Bronx Community Board 11 committee reviews senior tech survey and local outreach; Presbyterian Senior Services outlines case management and home-based care

Madeline, a Fordham University master of social work student placed with Bronx Community Board 11 through the Fund for the City of New York fellowship, told the committee on Feb. 24 that her project will combine a survey of older adults’ use of technology with a community resource guide created from the survey findings. "My project will cover a survey of seniors, use of technology and social support, and then it'll also be the creation of a resource or, some sort of, activity or facilitation targeted at the needs of community members," she said.

The project aims to compile a digital, regularly updated guide of local services to improve access for Bronx Community Board 11 residents, especially older adults. Madeline told the committee she had collected preliminary feedback from 10 board members and staff and planned broader outreach in March at senior centers including RAIN and Parkside; she also said she translated the survey into Spanish and would seek translations for Albanian and Arabic where needed. She asked the committee to help share the survey online, by QR code on flyers, and at the upcoming community health fair.

Committee chair Sandra Unger said staff could post materials on the board website and that members could share the survey through neighborhood mailing lists and senior centers. Madeline requested responses as soon as possible, ideally in April, because she will present interim results for her fellowship then; she noted that data collection will continue through June.

Also at the meeting, Janelle Hemberton, a social worker with Presbyterian Senior Services, described that her agency assumed case management for districts previously served by JASA and RAIN and opened its case management program in July. "Our case management program opened, last July," Hemberton said. She outlined services now available to District 11 residents, including home-support visits under the city’s in-home services program (referred to in the discussion as EISEP/"EISEP"), friendly visiting and volunteer matches, grief and mental health counseling, and a partnership to arrange physician home visits through a local medical provider described in the meeting as "Essen Med." Hemberton said the home-visit program is free and does not require changing a resident’s primary care physician.

Hemberton described intake and referral procedures: case management teams take referrals, an intake coordinator completes enrollment, and staff verify eligibility and family contacts before services begin. She encouraged committee members to share program contact information and flyers; she said she would supply a three-minute informational video and materials that the board could post online.

Committee members and community representatives discussed outreach routes to reach seniors who lack internet access: printed surveys, phone calls, library drop-off locations (the Allerton branch was suggested), and in-person collection at senior centers and the planned health fair. A committee representative said the board will host a health fair at Bronx House on May 18 and invited agencies to request a table for outreach and on-site surveying.

Why it matters: Committee members said Bronx Community Board 11 is seeing growth in the older-adult population and elevated fall-related hospitalization risk in parts of the district, citing public health data Madeline referenced. Committee members framed the proposed resource database and expanded case management as tools to reduce barriers to care for homebound or hard-to-reach older residents.

Next steps and follow-up: Madeline and Hemberton offered to provide materials for posting on the board website; Madeline requested that the committee and local groups share the survey link and QR code, and Hemberton said her program will provide flyers, contact numbers and the short video for online posting. The committee encouraged outreach at the May 18 health fair and suggested targeting languages and locations (Parkside, Jackson Avenue, Saint Benedict's, Bronx House, Allerton library and community associations) to improve representation.

No formal votes or committee motions were recorded on this agenda item during the meeting.