How Calculated: Percent of people aged 65 and older living alone
Source: American Community Survey
A Rare Off-Grid Manhattan Street
Sylvan Court, which has seven properties, rarely sees properties record for sale.
A 1,600-square-foot townhouse in East Harlem returned for sale asking $1.69 million.
Its address is 2 Sylvan Court — a blind alley with just seven homes that’s located off East 121st Street between Lexington and Third avenues. Sales there are far from common, with just one deal recorded since 2017 — that one being for this home, which traded hands for $1.32 million late that year. Before that, the most recent home on Sylvan Court, at No. 4, sold in 2011.
Each year, one in three older adults (65 years and older) falls. Among New York City’s older adults, there are approximately 30,500 emergency department (ED) visits, 16,600 hospitalizations, and 300 deaths each year. Falls are not a normal part of aging, and research shows that many falls can be prevented.
Falls and the environment
Although falls can occur anywhere, falls among older adults frequently happen at home. More than one-half of fall-related hospitalizations among older adults were due to falls in the home. There are many risk factors for falls among older adults including previous falls, gait or balance problems, and use of multiple medications that interact with one another or cause side effects. Physical features of the environment can also put seniors at risk. Common fall risks hazards in homes include slippery surfaces, inadequate lighting, and tripping hazards, such as clutter, loose rugs, or uneven flooring.
About the data and indicators
Falls indicators presented on this site are derived from administrative emergency department (ED) and hospitalization billing records from the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS). Fall-related ED visits and hospitalizations are identified using diagnostic codes from the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, Clinical Modification, as defined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s external cause-of-injury matrix and using diagnostic information from any diagnosis field. Place of injury codes for these ED visits and hospitalizations allow for identification of falls that have occurred in the home. Data are based on address of the patient, not the address where the fall occurred. Only falls resulting in outcomes severe enough to require treatment in the hospital ED or an inpatient stay are included; falls resulting in no health outcomes or outcomes treated outside of a NYC hospital are not captured. ED visit counts include treated and released visits, and hospitalization counts include only live discharges. ED visits and hospitalizations include NYC residents aged 65 years and older discharged from a NYC hospital.
Prevention
To help prevent falls, older adults should:
Stay physically active to strengthen muscles and improve balance
Remove slip and trip hazards in the home, such as throw rugs, electrical cords or other clutter
Improve lighting in and around the home
Ask building owner, landlord, or super to make all necessary home repairs, and install grab bars in the shower and near the toilet
Ask doctor, nurse, and/or pharmacist to review all medicines
Talk with doctors about previous falls and prevention strategies
Kristin Jordan
We’ve all seen her posters for the election. Now a new variation has come out where you can schedule a listening time with the Democratic candidate for City Council 9, Kristin Jordan:
Estimated percent of adult drivers (drove in the last 30 days) who responded “often”, “sometimes” or “rarely” to the question:
“In the past 30 days, when you drove in New York City, how often did you drive 10 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit?”
Source: New York City Community Health Survey (CHS)
New York Senate Moves Legislation forward to Protect and Support Seniors
The legislation passed by the NYS Senate Majority includes:
Senior Housing Protections: This bill, S.1106, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, prohibits the termination of tenancy in housing facilities, with 20 or more units, occupied by senior citizens and/or persons with disabilities without cause or court approval.
Office of Older Adult Workforce: This bill, S.555A, sponsored by Senator Rachel May, will establish an Office of Older Adult Workforce Development within the State Office for the Aging to provide support and services addressing the needs of older adults in the workplace.
Encore Entrepreneurs: This bill, S.554, sponsored by Senator Rachel May, will direct the Office for the Aging and the Department of Economic Development to expand encore entrepreneurship in the state to empower individuals fifty years of age or older to become first-time business owners.
Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate: This bill, S.4884, sponsored by Senator Diane Savino, will establish an independent Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate to advocate for residential utility consumers at both state and federal proceedings.
Elder Abuse Shelter Aftercare Demonstration Program: This bill, S.1065, sponsored by Senator Alessandra Biaggi, will establish an elder abuse shelter aftercare pilot program to evaluate the effectiveness and potential to expand temporary elder abuse shelters.
Elder Abuse Prevention Training: This bill, S.5196B, sponsored by Senator James Sanders Jr. directs the State Office of the Aging to develop elder abuse prevention training that includes elder abuse detection, reporting, and counseling. Senior service providers are required to take the training and receive supplemental refresher training every 3 years.
Senior Trail Guide: This bill, S.6208, sponsored by Senator Jose M. Serrano mandates the public posting of a senior trail guide that identifies walking and hiking opportunities for active seniors within the state park system and along public non-motorized multi-use trails within the state.
Expanding Medicare Eligibility: This bill, S.2535A, sponsored by Senator Gustavo Rivera will allow individuals who have comparable coverage to a Medicare Part D plan to also be eligible for EPIC if they otherwise qualify.
Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption: This bill, S.4216, sponsored by Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, will raise the income eligibility limits for the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) and the Disabled Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE) program to $55,000 beginning July 1, 2021. These programs exempt low income seniors and people with disabilities from rent increases that could lead to them losing their homes.
