The role of NYConnects in providing information about the full range of long term care choices available to today’s seniors was discussed for some 35 retirees and friends at the April 14 Coffee Program in the Riverfront Café. Patty Baroody, coordinator of Steuben County’s NY Connects program headquartered in Bath, was our guest speaker. She prefaced her remarks by noting that NYConnects partners with the Office for the Aging in serving Steuben County residents spread out over an area larger than the state of Rhode Island.

Baroody described her office’s services as a one-stop source for unbiased information on the broad range of programs and services for our aging population to help meet their need and planning for long-term care. With the growth in our aging population, there is need for a single point of entry for steering people through the complex array of support and services for the elderly. That need is met by NYConnects, she said.

She noted that most long-term care – about 80% -- is provided by non-paid, non-professional care givers who serve not only the elderly but any persons in need of special care. With today’s growing elderly populations, smaller families and children living father away from the places where they grew up, the elderly are finding the caregiver workforce is not keeping pace with demand.

Technology holds promise for helping to ease that shortage, Baroody said. Thanks to web cam-equipped computers, children in far-off places can have face-to-face conversations with parents and are better able to note changes in their behavior or even appearance. She said, "Aging has both a good and bad side…everyone has a different approach to aging…some do it well…others not so well.”

Planning for retirement is like planning for anything else. Aging has its “nest egg” concerns… home care or long-term care and how to pay for either. People prefer to age at home. That presents a demand for more options for care. That, in turn, drives the services for providing those options. She described the difference between custodial care and medical care. Public Health Nurses are for medical care…they are not equipped, staffed or meant to be called upon to give elderly people baths, she said. That is custodial care and can be done by anyone…family member, neighbor, or the like.

Telemedicine is a doorway to technology that can provide advice, service and even monitor situations. For example, a bathroom scale hooked to a computer linked to the Doctors office can provide daily monitoring. Activity sensors that monitor movement in the home can send an alert to first responders if no movement is sensed within a set period of time.

Baroody said, “With aging comes “losses” – life energy focus fades. It is important for the elderly to have something to focus on for fun and social engagement. The loss of a spouse can lead to a loss of sense of purpose, “ she noted. Caregivers and family members need to be aware of depression which can be a downward spiral that can be tough to reverse.

Planning for retirement is like planning for anything else. The NYConnects program is an advocacy agency working on behalf of all who need care. “NYConnects people in every county are very much in touch with what’s going on the front line – i.e. legislation, state services, other agencies and their offerings.” Baroody noted the NYConnects offices are co-located with the Office for the Aging and the two are dove-tailed in their pursuit of providing the best advice to those who need direction, assistance or advice. NYConnects can be reached by phone at 1-866-221-7324.

She reported that New York State is building a data base for all the County NYConnects units within the state that will enable people anywhere in the country to access the services available in the areas covered by any of the NYConnects county units. “With these services, family members – no matter how far away – can learn the full menu of assistance available in any county in New York State,” she said.

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