additional resources that will come from the alliance with the AARP and the more than 260 communities around the country that have also joined. The township and Age-Friendly Teaneck initiative have worked together on a number of efforts, from pledging to make streets more pedestrian-friendly to disseminating a resource guide and promoting key services to older adults. The mayor said that he and the rest of the Township Council are committed to addressing challenges faced by older adults and would welcome any suggestions on how to assist elderly residents who don’t have families nearby or other needed support. “As mayor, I have seen that even something like getting your snow shoveled becomes a big deal for older residents,” Hameeduddin said. Like most American suburbs, Teaneck is a town whose homes, streets and public spaces were designed primarily with an eye toward the families with young children who moved here in droves in the 1950s and 60s. And like most American suburbs, Teaneck is seeing its population age rapidly, with nearly 17 percent of the township’s 40,000 residents now over 65.
 and experience, bringing a wide range of perspectives to their communal efforts to make Teaneck an easier place to grow old.
The number of communities in the AARP network has doubled in the past year, said state AARP Director Stephanie Hunsinger, before presenting the mayor with a certificate commemorating Teaneck’s membership in the network. In addition to gaining access to aging experts and other professional resources, participating communities can share ideas and strategies, Hunsinger said. “They can talk about what worked and best practices, and also about what didn’t work.” AARP surveys show that vast percentages of older adults would prefer to remain living in their communities as they age. “People want to stay where they’ve raised their families,” Hunsinger said. Teaneck joins Princeton and Montclair as the only New Jersey communities in this nationwide network. The AARP network was launched in April 2012 and operates under the auspices of the World Health Organization's Age-Friendly Cities and Communities Program. Launched in early 2016 with funding and organizational support from the Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation, Age-Friendly Teaneck has already been working in partnership with other local communities with similar organizations. Teaneck’s entry into the AARP not only greatly expands the number of communities with which Teaneck can share ideas and information but it also cements the partnership between Age-Friendly Teaneck and the local leaders who govern and manage the township, which is the key to making any successful and lasting changes, said Julia Stoumbos, program director for the Taub Foundation’s aging-in-place programs. Age-Friendly Teaneck Project Director Elizabeth Davis and Project Coordinator Jackie Kates joined the mayor and manager in receiving the membership certificate, with both pledging to continue their cooperation. “I think we’ve accomplished a lot, and we have a lot more to work on and we’re excited to work with all of you,” Davis said. To learn more about Age-Friendly Teaneck, visit our website: agefriendlyteaneck.org To learn about the network and participating communities, click https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/network-age-friendly-communities/info-2014/member-list.html
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Four Teaneck High School students are going to spend four weeks this summer learning about the different opportunities in the field of geriatrics.
The four students, who were selected from nearly two dozen applicants, will alternate their time between three different providers of elder care in Teaneck - Bright Side Manor assisted living residence, Homewatch CareGivers of Bergen County and Jewish Family and Children's Services of Northern New Jersey. The opportunity, which comes with a $1,000 stipend, will expose the students to a variety of career paths, with the hope that some of those young people will go into these expanding fields. Within a dozen years, one in five Americans will be over 65, and the country will need an additional 3.5 million health professionals who specialize in taking care of older adults, according to the Eldercare Workforce Alliance. That’s doctors and nurses, of course, but also social workers, physical therapists, activity coordinators, food-service directors, elder law attorneys, administrators and many other professions. Age-Friendly Teaneck thinks too few young people are encouraged to pursue these paths, and many may shy away, wrongly perceiving that time spent with older adults will leave them depressed instead of inspired. 5/7/2018 0 Comments Teaneck Getting OlderTeaneck’s empty-nest population grew sharply this millennium. Nearly 4,700 households - or about 35 percent of the township’s total - have at least one person over age 65, and nearly a third of those senior-citizen householders live alone, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates. The census bureau’s 2012-2016 American Community Survey offers a lot of important clues to how the needs of township residents might change in the next few decades.
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Who We Are Age-Friendly Teaneck formed in 2016 with this mission in mind: A great place to grow up should be a great place to grow old. ArchivesCategories |
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