Tilted “The Decade’s New Public Health Challenge: Alone, Lonely, Isolated,” the Nov. 9 discussion brought together experts from the academy, government, and private sector to examine the intergenerational problem that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was sponsored by the Graduate School of Social Service (GSS), which runs the center;  Adelphi University; the New York City Department for the Aging; and the State Society on Aging of New York. Panelists hailed from the Veterans Administration, the Westchester Department of Senior Programming, Hunter College, Older Adults Technology Services, DORAT, and AARP.

“The global pandemic has certainly increased isolation and loneliness for people of all ages, but it really is older adults of our communities that are the most vulnerable,” said Debra McPhee, Ph.D., dean of GSS.

Prioritizing the Needs of Older Adults

In prerecorded remarks, United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand cited the morning subject’s timeliness, as well as its unfortunate timelessness for older adults.

“Older Americans were already feeling isolated before the coronavirus pandemic, then we asked [them]to stay home to limit their exposure to the coronavirus,” she said. “That meant spending more time alone with fewer visits, if any.”

She added that one in five deaths during the coronavirus pandemic in the state occurred in long-term care facilities and that residents of color were especially at risk.

“This pandemic has highlighted the need to prioritize new solutions and new tools to combat problems older Americans face in accessing care and maintaining social interaction,” she said. “No one should have to face their later years or their health struggles alone.”

Bob Blancato, a member of the board of directors at AARP, agreed.

“If I could wave my policy wand, I would like to see this new [presidential]administration declare social isolation and loneliness a public health emergency,” he said during his presentation.

Panels discussed ways to implement virtual programming at senior centers, how to integrate consumer technology, and how to expand established connections in the digital realm.

McPhee offered a bit of history on the Ravazzin Center. She noted that a former dean of the Graduate School of Social Service, Mary Ann Quaranta, Ph.D., established the center in 1995 with Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J., who was president of Fordham at the time. Irene Gutheil, Ph.D., served as the center’s first endowed chair. Today, the center continues to advance best practices and policies in the care of older adults while maintaining an emphasis on social justice. In 2015, McPhee appointed Janna Heyman, Ph.D., to spearhead efforts to expand the center’s work by addressing issues across the lifespan.

Social Isolation vs. Loneliness

In her remarks, Heyman made a distinction between social isolation and loneliness.

“Isolation is more of an objective state and loneliness is more of a subjective feeling. They’re related experiences, but social isolation is often the lack of contact because an individual has a limited social network or lacking relationships,” she said. “Some people decide to be so socially isolated, and that’s okay. But loneliness is an emotion. People who are lonely perceive intimate relationships are not there, and they have a different quality of life because of that.”

Manoj Paradasani, Ph.D., former assistant dean at GSS, now dean of Adelphi University School of Social Work, said that location doesn’t matter when it comes to social isolation.

“People think of seniors as being isolated in rural areas, but you can live in an apartment building with 2,000 people and still be socially isolated. It’s not issues of rural versus urban versus suburban,” he said.

Technology as a Means of Connection

Paradasani said that the pandemic has increased use of telehealth services by seniors, something he said he would like to see continue into the future. He said before quarantine, seniors interacted at senior centers, libraries, and intergenerational community centers. Many of the services they found at those locations had to be moved online.

“The one light that I saw through this pandemic was the use of technology and how we could integrate it into services with adults. It was panic-driven for sure, but it has shown us that if tech is effectively used we can engage older adults,” he said.

He noted that as seniors continue to age they no may longer be able to access services in a physical space because of mobility issues, putting them at higher risk of social isolation and loneliness.

“When we come back to the new normal, this is an opportunity where we need to think of programs and services that are not just available to people on-site, but for people who can connect from home,” he said.

Not Just Mental Health Issues

Heyman said it’s important to note that social isolation and loneliness are not just mental health issues. Study after study has shown that social isolation can increase the risk of premature mortality.

“Loneliness can also increase the risk of death … and can have a 68% increase in hospitalization,” she said. “This is an important aspect we need to be aware of, and it has been complicated by COVID-19.”

