A card sent to our residents from Dylan at PS 527
From William with love, a young student at PS 527
ADAPTING IN A CRISIS Q&A WITH
JOE GIRVEN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
JAMES LENOX HOUSE ASSOCIATION
Q: In April 2021, you helped a resident celebrate his 100th birthday over Zoom?
A: The resilience of older adults is extraordinary. I set up the Zoom app so the 100 year-old could celebrate with his family. Then he ran with it. No fear of technology, no glitches. He and his family had a fabulous time. Someone should write about
Centennials in the Age of Coronavirus! Zoom also had a huge presence on Mother’s Day. I was hurrying from apartment to apartment making sure Zooms were going smoothly. They were.
A lesson is to have faith in the strength of those who have lived a long life.
Q: When the pandemic slammed into NY in early March 2020, you moved into Carnegie East House full time. And you continue to live there today in 2022.
A: Clear, hands-on direction is critical in any crisis. And from the onset, we knew that our resident population would be at the greatest danger from Covid-19. Among our residents, certainly, there was fear. They are well aware of what’s happening outside our doors. But they know I’m an elevator ride away if they need anything. During the height of the pandemic, the procedures put in place included suspending dining and group activities, a no-visitors policy, social distancing, pre-packaged meals delivered directly to apartments, face masks, strenuous sanitation protocols, and tracking residents for symptoms of the disease.
In 2022, we are still vigilant and do not allow non-vaccinated persons into the building.
No resident has died from Covid-19.
Q: Loneliness and isolation are dangers, especially to older adults. How have you balanced health protection with the need for healthy social connections?
A: Both our residences have private apartments only, which contributes to keeping the virus at bay. The garden at each house, while not a substitute for communal spaces normally offering social connection events, still provide the “village square” buzz of a community. Neighbors regularly check on each other and know that as soon as it was safe, some of the events returned. However, with new variants, we’ve had to discontinue many in-person events again. There has been no erosion of the care we offer.
Q: You not only head JLHA but also are President of LiveOn NY, representing agencies serving over 3 million older New Yorkers. What kind of support is being provided?
A: LiveOn NY has worked intensively with key policymakers, stakeholders and resources to respond to the Covid-19 crisis, addressing the most crucial issues. Number one is food insecurity. Working with 25 partner organizations, we are providing food and other essential items and services, helping to deliver over 240,000 meals to older adults in affordable housing.
We also are organizing a Boots on the Ground Working Group to coordinate both ongoing and future response efforts. It already encompasses 266 representatives from 92 agencies.
Q: Has JLHA had community support?
A: Wonderful support! Including generous donations of food and even PPE through Council Member Keith Powers. Also, on behalf of all the older adults in NYC, I thank everyone who has regularly connected with them by phone, social media, email – and via charming crayon-drawn messages created for our residents by neighboring school children. That outreach makes such a difference.
Q: Your greatest fear going into this situation?
A: Because this global crisis is unprecedented, no one had the benefit of learning from others’ past experiences. It is a world in disarray. It is a time of long stressful days spent worrying and obsessing about all the details needed to keep people safe, while also ensuring that they feel safe.
Q. Is a “light at the end of the tunnel” close for the two JLHA residences?
A: We’re still away from normal. This continues to be a learning experience. But for me, a light started to shine just a few weeks into the emergency when a remarkable resident in her late 80s asked for my recommendation about the best computer to buy because hers is running too slowly. Bless her. Her confidence in the future was infectious.
About us: For over a century and a half James Lenox House, at 73rd Street between Park and Madison Avenues, has provided safe, independent living at affordable prices to older adults. Carnegie East House, built in 2002 at 95th Street and Second Avenue, offers enriched services for older adults who require some assistance with daily living activities.
Kenneth A. Siegel
President, James Lenox House Association
Fran Condon
President, Carnegie East House
James Lenox House Association is a 501(c)(3) organization (tax id 13-1624148).
Donations may also be sent via check, money order or stock donation to:
Lane Richards Peace
Development Director
James Lenox House Association, Inc.
49 East 73rd Street
New York NY 10021
Phone: 212-288-5883
lpeace@jlhainc.org
James Lenox House Association is a 501(c)(3) organization (tax id 13-1624148).
For Information about The Lenox Legacy Society, please click here.