HEIGHTS AND HILLS INC
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Mission Statement
Heights and Hills promotes successful aging in Brooklyn. Our programs and services are centered on the basic needs of older adults as they age to improve health, satisfaction, and longevity: financial and food security; access to health care; a safe, affordable, and comfortable place to live; the ability to accomplish life’s basic tasks; and social supports to prevent isolation.
About This Cause
Formed by concerned community advocates and clergy in 1971, Heights and Hills pioneered programs that empower Brooklyn’s older adults to live their best lives in their own communities. What started as a small grass-roots organization serving Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill has now grown to serve the northern half of the borough. Brooklyn currently has the largest population of older adults of any county in New York State, those 65 and older make up 14 percent of the population, and more than one in five live below the poverty line, one of the highest poverty rates in the state. Today, we serve almost 5,000 older adults and their families. Our Case Management program serves homebound adults aged 60 and older to help them stay in their own homes and communities as they age. The program provides a comprehensive, free annual assessment of each client and tailors services to their individualized needs. The older adults we serve range in age from 60 to 104, are both immigrants and native-born, and are as diverse as the communities in which they live. CASE MANAGEMENT Heights and Hills’ case managers provide in-home services to over 2,000 homebound older adults each year in 18 different Brooklyn neighborhoods. Each client receives a free comprehensive in-home assessment that includes: • a home safety inspection • a review of health conditions and access to health care • a nutrition assessment • assessment of the individual’s ability to carry out necessities of daily life • an assessment of social supports available to assist • screening for entitlements and benefits Based on the assessment, the case manager then works with each individual client and family to put together a comprehensive care plan with linkages to home care, home delivered meals, assistance in applying for entitlements and benefits and any other needed services, then follows up regularly to insure that the plan is adequate to allow the individual to remain living safely in his/her home. CAREGIVER SUPPORT SERVICES Caring for a loved one as they grow older is a role that most people don’t plan to take on, are not prepared for and would prefer to do without. For many, it happens gradually over time without recognizing initially that one has become a caregiver: first you do a little shopping; then you start to do some of the “heavy lifting”; the house isn’t as clean as it used to be, so you do some “stealth cleaning”; you notice that bills have piled up, so you take over financial management. Before you know it, you are a caregiver. In other instances it is the result of a crisis: the active robust 75 year-old has a stroke and suddenly needs a lot of help and you have to make some quick decisions. A family member gets a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s and the family is in crisis over what to do. No matter the circumstances, caregiving can be enormously stressful, overwhelming and draining. Estimates show that between 40-70% of caregivers have clinically significant symptoms of depression. Heights and Hills’ Caregiver Program serves over 700 family caregivers annually, providing them with information & referral, training, counseling (both individual and group), crisis intervention and short-term respite services for family caregivers caring for an aging loved one. Through our Caregiver Program, we also offer the following workshops/seminars: • Understanding Dementia: What You Need to Know and Where to Go • Caregiving 101 • Essentials of Caregiving • Successful Aging • Growing Older Wisely • Benefits & Entitlements for Older Adults • Medicaid Info Session • Medicare: What You Need to Know • Caring for Loved Ones When They Aren’t so Loveable • Caring for the Caregiver: Managing Stress • Caregiving and Family: Staying Sane When Everyone is not on the Same Page • Taking Care of Yourself While Caring for a Loved One • Navigating the Maze of Senior Housing Options: Seminar for Caregivers • NYC Services for Older Adults and Their Caregivers • Long Distance Caregiving • Home to Hospital, Hospital to Home VOLUNTEER PROGRAM Volunteers of all ages are recruited, trained and supported to provide regular visits to homebound elders and caregiving dyads to reduce social isolation, to provide escorts for appointments, and for one-off needs, such as learning to use a tv remote, setting up a computer, hanging curtains, etc. We also have an intergenerational program that features an interactive “Aging 101” curriculum, a pen pal program between 4th graders and homebound elders, and youngsters creating personalized birthday cards for homebound seniors. Several innovative partnerships have allowed us to implement “days of service” utilizing corporate volunteers and other formal groups to celebrate Father’s day and other special days with deliveries of plants, bouquets of flowers and other such gifts. And for more 45 years, thanks to volunteers, we provide a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner on Thanksgiving Day for over 400 older adults to make sure that they know they are remembered and loved. PARK SLOPE CENTER FOR SUCCESSFUL AGING The Park Slope Center for Successful Aging (PSCSA) is a neighborhood focal point for older adults to connect with their community, engage in learning, and access meals and social work support. The Center is open five days a week. Members come to enjoy congregate meals and a wide range of activities and classes. All activities are conducted in person, but we make classes available online via zoom for those unable to come to the center. Over the past year our classes have included Qi Gong, Latin Rhythms Dance, textile arts, yoga, and a mural art class. We also have a Social Worker on staff to help members address individual issues including elder abuse, changes in cognitive status, and housing crises.