Heyman said that almost 25% of older adults, age 65 and older, are considered socially isolated and 43% of those age 60 and older are lonely. She reiterated Pardasani’s point that tech can play an important role, citing a 2020 AARP study that said 81% of 50-to-69 year-olds have access to smartphones and computers. Though for the 70-plus cohort, that usage drops to 62%.

Intergenerational Help is Key

Heyman said that the intergenerational approach is vital. She noted that Fordham students affiliated with the Ravazzin Center and GSS pick up the phone to call older adults who do not have the technology.

“They’re making the connection. They’re on the front lines being there for the older adults,” she said. “One student said an older adult said to her, ‘Will you call me back?’ Of course, she said, ‘Yes, I’ll be there. I’m going to be right there and reach out to you again in a couple of days just to see how you’re doing.’ Well, that can make a world of difference.”

Conversations across all generations were important before the pandemic, and they will be critical over the next few months and far into the future, she said.

“The intergenerational aspect of children and adults and older adults coming together, and it doesn’t always have to be in a place—it could be on a phone, it could be on Zoom—as long as that intergenerational aspect can bring people together to communicate with each other it will help everyone.”

The outreach began when Nancy Wackstein, GSS director of community engagement and partnerships, called her former colleague Susan Matloff-Nieves, deputy executive director at Goddard Riverside. Wackstein said that besides educating social workers, GSS also conducts important research that she thought could help the nonprofit fine-tune programming.

“Fordham is a neighbor, and I thought that if we find out what the residents need then maybe we can engage in the next steps on how our school can help,” she said.

For their part, Matloff-Nieves said that the settlement house does not have resources or the expertise to design a questionnaire and conduct survey in a systemic way.

“We haven’t done a deep dive into what people in Amsterdam houses need, so it’s really great to have Fordham’s support in this,” she said. “We were looking for hard data and a way to do significant outreach into the neighborhood, because we serve about 1,000 people a year of whom about two-thirds are Amsterdam Houses residents.”

The collective effort was made possible through a grant from the New York Community Trust and additional support from Fordham’s Ravazzin Center, under the leadership of Janna Heyman, Ph.D. The questionnaire was developed with Goddard Riverside staff, GSS graduate students, and residents from Amsterdam Houses. Design and execution were supervised by Smita Dewan, Ph.D., GSS director of assessments, and Lawrence Farmer, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the GSS doctoral program. Dewan said that the initial stages began with interviews and focus group discussions.

“The kind of data you have in focus group is very different from how you get it in a survey; they’re discussions, so they’re all talking to each other and generating information as opposed to a survey where you just look at a question and respond,” said Dewan.

Farmer said that the community then helped with wordsmithing existing surveys of other housing communities so that their survey was specific to Amsterdam Houses.

“Some of what we built in was from other surveys, where some of the same issues have come up, like the need for recreational spaces and for arts and crafts,” he said.

On an early summer afternoon, recent GSS grads joined, staff, professors, and community leaders from Amsterdam Houses to help residents fill out surveys at stations set up in the lobby of their building.

A good portion of the new survey examines the residents’ backgrounds, including education, marital status, and employment, before delving into programming needs, such as assistance in applying for social security or affordable legal services. Questions about the community needs, such as public parks and recreational opportunities, are followed up by questions on specific needs within adult education, youth and children’s programming, family support, and health.

During the workshops, the researchers encouraged participants to spread the word about the work they were doing so that the community would be aware of their presence.

“I think it helps we were from Fordham because they know that we are invested in knowing them,” said Dewan.

Indeed, Patricia Ryan, a president of one of the building associations in the complex, said that she’s grown familiar with the University over the years as they have helped the community in purchasing security cameras and sponsoring family day.

“Oh, Fordham? Fordham shares. I’m telling you, Fordham is good,” said Ryan. “You know Lesley Massiah (Fordham’s associate vice president for government relations and urban affairs), That’s my girl; when I need anything I contact her she gets right back in touch with me.”

For Rosanna Minaya, GSS ’19, the survey represented the culmination of a year’s work. She worked on it from the start as part of her second-year practicum.

“It was amazing. I got to see research methods and how important they are. And I was there to see how it was developed, give input to the pilot of the survey, and help to set up today.”

She added that she was happy to report that she landed a job with the Center for Urban Community Service in employment placement, “helping New Yorkers find jobs.” As she took in the scene she smiled.

