Summit to address costs, needs of valleyâ€™s boomers

All things must pass and baby boomers are gearing up to pass their own milestone, with the first of their generation soon joining the ranks of those more than 60 years old.

Statistically, the Hudson Valley”™s nine counties ”“ Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Rockland, Putnam, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester ”“ have more than their fair share of seniors. In fact, there are more than double the national average of people above 60 living within its boundaries.

That”™s why Donna McAleer, chief executive officer of Elant, one of the region”™s largest senior-care providers, thought a day devoted to the dynamics of aging and the impact on the community was in order. “The purpose of the summit is to create a dialogue among business leaders, community-based organizations and government representatives,” McAleer said. “We need to examine the critical issues impacting the valley”™s ”˜booming”™ 60-plus population and explore ways we can best serve them.”

Westchester, the county with the largest population of the nine, also has the largest number of seniors ”“ almost 168,000 people are older than 60. Mae Carpenter, commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Senior Programs and Services and founder of the New York Southern Area Aging Network, will be one of the keynote speakers at the event.

SUMMIT PROGRAM

Others scheduled to speak include Orange County Executive Edward Diana, Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano and

Larry Minnix, president of the American Association of Housing and Services for the Aging.

Summit topics include housing needs and options, health-care accessibility, costs and the demographic and economic impact of the aging population.

A resource guide will be made available to all who attend, outlining the summit”™s findings and featuring listings of elder-care resources, including a glossary of terminology specific to the genre. It will also be distributed throughout the region”™s offices of the aging and other channels to reach members of the community.

Sponsors include Provident Bank, Elant Foundation, the New York State Office for the Aging and regional OFAS from the nine counties.

The Eldercare Summit will be held at Abigail Kirsch at Tappan Hill in Tarrytown Friday, May 11, beginning at 7:45 a.m. Tickets are $100, which includes breakfast and lunch. For information, contact the Elant Foundation at (845) 291-3826, or www.elant.org.

“We all have a vested interest in this subject,” said Ann Moss, director of the Elant Foundation, at a recent breakfast honoring New York state Sen. William Larkin. “We”™re preparing for the future ”“ it”™s not just those who have already reached their senior years, it is our own.”