Since 2010, older adults in New York City have surpassed the number of school-aged children, growing nearly 17 times faster than the entire population. Despite older adults over 50 contributing nearly $72 billion to the state’s budget – just 1% is dedicated to their needs.
With older populaces soon to become the norm nationwide, the state’s department of aging recently released a Master Plan outlining urgent challenges faced by older adults and those with disabilities, along with suggested proposals such as direct care workforce recruitment and community-based services.
At City and State’s inaugural New York Aging summit held at Hebrew Union College, advocates urged for a cultural shift against ageism – from weighing in on widespread economic and food insecurity experienced by older adults and the caregiving crisis…