CSCS: Council of Senior Centers and Services of NYC, Inc.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO BRING HUNDREDS OF SENIORS TO CITY HALL AS THE CUTS ARE DEVASTATING TO SENIOR SERVICES

Date: Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Time: 10:00 am (usually goes for about two hours). The public can testify – register at the hearing that day (go up front on right side of the room to security guard at the desk)
Location: City Hall Chambers – 2nd floor (there is an elevator)

What is happening:
$43 million in proposed cuts to DFTA  - go to www.cscs-ny.org to see Action Alert
There are 13 new Councilmembers so it is very important for a strong showing of seniors as this is the first budget hearing from these Councilmembers. We also need to retain the historic support of City Council for aging services.
Please arrive at 9:45 to get into the Chambers on time.

CSCS and its members need to send a strong message that the cumulative effect of cuts results in less services to older New Yorkers and threatens the infrastructure of community-based agencies.

Please let us know if you are bringing seniors or for further information – Bobbie Sackman, (212) 398-6565 x226 or bsackman@cscs-ny.org (prefer emails).

THE AGING SERVICES NETWORK IS THE BEST – YOU’VE ALWAYS BROUGHT HUNDREDS OF SENIORS TO CITY HALL WHEN WE NEEDED IT – THANK YOU!

NY STATE OFFICE FOR THE AGING (SOFA) BUDGET
CUT BY $9.8 MILLION
ADDITIONAL LEGISLATIVE ADD-ONS, $5 MILLION, FOR SNAP HOME-DELIVERED MEALS, EISEP CASE MANAGEMENT & HOME CARE, AND COMMUNITY SERVICES FOR THE ELDERLY (CSE) NEEDS TO BE RESTORED

Governor David Paterson’s budget included the following cuts to SOFA’s budget:
•    $7 million in COLA increases for services funded through SNAP, EISEP, and CSE deferred for FY2010-2011.
•    $890,000 – elimination of the Congregate Services Initiative program
•    $2 million of state funds in SOFA’s budget would be cut and replaced with ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) federal stimulus money which will exist for only one year making this an additional $2 million cut to SOFA.
•    $5 million – ARRA federal stimulus money was used to fund SNAP, EISEP and CSE. These funds are legislative add-ons and good for only one year.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1.    Please call your state assembly members and senators immediately with the message: “NO CUTS TO THE STATE OFFICE FOR THE AGING. CUTS TO MEALS-ON-WHEELS, TRANSPORTATION, HOME CARE AND CASE MANAGEMENT WILL ENDANGER THE LIVES OF OLDER NEW YORKERS.”
2.    Invite your state representatives immediately to your senior center, NORC, or program to discuss the cuts. It is important that seniors advocate for no cuts and ask questions during your state representative’s visit.

The state budget will be completed by March 31st.  Because of the difficult financial times the state is in, state assembly members and senators must hear from constituents in their district that they are opposed to cuts to the State Office for the Aging.  These cuts hurt elderly New Yorkers and family caregivers who depend upon the services to help keep their loved one in the community.

CSCS is pleased to inform you that the NY State Office for the Aging was not cut. There was a proposed $5.5 million cut which would have impacted the SNAP home-deliver meals program, EISEP case management and home care, funding for transportation, and other services.  CSCS worked closely with the state legislature to prevent the cuts. There was a 12.5% across-the-board cut to all Senate member item funds. Please check with your State Senator to follow up on this. Please urge your Senator to keep your funding as a priority as it is up to the Senator where to cut funds.

Please send thank you letters to Governor David Paterson, the Assembly and Senate Aging Chairs and your local state representatives.  Thank them for not cutting the services listed above that seniors depend upon to age in place in their homes and communities. It is important to thank them as there will likely be more proposed state budget cuts next year.

Governor David Paterson
State Capitol
Albany, New York 12224

Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr.
Chair, Committee on Aging
900 Rogers Place
Bronx, NY  10459

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz
Chair, Committee on Aging
3107 Kingsbridge Avenue
Bronx, NY 10463

With all the misinformation flying around these days, CSCS’ testimony at a recent hearing tried to dig up the truth about health care reform not pulling the plug on grandma. Couldn’t be further from reality.

After reading Section 1233, “Advance Care Planning Consultation”, in HR3200, it is evident that the idea of “death panels” is totally ungrounded:
Section (5) “actionable medical order relating to the treatment of that individual that”…section (5)(A)(ii), “effectively communicates the individual’s preferences regarding life sustaining treatment (emphasis added), including an indication of the treatment and care desired by the individual;”.