“This is what research looks like; it’s so much different than what I initially imagined,” she said. “I love doing interviews and hearing what people have to say and their stories.”

The many manifestations and consequences of violence—and potential measures to address these pressing issues—were the topic of an Oct. 27 conference titled the Impact of Violence on Health and Education, presented by the Fordham Graduate School of Social Service, the Fordham Institute for Women & Girls, and the International Health Awareness Network. The conference placed special emphasis on gun violence, school violence, and sexual and gender-based violence.

“We’re living in a violent time,” said Sandy Turner, Ph.D., associate professor at the Graduate School of Social Service and director of the Institute for Women & Girls. “All we have to do is turn on the news for five minutes and we know that. I think it affects all of us in one way or another just about every day.”

Global perspectives

The event, held at Fordham University School of Law, brought together a roster of experts from a wide array of disciplines—ranging from academic researchers to medical doctors to political leaders—who gave attendees a range of perspectives on how violence impacts societies around the world and what can be done to mitigate the tragic outcomes.

Ambassador Modest Jonathan Mero, the permanent representative of Tanzania to the United Nations, described the Tanzanian government’s efforts to combat domestic violence and promote gender equality. Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal, who represents the Upper West Side in the New York City Council, described municipal legislators’ efforts to allocate more police resources toward investigating instances of sexual assault.

Protecting human rights at every stage of life

Individuals can suffer lifelong effects from violence suffered before they are even born, said Dr. Melody Behnam, an obstetrician-gynecologist in private practice. Physical or emotional abuse of pregnant women can result in lasting complications for both mother and child, she explained, ranging from maternal depression to deficits in cognitive function for children. Clinicians must be trained to recognize domestic violence and implement early intervention techniques, Behnam said.

“This is not just a women’s question—it’s humanity’s question,” she said. “We have to take responsibility to end it.”

Janna C. Heyman, Ph.D., holder of the Endowed Chair of the Henry C. Ravazzin Center on Aging and Intergenerational Studies at the  Graduate School of Social Service, described how older adults can be susceptible to physical, sexual, and emotional abuse because they often suffer from isolation and have no one to turn to for support.

Living a life of dignity, free of abuse, is a human right that we must ensure is protected throughout an individual’s lifespan, Heyman said, “from pregnancy all the way though to older adults and even in death and dying.”

Finding solutions

The Graduate School of Social Service held a contest for students, who submitted papers presenting policy solutions addressing the impact of violence on health and education. Elaine Congress, D.S.W., a founding member of the Institute for Women & Girls and professor and associate dean for continuing education and extra-mural programs at the Graduate School of Social Service, presented awards to the winners at the conference.

Yingying Zhu, an MSW student, won an award for her proposal on improving safety in schools. Among other policies, Zhu advocated for providing additional training to teachers and staff on conflict resolution and classroom management and hosting educational workshops and support groups for parents.

“I’m so glad that policy courses are part of the MSW curriculum,” she said. “Learning about policy has changed my perception about what we can do to advocate.”

– Michael Garofalo

The event, titled “Practice Across the Lifespan: Intergenerational Work in Action,” will take place on Wed., March 9, at Fordham’s Westchester campus from 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. National policy and best practices will be discussed in lectures an breakout sessions.

“We often silo child welfare and care for the aging,” said Janna Heyman, PhD, professor and director of the Ravazzin Center. “What we’re trying to foster is a way to blend the services.”

Heyman said that several studies have shown that it is mutually beneficial for children and older adults to work together on crafts, story times, dance, and play. Many of the programs she studies often operate at the same site, rather than bussing the children in from another location to be with the older adults.

“There’s a lot or rich opportunities, not just for families, but also in the broader sense of the community,” said Heyman.

She added that in the past there may have been a custom of parents living in the home to take care of grandchildren, but new programming is far larger scope bringing the custom into the community. She added that avoiding duplication of services is also a practical matter.

“Many retirees find it extremely beneficial to help students with their reading and some of the youth help the adults become computer literate,” she said. “But while there may be savings in cost, more importantly there is the value of enriching lives.”

The event is also sponsored by New York State Intergenerational Network and the Westchester County Livable Communities Intergenerational Collaborative. To resister email [email protected] or call 914-367-3364.