Equity Checkup: Practical Tips for Meeting the Needs of Diverse Older Patients and Their Caregivers

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By 2030, nearly 30% of adults age 65+ in the U.S. will identify as a member of a diverse or underrepresented group. This webinar, presented jointly by the NYAM Section on Healthy Aging and the Diverse Elders Coalition, will provide practical tips and resources geared towards healthcare providers about how to help older patients and their caregivers feel welcome, heard, and understood.

Co-sponsor

Founded in 2010, the Diverse Elders Coalition (DEC) advocates for policies and programs that improve aging in our communities as racially and ethnically diverse people; American Indians and Alaska Natives; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) people. @DiverseElders

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About the Speakers

Elana Kieffer, MBA, is the Acting Director of NYAM's Center for Healthy Aging. She has nearly 15 years of experience working in a wide range of older adult services, with a focus on project management, program development, and sales and marketing. Prior to her time at the Academy, Elana worked at The New Jewish Home and at MJHS Hospice and Palliative Care. She also worked in affordable and market-rate senior housing for two Boston-based organizations, The Community Builders and Hebrew SeniorLife. Elana has an MBA in nonprofit management with a concentration in aging services from the Heller School at Brandeis University

Lauren Pongan, MA, serves as the National Director of the Diverse Elders Coalition (DEC)—a coalition of six national aging organizations that advocates for policies and programs that improve aging in our communities as racially and ethnically diverse people; American Indians and Alaska Natives; and lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender (LGBT) people. As National Director, Lauren coordinates the DEC’s advocacy, programs, and national strategy. Previously, Lauren managed Pennsylvania’s only Asian American domestic violence program, along with direct service health programs for Asian immigrants, refugees, and elders at SEAMAAC, Inc. She has also managed a multilingual coalition of Asian American Affordable Care Act navigators from community-based organizations around Philadelphia. Lauren identifies as a mixed race, second generation Filipina American. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Southeast Asian Studies from the University of Washington, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Colby College.

Martha Adams Sullivan, DSW, MA is Executive Director of Creedmoor Psychiatric Center. Dr. Sullivan oversees one of the largest state-operated psychiatric hospital centers in NYS which includes inpatient, residential and outpatient services. Previously, she served as New York Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur’s Executive Director, and as Deputy Commissioner of NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, overseeing chemical dependency, mental health promotion and community liaison program. Dr. Sullivan is the Founder and Chair of the Citywide Behavioral Health Coalition for Black Elders, Inc. Dr. Sullivan holds a master’s degree from the Silberman School of Social Work of Hunter College at CUNY where she also has served as an adjunct professor. She earned a Doctor of Social Welfare degree from CUNY Graduate School. Dr. Sullivan is a Fellow of The New York Academy of Medicine and vice-chair of the Healthy Aging Section.