SENIORS
Continued from Page 22
VISITING NURSE
SERVICE
VNS serves Queens residents
through its borough office
in Flushing. VNS serves the
homebound with nursing,
home health aide and social
work services, as well as
physical, occupational
and speech therapy. When
you are accepted into the
program, VNS Home Care
and the Department of Social
Services will work with you to
determine which services you
will need to remain at home
safely. These services may
include:
■ professional nursing
services
■ home health aide
services
■ personal care or
housekeeping services
■ physical, occupational
and respiratory therapy
■ speech therapy and
audiology
■ medical social services
■ nutritional services
■ laboratory services
■ medical supplies,
equipment and appliances
■ waived services, such
as social day care, social
transportation, respite care,
home improvement and
home maintenance tasks
EMERGENCY ALERT
RESPONSE SYSTEM
VNS
475 Park Ave #9, New York
311
VETERANS
ADMINISTRATION
EXTENDED CARE
CENTER
This facility provides
inpatient skilled nursing
home care, inpatient
intermediate care services
and a geriatric evaluation
unit. Outpatient medical care
is provided by a scheduled
primary care clinic. Walk-in
patients are evaluated
with acute problems being
treated and non-acute
problems scheduled into a
clinic. The facility also offers
an Adult Day Health Care
program.
Services are available for
those veterans who have
been honorably discharged
from military service. To
expedite processing, you
need your DD214 discharge
papers.
VA Extended Care Center
179-00 Linden Blvd. and 179th
St.
Jamaica, NY 11425
718-526-1000
IN-HOME ELECTRONIC
MONITORING
DEVICES
A person with a home
emergency response
system simply presses a
wireless button in times
of trouble. When this
button is pressed, a signal
is received by trained
personnel at a central unit.
The trained personnel, who
already have the person’s
name, address, telephone
number and other important
information, will contact
responders who can go to
the home and see what the
problem is. The responders
are usually friends, neighbors
or family who live close by
and who have keys to the
person’s home.
SOCIAL SERVICE
ORGANIZATIONS
SERVING OLDER
PEOPLE IN QUEENS
Flushing House
United Lifeline
38-20 Bowne St.
Flushing 11354
888-987-6205
Jamaica Service Program
for Older Adults
Lifeline Alert
92-47 165th St.
Jamaica 11433
718-657-6500
Queens Jewish
Community Council
Lifeline Support Program
119-45 Union Tnpk.
Forest Hills 11375
718-544-9033
HOME-DELIVERED
MEALS
Home-delivered meals
are available, in many
communities, to help frail,
older homebound people
remain in their own homes.
Through this program,
homebound elderly residents
age 60 and over are delivered
hot meals daily or fresh
frozen meals twice a week.
Some programs offer kosher
meals.
Also, trained social workers
may be available to the
recipients for assistance in a
crisis, to make linkages with
other needed services and
to assist in the completion
of forms for other benefits
and entitlements. A small
contribution is generally
requested.
For more information and
to apply for home delivered
meals, call the Department
for the Aging at 311.
NURSING HOMES
The type of facility selected
depends upon the level of
care needed. For information
and help on finding a facility,
contact:
City Department for the
Aging
2 Lafayette St.
New York, NY 10007
311
TO COMPLAIN ABOUT
CARE:
State Office for the Aging
State Ombudsman Program:
212-812-211
New York Foundation for
Senior Citizens
City Long Term Care Ombuds
program
11 Park Place
New York, NY 10007
212-962-7559
Department of Health
Patient Care Investigation
Unit
90 Church St.
New York, NY 10007
311 or 888-201-4563
SOCIAL SECURITY
Social Security is a federally
administered pension plan
for retired and disabled
people and their families. If
you have contributed to the
Social Security Trust Fund
and think you may qualify,
contact your nearest Social
Security Office (call 1-800-
772-1213).
SUPPLEMENTAL
SECURITY INCOME
Supplemental Security Income
is a federally administered
program of cash assistance
for the aged, the blind and
the disabled of any age with
limited income or resources.
SSI is not the same as Social
Security. Even if you now
receive Social Security, you
may also be eligible for SSI. If
you think you may qualify for
SSI, you should contact your
nearest Social Security office.
EMERGENCY
ASSISTANCE FOR
ADULTS
This program provides cash
assistance, such as money
for rent, food or moving
expenses, in emergencies,
such as fire, flood, burglary,
illness or other catastrophes
which endanger the health,
safety and well-being of
older adults.
Contact the DSS Office of
Income Maintenance at 311.
FOOD STAMPS
Food stamps allow people
with limited income to
receive coupons to purchase
food. To find out if you are
eligible to receive food
stamps, call 311.
BURIAL INFORMATION
If a senior citizen dies,
leaving no money, family
or friends to pay for burial,
contact:
Queens Morgue: 718-883-
3865
Queens Public Administrator:
718-526-5037
Queens Medical Examiner:
718-883-3871
AGE DISCRIMINATION
It is a violation of city and
state law for employers
to discriminate against a
person because of age. If
you have been a victim of
such discrimination, you
may file a complaint with:
City Commission on
Human Rights
153-01 Jamaica Ave., Room
203
Jamaica 11432
718-657-2465
Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
33 Whitehall St., 5th Floor
New York, NY 10004
EDUCATION
A number of colleges and
universities in Queens offer
discounts on tuition or
registration to older adults.
For more information,
contact the college of your
choice:
City University of New
York
cuny.edu
If you are 65 years or older
and a city resident, you may
enroll in all college courses
for a $25 per semester
registration fee on a spaceavailable
basis. The Center
for Unlimited Enrichment Inc.
provides educational, cultural
and social experiences for
older adults. There are no
prerequisites, tests, pressure
or course credits—just
opportunities to learn for the
pure joy of it!
Queens College ACE
Program
qc.cuny.edu
The Adult Collegiate Education
Program offers older adults
an opportunity to earn an
undergraduate degree,
using credits given for life
experience toward degree
requirements. For more
information, contact 718-997-
5717.
York College
york.cuny.edu
York College offers a course
within its Psychology
Department called Human
Development II. Students
will learn how specific
government policies and
laws affect senior citizens,
especially issues relating to
housing, Medicare, Social
Security, wills and estates.
St. John’s University
stjohns.edu
St. John’s allows senior
citizens 62 years of
age or older to enroll
in any undergraduate
course, excluding art and
computers, on a space
available-basis during the
fall, spring and summer
semesters for a flat $25 fee.
Seniors may also register for
noncredit courses in the St.
John’s School of Continuing
Education at the full fee. Call
718-990-6161.
City Department of
Education
schools.nyc.gov
The DOE offers courses
through a continuing
education program. There is
a $25 fee for most eightweek
courses.
Queens Adult Learning
Center
27-35 Jackson Ave., Long
Island City, 11101
718-361-9480
Educational Services
90-01 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica,
11435
718-557-2567
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