Congratulations to our Mover and Shaker Jessica Lappin: Lappin to Chair City Council Aging Committee
We have featured Jessica as a Mover and Shaker:
She has provided us with this great news:
Yesterday, I was elected by my colleagues to chair the City Council’s Aging Committee. I am honored and excited to have this opportunity to work directly with the fastest-growing population in New York City.
Over the next 25 years, the number of New Yorkers over the age of 65 is expected to increase by nearly 50%. Planning for that change is an exciting challenge and it presents us with great opportunities to redefine how we serve our seniors.
Today’s older New Yorkers are a dynamic and vibrant group. We want them to stay that way and to remain healthy and here in the five boroughs. That means finding ways to connect them to their communities and making our communities more accessible and livable.
As Chair of the Aging Committee, I will work to make this a more age-friendly city by promoting innovations in health care, housing, and transportation. I will focus on keeping people healthy, in their homes, and moving around the city with ease. We must also find ways to engage older New Yorkers who want to offer their expertise as volunteers, work part-time, or start second careers.
In the short term, we are facing some very troubling challenges. Nearly 20% of New York’s elderly live in poverty – double the national average. Even in tough times, we have to protect vital senior services and provide for those who are most vulnerable. We have an obligation to care for those most at risk.
Our city’s seniors built the city up in the postwar boom and stuck with it during its darkest periods. They have given so much to sustain New York and I’m eager to find ways that the city can give back to them and help sustain them now and in the future. I look forward to working with advocates, the Administration, and all New Yorkers to that end.
Sincerely,
Jessica Lappin
