FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM APRIL 30, 2020 • THE QUEENS COURIER 7
Making Sense of the Census
Check
Your Mail
Staying Connected from Home
We New Yorkers find ourselves in
a unique and difficult time, where
everything we took for granted and
normal has been upended. Yet we
are all adjusting and defining this
new normal for our health and
safety and others. New Yorkers
are being asked to hunker down
– study remotely, work from
home, and stay indoors as much
as possible, especially older adults
who are vulnerable to COVID-19.
As part of the city shutdown, the
New York City Department for the
Aging (DFTA) temporarily closed
nearly 300 congregate centers, which
served as a hub of social activity, support
and community for about 21,000 older
New Yorkers. DFTA and its partners
have worked to transition many of the
services provided at congregate centers to
the home, including the direct delivery of
lunch meals they received at centers. We
had to create a new system to implement
the enormity of this transition! DFTA’s
network, which had served an average
participation of 21,000 daily, saw that
number grow to 39,000 within one week.
During this crisis, we had to learn to fly as
we’re flying! This was made possible with
our network of partners. Together, we
were able to provide more than 500,000
meals to over 39,000 individuals citywide.
We knew early on that many of the
1.74 million older adults who were
independent would find themselves
socially isolated and food insecure. To
address this issue, the Mayor established
a Food Czar to lead the GetFoodNYC
initiative and address the broader issue of
food insecurity and hunger. GetFoodNYC
will have the capacity to serve the many
older adults not enrolled in DFTA’s direct
delivery system. Older New Yorkers, who
have not enrolled, can call 311 or
visit nyc.gov/getfood to do so.
We’ve also transitioned other
programs to services that are
accessible at home. Our congregate
centers’ staff are doing wellness
check-ins by phone to increase
social engagement and combat
social isolation. DFTA’s Friendly
Visiting program, which pairs older
adults with volunteers for weekly
visits, has also transitioned from
in-person visits to telephone calls
done two to three times a week,
helping continue friendships that
the program has helped build. At
this time, we continue taking new
volunteers. Anyone wanting to volunteer,
or be part of the program, can call Aging
Connect, DFTA’s contact center, at
212-Aging-NYC (212-244-6469).
To help older adults stay active and
engaged, many centers are offering virtual
classes, including nutrition workshops,
fitness programs, and more. Recently,
Greenwich House launched its virtual
art show featuring the work of senior
center members. You can call your local
senior center to find out about virtual
programming.
While this is a difficult time, we want
older New Yorkers to know that they
are not alone. There are resources and
support available, and DFTA and its
partners are here to help. New Yorkers
are tough, but we are also compassionate
and giving. Together, by supporting and
staying connected with each other, we will
get through this.
DFTA partner Encore Community Services’ staff help deliver
meals to older New Yorkers.
NYC Department for the
Aging Commissioner
Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
Abraham Glasman, MD
Diplomate American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (N)
Diplomate National Board of Physicians and Surgeons
APPOINTMENTS
AVAILABLE IN PERSON
REMOTE &
TELEMEDICINE
By Julie Menin, Director of NYC Census
2020
Have you checked your mail lately?
If you’re one of the New Yorkers that
hasn’t responded to the 2020 Census yet,
you might have noticed a postcard in your
mailbox from the Census Bureau.
Don’t worry — you’re not in trouble.
But your community could be if you
aren’t counted.
These postcards and mailers are just
another way the Census Bureau is trying
to make sure every one of us is counted.
After all, there’s a good chance you have
other things on your mind. Now more
than ever, we all have new and urgent
priorities in dealing with the COVID-19
pandemic, so it might be easy to lose sight
of things like the 2020 Census. But the
COVID-19 pandemic also highlights just
how much we all depend on our public
services, and that we need a complete 2020
Census count to keep them fully funded
and functioning for years to come.
With that in mind, the Census Bureau
sends reminders to help make sure
no one gets left behind. And in fact, some
of these latest mailers even contain the
mail-in version of the 2020 Census form
— so if you haven’t responded because of
issues with your internet or phone, now
you have a backup option.
We encourage you to respond right
away to ensure that you and your family
are fully counted.
So if you found a census mailer in
your mailbox, let that be the inspiration
you need to get counted. It only takes 10
minutes, and you can also do it online at
my2020census.gov or call 1-844-330-2020
to complete it over the phone.
Already filled your form out? The
work doesn’t end there. Help make sure
your families, friends, and neighbors are
also getting counted. Remember, these
resources are shared between all of us.
We’re all in this together. Let’s make it
count.
“Making Sense of the Census” is a
weekly column from Julie Menin, Director
of NYC Census 2020. Every week we will
be publishing pieces from Julie and guest
authors laying out the facts and answering
tough questions about this year’s census.
Fill out the census now at my2020census.
gov.
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