Age-Friendly Teaneck to Teach Young People About the Needs of the Old

​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.