FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM APRIL 19, 2018 • THE QUEENS COURIER 13
Bryan G . Van Huele
Financial
Services Professional
Agent, New York Life Insurance Company
(929) 328 - 9772
bvanhuele@ft.newyorklife.com
39-02 Main Street, Flushing, NY 11354
Registered Representative for NYLIFE Securities LLC
(member FINRA / SIPCA),
a Licensed Insurance Agency
SMRU 1765602 Exp. 02/13/2020
The Department for the Aging
is prescribing the best medicine
possible for older New Yorkers: a
better quality of life through preventive
and supportive services.
By providing health education,
fitness classes, medication management,
in-home services and
more, DFTA and its partners are
improving health and wellness
outcomes for at-risk seniors.
According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention,
approximately three in four people
age 65 and older have chronic
conditions, and more than 70
percent of U.S. health care dollars
go toward the treatment of those
conditions. Education plays an
important role in lessening the
impact of ailments with longterm
effects.
In the Bronx, for example, the
organization RAIN, which operates
senior centers, is pursuing a
different approach by partnering
with the New York University
Rory Meyers College of Nursing
and Montefiore to train more than
1,500 health professionals to meet
the needs of older adults through
classes, workshops and more.
At other DFTA senior centers,
activities such as nutrition
workshops, dance classes, the
peer-led blood pressure monitoring
program “Keep on Track”
and chronic disease self-management
classes give seniors the
coping skills and tools they need
to take ownership of their health
as they bridge gaps between visits
to the doctor. In the process,
seniors keep high blood pressure,
diabetes, and arthritis in check.
As a co-leader of the New
York City Falls Prevention Coalition,
DFTA also works with the
Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene to raise awareness about
the importance of falls prevention
through evidence-based classes
that produce consistent, beneficial
results. Members of senior centers
and naturally occurring retirement
communities can participate in the
falls prevention classes “A Matter
of Balance” and “Tai Chi for Arthritis,”
to name a few.
For older adults who can’t
make it to DFTA sites, a network
of in-home providers support
seniors’ health by providing nutritious
meals and essential care,
friendly visiting services for the
isolated and additional resources
for long-term care issues.
Medication management is
also key to improving overall wellness.
DFTA has partnered with
the Isabella Geriatric Center to
pilot the “HomeMeds” program,
which aims to reduce medication
overlap and errors through medication
review.
DFTA encourages seniors to
take advantage of available services
and to embrace the benefits
of prevention as part of an active
and healthy lifestyle for longevity.
DONNA CORRADO,
Commissioner of the City’s
Department for the Aging
City helps seniors through
preventive, supportive care
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