Intern's Voice, Jacqueline Foeslter

A Global Action on Aging intern’s assignments vary from week to week, as he or she may meet with diplomats, experts or retired union members, read lengthy reports, or yes, even stuff envelopes with greeting cards beautifully crafted in-house. However, there is one task which ties us all together: the GAA Newsletter. We consistently work on the weekly newsletter from finding articles, truncating them down to a blurb format, posting them on our internal website, transferring them to the external website to share with the public, and all the editing that goes on in between…

My name is Jacqueline Foelster and I have been with the GAA team since January 2009. I graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a Bachelors of Science in General Business, a minor in International Development and Conflict Management and in Spanish. Itching to leave the DC suburbs upon graduation, I moved to New York City with only the plan to jump into the city’s vivacity and see what I could make out of it. Could I even make it, is what I asked myself when I landed flat off the Chinatown bus onto 31st St and 7th Ave, and into the epicenter of the nation’s drowning economy. My application submissions for entry-level positions with NGOs and foundations were becoming futile as donors’ budgets, mostly Fortune 500 companies and the upper echelon of the city’s wealth, were drying out. I made do with serving and bartending as people are always up for a fun night out as soon as the clock strikes 5 o’clock and even more so when they had just been handed the pink slip. As I walked to and from work, I read headlines about a lousy Dow Jones, an increasing unemployment rate, and filings for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, not ideal to keep in mind right before starting a shift. It was particularly disheartening to listen to former senior employees of all walks of life having to consider other income alternatives and hashing out their retirement plans, especially because they were so close to enjoying their golden years, yet now very far. I called home every night and kept track of both my grandmothers’ individual dilemmas – Oma’s house had been on the bear market forever and Mak Yeay’s cataract eyes and varicose veins were becoming unpleasant to live with.

The times are tough for everybody, but they are taking an enormous toll on older persons who, I realized, are too often neglected in our daily lives. I geared my job search toward the aging field and gratefully so, as it lead me to an internship with GAA. I have had the opportunity to work alongside Susanne Paul and Magali Girod and a handful of brilliant fellow interns who have kept the organization’s momentum on fire in advocating for Member States of the United Nations to adopt a Convention on the Human Rights of Older Persons. One of our most effective ways of doing so is by producing the weekly GAA newsletter which touches every one of our audience members with its featured articles.

The article I would like to highlight is the ‘Government Bets on Chilotean Microenterprises and Older Persons’ article, written in Spanish, which can be found in this week’s Elder Rights, World Section. It presents the efforts of a Chilean community taking a grassroots approach of taking care of their elderly through local social enterprises. Briefly, the field of social entrepreneurship is a rapidly developing field in which the efficiency and profitability of a business meets with the social goals of a NGO. According to the article, regional authorities visited the city of Castro on Chiloé Island to meet with beneficiaries of microenterprises, including older persons. The Regional Secretary for Planning (SEREMI), Armando Pérez and the Regional Director of the Fund for Solidarity and Social Investment (FOSIS), Eugenio Pérez went with them to three of the many microenterprises that improve the quality of life of the island’s residents. They also learned about projects which focus on older persons to improve their quality of their lives and maintain their working capacity.

The article clearly illustrates that, contrary to current stigmas and their respective policies, older persons are active agents in their own lives and still have the vitality to participate in the local community. As a young adult, I draw strength to carry out the goals I have set for myself and to support the rights of older persons so that ultimately they, and I, may enjoy the fruits of our life-long labor.

Project FIND Aid for the Aged

One Thursday in mid-June, Global Action on Aging met with Debra Escort and David Gillcrist of Project FIND to learn more about their efforts to assist older persons in New York City. Project FIND Aid for the Aged, Inc. is committed to help older persons live active and independent lifestyles in Manhattan’s Upper West Side. With three housing residences and five senior centers, Project FIND ensures that older persons in New York can find housing, meals, social and physical activities that they otherwise would not normally have easy access to.

The Hamilton, The Hargrave, and The Woodstock are the three apartments that provide residents with on-site social workers who help facilitate tenant relations, hospital and nursing home admissions and discharges, and counseling. The demand for such housing is so great that the waitlist for The Hamilton alone is at least five years. Social workers in each residency facilitate communication between residents and programs such as Medicaid and Access a Ride and ensure that their needs are met accordingly. For those seniors who are still looking for a means to socialize and stay active, Project Find has five senior centers that are open Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The senior centers are entirely free and are open to any adult over the age of 60, regardless of where they live or where they are from. At The Hamilton Senior Center, members can participate in belly dancing class, Tai Chi, Strength Training, Yoga, Computer Class, a Garden Club, Art, and Salsa to name a few. Residents and members range from healthy and active to homebound and homeless adults.

The New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA) retracted its plan to restructure Senior Centers, which has assuaged the fear that many centers throughout the city would close. Project FIND’s Executive Director, David Gillcrist emphasizes that affordable housing is one of the foremost issues older persons in New York City face. The lack of accessible senior housing, and relatively little funding from the state and federal governments, are underlining concerns that are further compounded by poverty in New York City. The senior centers at Project FIND help reduce the stress of these issues. They serve as a way to stretch budgets and ensure that what little funding is available is maximized for senior use. There is a true sense of community throughout the residencies and senior centers, which provide an appropriate social space for older persons who do not wish to feel stigma often associated with nursing homes and other senior centers. Volunteers derive from all ages and many are residents themselves who are giving back to the Project FIND community.

