I have just returned from attending and presenting at the 42nd Annual Conference of the State Society on Aging of New York, held here in New York City at Fordham University at Lincoln Center. The conference theme was “The Collaborative Age: Integration Across Disciplines”. The topic of our workshop was “Hoarding Can Threaten Elders’ Wellbeing and Rights to ‘Age in Place’: Working Together, Reducing Risk”.
In the years we’ve attended and presented at SSANY, the number of attendees has grown and diversified as both private and public companies recognize the necessity of collaborating to address the issues of aging in New York State. This year there were reports on a wide range of topics made by New York State representatives from Albany, local chapters of professional organizations, service providers, social workers, care managers, educational institutions and legal aid. One of the most compelling and alarming points was made by Donna M. Corrado Commissioner, NYC Department for the Aging and her colleagues statewide: the rate of elders’ suicides is rising dramatically. Reasons cited include lack of support services, cost of prescriptions, “food insecurity” and depression. This trend alone propels all of us to do everything possible to support the aging population.
From our 28 years of experience helping elders at risk because of hoarding, I suggested to Commissioner Corrado, that it would be useful to have statistics gathered on not just the emotional burden of elders suffering with hoarding, but also the economic impact of ‘Level 4 and Level 5’ of the Clutter-Hoarding Scale©…on elder residents, their neighbors and their buildings and offered to help design and gather such statistics.
One of the more uplifting programs for this conference was provided by The Unforgettable Chorus led by Choral Director and Conductor: Tania Papayannopoulou, Music Therapist, and Co-Conductor: Dale Lamb. The Unforgettables, a unique chorus, is the first of its kind for people with dementia and their family members and friends. Having been a member of chorus for most of my life, I know first hand about the healing power of music, and it was so wonderful to see the joy light up their faces as they burst into song. You can read more about them and see them in action at aging.med.nyu.edu/research/chorus
We urge everyone addressing elders at risk to connect and collaborate with their state’s public and private organizations dedicated to providing support services to elders.