Full disclosure -- I have been an employee for over a dozen years! Call me biased, but I feel that working in this agency is an important part of my contribution to the community. Not only for the many seniors served in a culturally competent manner (so important given the agency's location in upper Manhattan) but also because... at over 12 years with the agency I am not near the longest-serving member of the staff! A healthy agency can keep staff close -- meaning more experienced staff that best knows how to address the wide range of situations that come up for seniors, from housing to food security and safety.
Many have asked me if it is depressing working for an agency that centers around seniors and people with memory loss (and their caregivers). FAR from it! The agency rings with laughter and dance, with lively color and energy.
I feel fortunate to have found such a contributive agency in which to devote my professional energies over the past 13 years.
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- EIN 13-3355074
- info@riverstonenyc.org
- 212-927-5600
- 99 Fort Washington Avenue New York NY 10032 USA
- www.riverstonenyc.org
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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Alzheimers Disease, Health, Human Service Organizations, Human Services, Senior Centers, Seniors
Mission: Our mission is to provide supports and services that help older people remain healthy, active, and living at home. Services include opportunities for the well elderly (ESL classes, volunteer opportunities, intergenerational programs, parties, trips) but special attention is paid to helping those with minimal supports - people who are frail, isolated, and/or low income.
Target demographics: We primarily serve three high-need communities in northern Manhattan (Washington Heights, Inwood, and Harlem) and within these communities we serve elders who are particularly vulnerable – people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, people who are at risk for abuse or self neglect due to physical and/or mental frailty, and/or people who do not speak fluent English. Northern Manhattan has always been a community of immigrants and the people we work with reflect this – Dominican, German, Cuban, Armenian, Jamaican, Greek, Irish, and more. It is also an area of poverty where the median income is far below the city’s median . The majority of the people we serve have a household income well below even this level as demonstrated by the fact that they are receiving Medicaid and other income related entitlements.
Geographic areas served: northern Manhattan
Programs: Memory center - located in a space designed specifically for people with memory loss: a social adult day service program for persons with memory loss and their family caregivers. Open Monday through Friday. Provides engaging activities that help maximize physical and mental functioning, support groups for caregivers, supportive counseling, casework assistance, and community education. Groups are conducted in both Spanish and English. Older Adult Center - offers congregate lunch, and a wide variety of recreational/ educational activities including ESL, nutrition education, computer training, health promotion workshops, and free legal consultations. An experienced caseworker staff is available to help with entitlements and benefits, resolution of housing problems, and immigration issues. Social Service Department - created to fill a gap in available services in Washington Heights and Inwood (community board 12) by providing comprehensive case management to anyone in the community over 60 years of age, focusing on those who are at risk due to isolation, elder abuse, or self-neglect. In addition to an in-home assessment, help with entitlements, advocacy to resolve problems with third parties (e. G. , landlords, immigration issues, social security). It also provides daily money management.