In the long, cold days of winter, a lot of us may feel stuck indoors; this feeling of isolation may be especially strong for seniors, particularly those who no longer drive or don’t feel comfortable driving in bad weather. Luckily, for those in Oyster Bay, the Life Enrichment Center is a place they can escape to, which will soon have more transportation options for its members, and this month is branching out even further to include residents of Syosset and Woodbury who do not have access to a senior center within their own communities.
“We’re essentially filling the gap for these seniors,” says Silvana LaFerlita Gullo, executive director of the LEC, who has been working hard since she took the position two years ago to assess the needs of her members and how to serve them as best as possible.
While New York State recognizes the benefit of social service support and does provide funding in some communities through a program entitled “NORC,” this funding is not available for the center’s catchment community. To address the gaps, the center reaches out to local businesses, civic groups and private foundations to help underwrite some of its essential programs.
She says that she has been working with the center’s social services coordinator to determine what types of services seniors need, and one huge problem is transportation. She began working on connecting with community groups like Rotary Clubs and asking them for help.
She says they raised enough money to refurbish a vehicle they already have, and will also be getting a new one from the state. But with the cost of a driver, gas and insurance, they still welcome support from the community.
“My big picture idea is to develop community-wide solutions, because if it works for me, other communities can work with their Rotary Clubs to find solutions,” says Gullo.
Currently, the center has a social services coordinator who anyone can call if they suspect a senior who lives alone may be having difficulty in some capacity, from cooking to financial issues. The coordinator will evaluate the need assessment and connect them directly with a service provider such as Meals on Wheels, Family and Children Services or a Medicaid representative.
Gullo notes that she is “not small-minded” and adds, “We’re going to figure out how to fill the gaps and then my plan is to create a model and share it with other communities.”
The center currently has more than 700 active members and serves the communities of Bayville, Brookville, East Norwich, Lattingtown, Locust Valley, Muttontown, Oyster Bay and Oyster Bay Cove. Gullo believes it should be the “hub” for seniors needs, not only offering a social outlet and recreational activities but also a place for guidance and support. Her goal is to expand on the work she has been doing for the past two years and get the word out that the center is available to answer questions and provide some direction.
“This is the place to come to for information,” she notes. “People can make one phone call to find out how to help an aging parent.”
However, she says another area that is becoming a bigger problem every year, as the Baby Boomers age, is affordable care for seniors who can no longer safely live alone.
“The elephant in the room is, if seniors can’t stay home, where do they go?”Gullo says. “Sometimes their families live elsewhere, but they want to live here…the closest place that is financially manageable for seniors is in Inwood.”
She says one of her favorite local facilities for dementia care is Harbor House, but it’s not affordable for most people. She would love to see a group home of some sort in the community that can provide affordable care around the clock for residents; she says she is open to ideas from the community to come up with a solution.
Another new program the center has implemented is “music and memory,” a program that uses music to “wake up the brain” which has shown that moving your body in rhythm stimulates the brain and rejuvenates brain cells. She says the findings are “amazing” and that “people who were silent for two years were talking and connecting” after listening to music.
“Getting music into the center is critical..therapeutic music programs are expensive,” Gullo says, adding that they are working on getting iPods donated that kids have volunteered to customize for the seniors most in need.
Gullo is happy with what has been accomplished over the past two years and looking forward to providing even more services to more seniors in 2015. To learn more about The Life Enrichment Center at Oyster Bay call 516-922-1770 and visit www.lifeenrichmentcenteroysterbay.org.
