425 East 25th Street, 13th Floor
New York, NY 10010-2590

Main entrance is located at East 25th Street and 1st Avenue
Phone: (212) 481-3780
Fax: (212) 481-3791
Email: info@brookdale.org

The Brookdale Center on Aging of Hunter College, located at 425 East 25th Street in Manhattan, is the nation's leading training center for social workers, lawyers, physicians, nurses and other health professionals who serve older Americans.  It identifies emerging concerns of the aging, serves as an advocate for vulnerable elderly populations, and develops programs to train professionals in the field of gerontology.

Founded in 1974, the Center's nationally acclaimed programs have been widely replicated and recognized for their excellence by federal and state governments. 

The following is a selection of the Center's ongoing endeavors.

ADVOCACY
The Samuel Sadin Institute On Law.  Laws affecting the elderly have become so complicated that many people do not understand their rights or know how to obtain their benefits.  Existing laws often prove inadequate in such real-world situations as home health care or end-of-life decision-making.  The Sadin Institute, named in honor of its founding director, Samuel Sadin, addresses these problems through legislative reform, training for professionals, consultations, and publications.  For example, The Institute:

• trains more than 2,500 professionals each year on the workings of Medicare, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Disability, Home Care and Adult Protective Services;
• answers more than 350 inquiries a month about individual rights and benefits, giving fast, free advice to members of the public seeking their way through the maze of laws and regulations;
• publishes The Senior Rights Report and monthly Entitlement Bulletins, which update professionals and caregivers on changes in entitlement laws.  The Institute also has published the New York State Elder Law Handbook and Advocacy Training Manuals.

Grandparent Caregiver Law Center.  It is estimated that in New York State alone, some 300,000 children are living permanently with grandparents or other relatives because of the absence of the child's parent as a result of death, AIDS, drug use, or incarceration.  In response to this enormous and growing crisis, The Sadin Institute launched its Grandparent Caregiver Law Center to help older people shoulder the responsibility of parenting in later life. 

Many grandparents served by this Center are living on a limited, fixed income and have great financial difficulty in an expanded household with growing youngsters.  What's more, few have a formal custodial arrangement that spells out their relationship.  The Center has a proven track record in helping grandparents make informed choices about custody or guardianship, schooling and health care, and other vital issues affecting themselves and their grandchildren.

New York City KinCare Task Force.  Headquartered at the Brookdale Center, which coordinates its activities, this task force oversees the efforts of multiple agencies and support groups that provide services and advocacy to grandparents who are parenting their grandchildren.

Jacob Reingold Institute for the Prevention of Financial Abuse of the Elderly. Established in 1993, the Reingold Institute provides training and education to prevent financial exploitation of older people.  The Reingold Institute works closely with law enforcement and social service agencies to identify clients at risk of abuse and to assist them with their daily money management.

National Caucus and Center on Black Aged, New York City Chapter.  Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the National Caucus and Center on Black Aged (NCCBA) is the only national organization whose major focus is improving life for African American seniors.  NCCBA serves as the primary, full-time advocate for national public policy issues affecting African American elderly before Congress and federal agencies.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING
Training Division.  Brookdale's Training Division designs and conducts educational programs to teach professionals and paraprofessionals in public and private settings how to provide service to older clients. Recent training session topics included: Communicating with Aging Parents; End of Life Care: A Life Worth Living; Coping with Depression; Practical Help for Caregivers; Productive Aging; Stress Management; Intergenerational Understanding; and Identifying Elder Abuse.  The Division's offerings range from an online manual to one-hour lunch-and-learn seminars to week-long training institutes and statewide conferences.

Culture Change.  Today, there is a greater awareness of the needs of older people in a residential environment.  To create a paradigm of resident-centered care, Brookdale's trainers are working with "Culture Change" committees to make life more attuned to residents' needs and wishes at St. Cabrini Nursing Home in Dobbs Ferry, Westchester; the Cabrini Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation on East 5 th Street in Manhattan; and Isabella Geriatric Center in Washington Heights.  A consultation and training program will be developed and adopted throughout the facilities to improve the quality of life for residents, families, and staff. 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Certificate Program in Aging.  This Certificate Program offers courses taught by clinical psychiatrists and psychologists, attorneys, agency administrators, social workers, and university professors to keep other professionals who work with the elderly up-to-date in their field. 

Certificate Program in Aging and Mental Health.  This Certificate Program is intended to help mental health practitioners and clinicians develop better understanding and skill in working with an increasingly diverse and growing elderly population.
Certificate Program in Professional Geriatric Care Management.  A growing number of older people and their families are seeking access to eldercare and social services—but are not sure how to obtain them.  This Certificate program, offered in cooperation with the Greater New York Chapter of Professional Geriatric Care Managers, equips professionals with the skills they need to bring the services and their clients together.

Geriatric Social Work Education.  The Brookdale Center and the Hunter College School of Social Work are collaborating on a three-year project to enhance the education of social work students who are studying the geriatric population.  The goals of this project, which will expand beyond academia into a consortium of 14 agencies and institutions, are to develop outstanding geriatric field-learning experiences and infuse geriatric knowledge and skills throughout the curriculum.

The Consortium of New York Geriatric Education Centers (NYCGEC).   The consortium combines the resources of Brookdale Center on Aging, Columbia University, New York University, Maimonides Medical Center, Mt.Sinai/NYU Medical Center, New York College of Podiatric Medicine and SUNY College of Optometry---all leaders in the field of geriatrics and gerontology in the New York metropolitan area.  The NYCGEC aims to expand expertise in geriatric heath care and to promote interdisciplinary, cutting edge knowledge and training concerning issues, treatments, and service delivery models to a broad range of health care professionals and academic faculty.  To meet the growing demand for professionals in the field of aging, the NYCGEC instituted a new Kids Into Health Careers (KIHC) initiative.  The initiative is principally targeted at disadvantaged or underrepresented minority students so that aging services professionals of the future will reflect the diversity of the U.S. population.  Qualified high school students are being identified to participate in a variety of educational programs to create career awareness and provide positive role models.

DIRECT SERVICES

The Brookdale Center is now a recognized leader in the growing field of adult day services.  The Center offers training and technical assistance to new providers, giving professionals and volunteers the tools to manage creative programs that bring hope to patients and families.

Money Management Clinic Program.  Brookdale has developed a program to train the staffs of social service organizations to provide daily money-management guidance to their aging clients.  These services can make it possible for frail, older people to project and manage their expenses and remain in their own homes and communities.  Student interns, under the supervision of experienced social workers, also participate in providing these services.

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