The Yonkers NNORC (Neighborhood Naturally Occurring Retirement Community) launched in late January 2020 at the Grinton Will Library. It provides a wide range of activities and services to seniors 60+ in Northeast Yonkers to help them stay active both mentally and physically in the community they love. Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) and the City of Yonkers Office for the Aging have been awarded a New York State Office for the Aging NNORC grant to help coordinate these services. There is no income requirement for our services but there is a suggestion for donations that could assist in some services.
Less than seven weeks after the launch of the NNORC, it had to pivot due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Our services now had to be provided virtually and within the New York State guidelines. Our team has continued to reach out to seniors to provide the services they need and to check in to see how they are doing. Some of the support and resources provided includes Healthcare Assistance for seniors and caregivers on programs that may be of interest to them.
The programs that the NNORC has been able to implement has been made possible with the strong relationships it developed with its partners prior to COVID-19. The Yonkers Public Library along with the NNORC has been offering virtual Meditation Chair Yoga and Bingo through the virtual meeting platform, Zoom. Dr. Heptulla from Millennium Medical and Rehab has been leading the Meditation Chair Yoga. Two programs that took place at the library prior to COVID-19 will be going virtual – TIPS at Home in partnership with the Department of Senior Programs and Services (DSPS) and the New York Presbyterian/Lawrence Hospital speaker series. The TIPS at Home is intended to help keep seniors safe during COVID-19 by measuring heart rate and oxygen levels in the blood. The speaker series with NYP/Lawrence will feature health and wellness topics.
It became obvious that seniors needed assistance with their technology in order to take part in these virtual programs. Thus the NNORC reached out to another partner, YPIE (Yonkers Partners In Education), to offer seniors support in learning their technology. This helps seniors stay connected to their families and helps with the feelings of isolation due to the inability for seniors to leave their home during this pandemic. This Intergenerational Program will consist of high school students volunteering their time. The NNORC offers seniors the opportunity to give back to their community by offering opportunities as a literacy mentor with JCY Westchester Community Partners a division of FSSY. Along with these wide range of programs we have also provided a gardening video for seniors who want to garden from their home called “Potting on Lettuce;” this video is friendly for in-home gardening and for seniors restricted to certain physical movements. To view this video as well as a list of virtual places to visit go to yonkersny.gov and click on the link for the Yonkers Office for the Aging website link: Staying Connected While At Home.
Due to COVID-19, the Yonkers Office for the Aging expanded their Home-Delivered Meals Program and has delivered over 25,000 meals and over 10,000 pantry items to seniors all over Yonkers. More information has also been posted about places that deliver groceries and medications for those interested.
For further information about the Yonkers NNORC programs and how we can assist: Contact Sally Pinto 914-391-1323 Sally.Pinto@yonkersny.gov.