Thanks to Debra and David for taking the time to meet with Global Action on Aging and to inform us about Project FINDS’ initiatives. FIND Aid for the Aged Inc. can be reached at (212) 874-0300 and can be accessed online at www.projectfind.org

Below you can find video selections of classes offered at Project FIND's Senior Centers:

Ken Gray's Qi Gong class at Hamilton Senior Center; Tom Campo conducts a Yoga class Clinton Senior Center; Donatas Nacajus conducts a dance class for seniors teaching rumba, foxtrot and salsa at Project Find's Hamilton Senior Center in New York City.

The New Timers!

One Tuesday in mid- May, Global Action on Aging (GAA) met with Gail Elberg, Director of All Stars Inc.(ASP), a volunteer driven non-profit organization that embraces three distinct programs: the All Stars Talent Show Network, the Development School for Youth, and the Castillo Theater. Located on West 42nd Street between 10th and 11th Avenue, the All Stars Project Inc. dates back over 30 years. It has remained independent of government funding in order to ensure its dedication to “promoting human development through the use of an innovative performance-based model.” ASP does leadership training, offering educational and performing arts activities for disenfranchised and minority youth. GAA wanted to know more about ASP’s Senior Theater Workshop, called The New Timers!, led by Director Vicky Wallace and Producer Dr. Susan Massad.

A group of fifteen to twenty older persons, called The New Timers!, refuse to conform to the labels of “senior” or “senior citizen,” thanks to the ASP philosophy that “everyone is a star.” The three-year old program has members ranging from their fifties to their eighties who meet each week to “play and explore issues of growth and development for older Americans” through improvisational games and exercises. The group demonstrates that through performance older people grow and develop. Additionally, many The New Timers double as volunteers at ASP and can be found helping out in the costume shop, the box office, or as house staff. Most members don’t come from theater backgrounds. They can find comfort in the laid-back, experimental atmosphere that facilitates personal growth and group harmony. Improvisation is the primary technique The New Timers! use to create a culture of solidarity. Characteristically diverse as an extension of the All Stars Inc., the group provides a performance space where everyone can find others who will respond and listen. Members say they have benefited tremendously from these experiences, reporting increased ease in talking in front of groups and gaining confidence to join other theater groups as well.

The New Timers! give back to New York City as performers at senior centers where they introduce older New Yorkers to the joys of improvisation. In the past year ASP has visited senior sites such as Encore, JASA, and Penn South; they plan to continue outreach to senior groups. One recent performance was based on a 10-week workshop that focused on “creating one’s day” rather than just keeping busy. Ms. Wallace considers this project as one of the group’s most successful and inspiring. She adds that older persons often see themselves as invisible consumers, limited by the constant barrage of commercialism that targets their age group. Instead, The New Timers! seeks to break through daily routines that promote inactivity by practicing pro-active techniques that help seniors ‘create’ their day. Through exercises such as “laughing yoga,” older New Yorkers find rejuvenation with The New Timers!. It allows anyone and everyone to show their hidden talents, find new ones, and express even their silliest of sides. Thanks to Gail, Vicky, and Susan for taking the time to meet with Global Action on Aging and tell us more about these creative social initiatives. The New Timers! is a free program and open to everyone that wants to join. Those interested may sign up by calling 212-941-9400, ext. 439.

Interview with Fredrick Blaszka, MD, who Treats Both Military Veterans and Civilians, Accumulating Extensive Experience in the Geriatric Field.

GAA: What problems do you see veterans encountering most in your practice? Are these mental or physical illnesses?

Dr. Blaszka: By far, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is the most frequent diagnosis. Veterans are unique among other aging groups. Social perceptions of this disease have changed throughout the years. With World War II and Korean War veterans, these symptoms were not considered a disease in the 1940’s and 50’s. Medically speaking, little was done to assure proper treatment for such cases. In general, society saw such symptoms as something ‘less than manly.’ A very macho attitude dominated the military during this period. No soldier wanted to be treated for something that was seen as cowardly. I can recall the famous incident of General George S. Patton slapping a soldier who had been hospitalized for battle fatigue. Such harsh reprisal to a sick soldier opened US eyes toward such conditions. It wasn’t until the Vietnam War that PTSD emerged as a widely accepted physical and mental consequence of war. Unfortunately, a large number of older veterans (WW2 and Korean War era) spent many years in neglect and suffered even greater consequences of untreated PTSD.

GAA: To what extent do you feel that older persons, veterans and non-veterans alike, are informed and are aware of the risk of HIV/AIDS?

Dr. Blaszka: Just like PTSD, many social taboos surround HIV/AIDS. Many older patients think of themselves as ‘exempt’ from contracting HIV/AIDS. Often, they regard it as disease that only younger people contract. Many racial and socioeconomic prejudices get ascribed to HIV/AIDS. Older patients are not willing to accept their risk at face value. I generally try to promote HIV/AIDS awareness among my patients.

GAA: As a geriatrician, to what extent do you encourage your patients to take an active role in society?

Dr. Blaszka: We have clinical programs that help older persons maintain a healthy lifestyle. The key component is activity. Usually every three to six months patients have a lifestyle evaluation to learn what they need to do to become more active. I always stress that staying socially active is just as important being physically active. Creating weekly habits, like visiting a certain friend or going to some sort of group activity, is essential to living a longer, happier life. I also encourage the physically able to take a part-time job, which in addition to the obvious financial advantage, has tremendous mental benefits as well.


Global Action on Aging thanks Dr. Blaszka for major health issues that he observes as a geriatrician. While these concerns are rooted in specific medical and health circumstances that older persons face, they are made even more difficult social taboos centering around HIV/AIDS and mental disorders.