longer afford to be in their homes or to be alone, and they don't know the people in the building. So they have to bond. They have to get to know the people in the building through education programs. We had a situation where there was one lady who who had the New York Times delivered, and she would read her paper, and then she would put it outside her door, and her next-door neighbor would get the paper. Now, they never spoke to each other. But one time, after weeks and weeks, this paper was not out there. And so after a few hours, the neighbor said that maybe something is wrong. So she called the superintendent and the woman had had a stroke. So there was just someone who was able to observe a minor change in behavior as an indicator that you might need help. Now we want the help to be more formalized than that in terms of people knowing their neighbors.

SPEAKER_01 23:58

But the fact that that's there is wonderful.

SPEAKER_03 24:00

Yes, and being in touch with each other, receiving a telephone call. We've been And tackling this issue of isolation, which leads to loneliness and leads to depression and leads to illness. We've been tackling this issue for several years now. So we're making a lot of headway. People are smiling more. They're out more. And we have a long ways to go. But it's a beginning. And we've become a model for several communities in the country, several states, as a matter of fact. We're going to host a delegation from South Korea who wants to learn about our Livable Communities Program. Portugal has our program. The state of Arizona, San Francisco. So we're sort of a laboratory. If we don't do it for ourselves, who's going to do it? If not us, who? If not, when?

SPEAKER_01 24:54

So basically what you're doing is you're restoring the family unit with the community.

SPEAKER_03 24:59

Yes. Right. It may not be your blood relatives, but we're all human beings and people caring about people. When we had electrical outages and snowstorms and Hurricane Sandy, people were able to check on people. People were able to... Go and stay with people. Sure. Or do you want to come stay in my house so you don't have to be alone? Do you have candles? Do you have food? People checking on each other.

SPEAKER_01 25:27

So, May, we talked about how folks can access these types of programming services earlier. What if people want to volunteer? They want to be involved in this incredible initiative. How do they do that?

SPEAKER_03 25:39

Well, first of all, we have our different collaboratives. We have 20 different collaboratives. One collaborative that's really taken off, and we're going to need volunteers, is our technology collaborative. We're getting ready to roll out what we call TIPS, telehealth interventions programs. And this is where we're going to be checking the vitals with an electronic machine that the students, college students, are going to take the test. But we're going to surround that individual with caregiving information, with all other information about services that are available, with chronic disease self-care management training. So we are not just saying that you've got high blood pressure, but we're going to help you get that blood pressure down. We're not going to just say that you need to exercise more. We're going to show you where you can exercise more. So we're really excited about our TIPS program. That's Telehealth Interventions Program. And you're going to see a van going around the county with the signs on it and a telephone number. But we have our Salute to Seniors coming up on Thursday, May 8th, at the county center. Okay. Usually about 2,000 seniors come. We're going to roll out our TIPS program there where we're going to be taking the vitals and we're going to take assessments and we're going to let individuals know what's available that can help them get those vitals into a safe zone.

SPEAKER_01 27:05

This is an open event?

SPEAKER_03 27:07

Yes, open event.

SPEAKER_01 27:09

What time and where is it

SPEAKER_03 27:10

again? Nine o'clock at the county center and we usually get about 2,000 seniors there and we have over 100 exhibitors of service providers of what's available to them here in Westchester County. Many health tests and a little lunch and a little bit of fun. We have an Elvis impersonator, Diana Ross. We have Irish dance So we're looking forward to a great day of celebrating being a senior here in Westchester County on May 8th at the County Center.

SPEAKER_01 27:43

That sounds fantastic. And also, May, you've got another expo happening in June that you mentioned earlier.

SPEAKER_03 27:50

We have a conference in June, June 26th and 27th. On the 26th, the afternoon of the 26th, we will have the nation's leading person dealing with telehealth medicine as our speaker. He's from the University of California, Berkeley. And then the next day on the 27th, and our county executive will be there laying out our programs in terms of what we're trying to achieve. That's Rob Astorino. He'll be there. And he'll be introducing our keynote speaker on the 27th. That's Dr. Kenneth Dykwald. He is the nation's leading speaker on the changing demographics and the future of aging here in the United States.

SPEAKER_01 28:30

And how do folks register for that

SPEAKER_03 28:33

event? Just call 813-6400 and let them know that you're interested in getting information about the conference. The publicity will be going out very shortly.

SPEAKER_01 28:43

Wonderful, Mae. And, again, the number that Mae just mentioned, let's see if I memorized it, 914-813-6400. Yes. That's the number you'll use for several purposes. Number one. see what programs and services are available here in Westchester County to enhance your lives too, to sign up for that conference that she was talking about in June, and also to get some additional information of the upcoming Salute to Seniors.

SPEAKER_03 29:09

Yes, we want to see you on May 8th at our Salute to Seniors.

SPEAKER_01 29:13

May, thank you again for being on our show. It's always an honor to have you here at Westchester County is doing great. for our large senior population. And if you've missed any part of this show, just log on to our website at www.amorusolaw after the broadcast, and you'll see May's show there. I look forward to talking to you all next week.

UNKNOWN 29:38

Take care.

SPEAKER_02 29:41

Amoruso and Amoruso Empowering you to care for the ones you love