Second Avenue Subway Update

November 18, 2009 by esinc

Controlled blasting for the Second Avenue subway was set to begin the week of Nov. 2 on Second Avenue between East 91st and 93rd streets, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The technique, which is a well-established construction practice that has been used on many Manhattan projects, will make it easier to excavate the tunnel-boring machine launch box, according to a fact sheet.

Tips For Living Longer

October 23, 2009 by esinc

The AARP blog gives several tips for living a longer and more fulfilling life.

1) Not exercising, but instead incorporating natural movement into your life: walking, raking leaves, getting up to change the Tv Channel rather than using the remote, etc.

2) Cutting stress by “downshifting” in your life, with quiet moments of prayer, meditation and the like

3) Having a sense of purpose in your life – a reason to live

Read more

Financial Coaching Corps Project

October 20, 2009 by esinc

CSS%20Color%20Logo

Do you have clients who are anxious about their financial situation? Maybe they need help improving their credit report, setting up a budget or managing their debt?

The Community Service Society’s Financial Coaching Corps project can help. The program is designed to build the financial capabilities of low-wage individuals, families, and young adults throughout New York City. Volunteers, age 55 years or older, are trained to serve as financial coaches assisting clients to better manage money and achieve economic security. Coaches work one-on-one with clients in the following areas: creating a budget and setting financial goals; obtaining, reviewing, and correcting credit reports; developing a debt reduction plan; screening for public benefits and tax credits; and providing information on banking and avoiding fringe financial services.

If you have clients that need free financial coaching please have them call (212) 614-5586. The program also places coaches in community-based agencies. If you are interested in having a financial coach at your agency please call the number listed above for more information.

Dear Doctor Letter: Knowing Your Numbers

October 6, 2009 by esinc

Dear Doctor Letter

If you don’t know your heart health numbers you are not being preventative and proactive about your health. The Isaacs NORC Program developed a Dear Doctor Letter requesting your heart health numbers from your Primary Care Physician. Once you know your numbers you can begin to find out what they mean and takes steps to improve your health.

The American Heart Association provides healthy heart targets.

New SCRIE Application

October 2, 2009 by esinc

Beginning today the Department for the Aging will no longer be administering SCRIE. Instead, the Department of Finance will.

New SCRIE application forms will be available from Department of Finance starting today.

SCRIE Link

Second Avenue Subway Gets A B Minus

October 1, 2009 by esinc

Dan Rivoli of Our Town reports on the Second Avenue Subway Progress Report by Rep. Carolyn Maloney:

After a string of delays, tenant evacuations and a slew of businesses smarting from construction, Rep. Carolyn Maloney said the long-awaited Second Avenue subway project gets a B-.

Maloney released a Second Avenue subway report card that analyzed several aspects of construction, such as economic benefit to the city (A+), communication with the public (B+) and adhering to the construction timetable (C).

Older adults find it very difficult to navigate Second Avenue due to the construction, which is scheduled for completion in 2017.

Preparing to See Your Doctor

October 1, 2009 by esinc

Going to visit the doctor can often be stressful. However, if you prepare in advance you can get more out of your visit and make it less stressful. Before your visit, prepare a list of all the medications you are taking, any allergies you have, and the names of any other doctors you are seeing. This will help you to fill out any forms and to update your medical history.

You may be seeing your doctor for one of three reasons: you are sick, you need a routine checkup, or you need a follow-up visit. Preparing your lists in advance will help your doctor understand why you have come.

List for Sickness Visit

1) The symptoms you are having
2) When your symptoms began
3) Any specific event that caused the symptoms – new medication, injury, stress
4) Anything that made your symptoms worse or better
5) Questions regarding side effects and reactions of medications to be given

List for Routine Visit

1) Questions about preventative medicine
2) Questions about screening tests (colonoscopy, mammogram, prostate, bone density)
3) Questions about lifestyle changes including diet and exercise
4) Questions about changes in your medication

List for Follow-Up Visit

1) Description of how you are getting better or how you may not be improving
2) Regularity of taking medication or treatment
3) What makes your symptoms better or worse
4) Medication Side effects

Always be honest when your doctor asks you questions. Let your doctor know if there are any major changes or stresses in your life. Make sure you understand everything the doctor tells you. Always ask for an explanation. Take the time to write down important things to remember.

Article Provided By Visiting Nurse Services of New York

A Story About A NORC

September 29, 2009 by esinc

The New Old Age talks about NORCs (Naturally Occuring Retirement Communties):

Twenty-five years ago, a University of Wisconsin professor coined a great term for this kind of residence. It is a naturally occurring retirement community, or NORC. The place wasn’t built for seniors; its tenants are all ages, infants through nonagenarians. But a substantial number of residents have been there long enough to grow old together.

A New Look At Breast Cancer

September 11, 2009 by esinc

Our Town takes “a new look at breast cancer”:

In the United States alone, statistics show that nearly 200,000 women may be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and more than 40,000 might die from the disease.

This is why people like Dr. Larry Norton, physician-in-chief of breast cancer programs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, remain important in the fight against this disease. For more than 40 years, Norton has been working on understanding the mathematics of tumor growth or, more simply, how cancer changes and spreads based on numbers.