Read the text of the HR3200 yourself

I have a living will and health care proxy. So does my 91 year old mother and other members of my family and friends. It is progress to have Medicare cover the cost of individuals developing their end of life plan with a health care professional and was originally inserted as part of the Medicare Part D legislation passed in 2006 under President George Bush. No one objected to this then and some now objecting voted for this as part of the Medicare Part D legislation without a problem. So, why are the voices so loud opposed to this now? Rather than a “death panel”, this should be called “end of life dignity”.

To read more of Bobbie’s testimony head to our website

Websites providing independent, objective information about health care reform:

• www.kff.org - the Kaiser Family Foundation
• www.politifact.com – a project of the St. Petersburg Times to check the accuracy of certain political statements
• www.factcheck.org – a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center

For more information on HR3200 and Medicare check out the Medicare Rights Center

Wendell Potter, the former head of public relations with Cigna, one of the largest health insurance companies, is now a chief whistleblower speaking out on the abuses of health insurance providers. His interview with Bill Moyers is very revealing as to how the health insurance industry has worked to use less and less money to pay claims and keep the status quo in current efforts to reform health care: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv1FwOCNoZ8

What do you think about the health care legislation?  Did President Obama’s speech last night address your concerns?

Would you like to see new programs at senior  centers? What would you want? What would you think if Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a $25 million new initiative for senior centers? Well, he did on  August 25, 2009.

CSCS developed the idea of Charter Senior  Centers, which would allow some senior centers to create new programs and  services they don’t already offer or expand what they already do - arts,  computer training, tai chi, yoga, health and wellness classes - and maybe an  idea you have. The NYC Department for the Aging would allow senior centers more  flexibility in how they operate every day - lighten up the heavy hand of  government bureaucracy that can waste time and create unnecessary headaches.  Like charter schools, the idea is to bring in new energy and money to senior  centers and lessen bureaucratic control of the every day operations of senior  centers.

So, whaddya think?   Head to the CSCS website for the latest news on Charter Senior Centers.

As a champion of elder rights, one of the most frustrating things for me is the lack of comprehensive federal legislation to protect older adults from elder abuse.  The Elder Justice Act– which has been in the hands of Congress since 2002 — will provide a foundation to prevent, detect, treat, intervene in and prosecute abuse of older Americans. Our country passed child abuse prevention legislation 25 years ago and the Violence Against Women Act 15 years ago, however no Federal law has been enacted that adequately and comprehensively addresses the issues of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Current federal resources devoted to the problem of elder abuse are minimal – less than 2% of abuse prevention dollars go to mistreatment of older adults.  Don’t elders have a right to live free from fear of abuse, neglect, and exploitation?

Every year, an estimated five million older Americans are beaten, ignored or financially exploited, causing illness, suffering and premature death. Yet, elder abuse is not perceived as a national tragedy and collectively there is much silence around the issue.  Older adults who experience mistreatment have a 300% higher risk of death.  Elder Financial abuse alone costs older Americans $2.6 billion a year.

CSCS is getting involved in the fight and you can too!  Use these simple steps to  take action and then tell us about it here!  What can you do to protect seniors from elder abuse?

Take Action:

*Contact your representative and ask them to co-sponsor the Elder Justice Act

*Go to www.elderjusticenow.com to hear more about the national campaign

Are you taking care of your spouse, elderly parents or loved ones to keep them home?  Is Congress and the White House including medical and neighborhood services in health care reform to let people stay home and live with dignity? See the National Council on Aging (NCOA) for more information on health care reform. CSCS thinks there is NO TIME TO WAIT for affordable long term care services.

Call your Congressmember and Senator to say - include “long term care services” in health care reform. You can’t leave any seniors behind.

To Find your Congressmember and Senators click here

What are your ideas about what is needed to keep elderly loved ones at home and independent? What would you want for yourself?  We want to hear from you.

CSCS organized a March 30th City Hall press conference with 80 senior citizens from senior centers in all five boroughs. Over 300 seniors attended the City Council Aging Committee budget hearing. This was the new DFTA Commissioner Liliam Barrios Paoli’s first hearing. You can see a summary of her remarks on the CSCS website. CSCS’ joint testimony for the hearing is also on the website with a chart of all the cuts being proposed.

Senior services continue to take hit after hit. Mayor Michael Bloomberg released his FY10 preliminary budget on January 29th. The proposed plan includes $22 million in cuts to the Department for the Aging - cuts to senior centers, case management, elder abuse, and a pulling back on a planned expansion of meals-on-wheels. It also did not include City Council funds for rent, meals, and vans. DFTA already got cut by $13 million last year and is sustaining state cuts. DFTA eliminated funding for adult day services, intergenerational programs, a gamut of other services plus a 30% cut to caregiver funds. Only elder abuse funds were restored, but for 6 months only.

There continues to be waves of cuts on aging services. With the aging population growing in number and growing poorer in these bad economic times, the city should not be fraying the safety net for seniors even further. Please go to www.cscs-ny.org for our action alert.