Community planning fellow presents survey on senior outreach; recommends resource guides and website improvements

Madeline Brand von Brenner, a Community Planning Fellow placed with Community Board 11, presented findings from a survey and rubric assessing senior outreach, digital access and community-board communications.

The project, titled “Aging in Place with Access: Evaluating Community Board Strategies for Senior Outreach and Resource Navigation,” used a 20-question survey in English and Spanish and follow-up conversations to gauge seniors’ access to technology, where they receive information and which services are most needed. Brand von Brenner said “paper communication is still really effective even though the majority of the seniors I spoke with have smartphones.”

Key findings presented to the Health and Social Services Committee included that most survey respondents lived in ZIP code 10467; about 17% of surveys were completed in Spanish; 61% of respondents reported home internet access; about 78% had a smartphone and 69% had a television; and many seniors had not used the community board website. Brand von Brenner said seniors most often learned about services through senior centers and community organizations.

She outlined a rubric she created to evaluate community-board websites for accessibility (screen-reader compatibility, alternative text, font sizes), topic coverage (housing, health, social services, legal services, crisis support) and governance information (meeting agendas, bylaws, meeting recordings). She reported that Community Board 11 performed well on governance items but that many boards — including CB 11 — lack readily accessible resource pages for tenant rights, eviction prevention, mental-health services, food banks and LGBTQ resources.

Brand von Brenner recommended the board publish concise resource guides (PDFs) that map available services by topic and neighborhood, continue participation in the Fund for the City of New York Community Planning Fellows program and use GIS and mapping tools to make local services more discoverable. She said she will prepare a formal version of the resource guide and share it with the board office.

In the Q&A, committee members and residents raised concerns about declining funding for senior services, barriers to phone-based help lines and the need for human support for seniors who cannot navigate online portals. Community members suggested leveraging local community groups and tenant leaders to check on isolated seniors if services are reduced.

No formal motions or votes were taken on the presentation.