Rising property tax costs, home health care, and high prescription drug costs are some of the issues that are important to Jersey City seniors, according to a forum held last week. Jersey City Mayor and State Senator-Elect Glenn Cunningham held what he calls the first annual Senior Convention on Thursday, soliciting input about important issues in anticipation of the upcoming legislative session.
“This was my way of reaching out to seniors who supported me,” said Cunningham. “To better understand their needs.”
Over 200 seniors attended a luncheon workshop at St. Peters College on Thursday, where they expressed their concerns to city and state representatives, including representatives from the City Department of Health and Human services, and assemblymen-elect Tony Chiappone and Lou Manzo.
“[Cunningham] is going to address local issues through his own departments,” said Joan Eccleston, Director of Cultural and Heritage Affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services. “And on the statewide issues, they will try to develop policies that will address the concerns of the seniors.”
A letter went out to all of the city’s 70 senior citizen organizations, including churches, senior citizen housing sites, and any senior clubs asking them to send four delegates to the convention.
Larry Eccleston, executive director of the Office on Aging, hopes to have a follow-up meeting in the next two to three months involving all the city’s seniors.
“The next meeting will be a larger group,” said Larry Eccleston. “We’ll look for a venue where we can bring in 2000 people if necessary, and we’ll address it to the entire senior citizen population.”
Larry Eccleston estimates that 27,000 senior citizens live in Jersey City.
Outreach is an issue
According to Joan Eccleston, the biggest challenge facing the city’s relationship with its senior residents is that people not affiliated with senior groups are not aware of what is happening.
“For people who live in their own homes rather than senior housing, don’t know what is going on,” said Joan Eccleston. “Some of the most active groups are church organizations, but then there are these other seniors who live alone and aren’t in any groups.”
Larry Eccleston said that while the city is not aware of much senior group activity in the downtown and waterfront areas, many seniors living downtown are original residents of the city.
Joan Eccleston hopes to reach the unconnected seniors by resurrecting a revamped city newsletter within the next year.
“In the past, the city’s newsletter was focused on entertainment like puzzles and birthday listings,” she said. “We want one for information about what seniors should be doing, what we’re doing for seniors and what’s available for seniors.”
Another solution is to build more senior centers.
“Seniors aren’t just content with bingo and picnics. They want to learn computers and take classes,” said Joan Eccleston. “There are seniors who are out dancing every week. One woman was 98 years old and she just renewed her drivers’ license for four years.”
Six main issues
The seniors were split into six groups to espouse their concerns about prescription drugs, Medicare, senior transportation, fraud and crimes against seniors, and real estate tax.
“We wanted to break into groups, but the seniors didn’t want to because nobody was interested in just one issue,” said Joan Eccleston, “This was just an introduction. In the future, we’ll meet about just one issue.”
Each group took a different approach to the assigned topic, some asking questions, others offering solutions for the city to implement, or suggestions for each other’s welfare.
Drug clarification
In reference to prescription drugs, the seniors wanted clarification about new federal legislation, specifically in reference to the Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD) program which is designed to help seniors pay for prescription drugs.
According to the Department of Health and Senior Services, you must be a New Jersey resident and your income in 2003 is less than $20,016 if single and less than $24,542 if married, or/and your income in 2004 is less than $20,437 if single and less than $25,058 if married.
The income limit increases each January by the amount of the Social Security cost-of-living increase.
Audrey, 76, from Jersey City felt that the coverage wasn’t enough . “I have five pills to take every day,” she said. “One costs $140 for 60, and another for $86. I can’t get the [PAAD] card because I make more than I should have.”
The discussion about senior housing was led by new Housing Authority Director Troy Washington.
Jersey City has 15 senior housing buildings with 2,500 units.
In addition to improved safety and security, residents wanted each building to have someone on-site at all times to help deal with emergencies. They also wanted an contact at HUD to deal with issues related to non-Housing Authority Senior Housing.
The seniors also expressed a need for additional senior housing throughout the balance of Jersey City.
Taxi issue
The transportation group reported that many taxi companies do not honor a half-fare rate that seniors are entitled to, based on an overall rate increase the city allowed in the 1980s. Joan Eccleston promised to form a task force to look into the taxi situation. She also promised to look into seeking grants to improve medical transportation and adding shopping trips.
The group talking about crime and fraud offered each suggestions of how to avoid being victims. Shredding credit card receipts, never giving out credit card information over the phone, and keeping a list of credit card numbers with the phone number for the company in case they’re stolen will help with credit card crimes. They can also avoid being victimized by watching employees when they swipe credit cards and being wary of people going door to door with fake IDs.
The real estate taxes and homeowner’s group suggested a program helping with simple home maintenance jobs, such as changing a light bulb or shoveling snow would be helpful.
Assemblyman elect suggested that seniors support the SMART bill, which offers a tax refund to homeowners subsidized by a state school income tax surcharge .
“The state constitution says that the state is supposed to pay school taxes,” Manzo said.
Bernice Domenick, 82, from the heights was concerned about a home health bill now being considered in Trenton, and stressed the importance of home health care.
“Right now you can call Visiting Homemaker Service (VHS) of Hudson County, and they send a social worker to investigate your house to see what your needs are,” said Domenick. “Then they supply a home health aide. If they weren’t here, we’d have to do it ourselves. Some seniors aren’t able to come out of their houses by themselves.”
Jersey City has 15 senior housing buildings with 2,500 units.