Senior New Yorkers Are City's Fastest-Growing Population 

By Marjie Mohtashemi, NY News 1

 JANUARY 8, 2003 

Medical advancements mean New York's seniors are healthier and more active than ever before, and they're also living a lot longer.

“The biggest growth across the board in the population has been in the 85-plus,” said Dr. Gerald Landsberg of the NYU School of Social Work.

According to Census data, the population of New Yorkers over the age of 85 jumped up by 18.7 percent from 1990 to 2000; they now account for 122,000 New Yorkers. That number is certain to increase as baby boomers enter their senior years.

“Those people often require, with health problems, cognitive issues that they face, the need for more services, that are often more difficult to get,” Landsberg said.

Landsberg said the boom in the over-85 population means the city must rethink the types of services it offers to the elderly.

“Most of the service we've provided has been through senior centers or Meals on Wheels,” Landsberg said. “And some of those need to be changed, because they're a little bit too passive. Often, their ability to leave their homes to get services and food is a little bit more compromised.”

The city's Department for the Aging said despite a shortage of state and federal funds, it's doing the best it can to prepare for the needs of the city's aging population.

“We provide services from senior centers up through case management programs, home care, home delivered meals, recreation, socialization and transportation,” said Edwin Mendez-Santiago of the Department for the Aging. “We have tried to meet the needs of our older population and to adapt to their changing needs as the population has increased.”

As the city struggles to meet the demands of its aging population, there remains a contrast between those who can take advantage of all it has to offer and the frustrations of those who can't.

“I love the theater, I love going to museums, I love just generally walking down Madison Avenue,” said Louise Stern, a local senior. “I’ve tried to take advantage of all that New York has to offer.”

“A lot of people are handicapped, many of them in a home today,” said another senior. “They can hardly get up, fix meals. It's rough.”

By the year 2030, it's predicted that one in five Americans will be older than 65. A baby born today is expected to live nearly 30 years longer than a baby born a century ago.

Which is why making our city more accommodating to the needs of the elderly is more important and challenging than ever.