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Westchester, Explained 31: Healthy Aging Starts at the Table - Inside Westchester’s Senior Nutrition Programs · This Week in Westchester: The Podcast

• 0:05
  SPEAKER_02: Hi Westchester.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_02: I'm Westchester County Government Communications Director Katherine Chaffee.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_02: And as an extension of This Week in Westchester, the podcast, we welcome you to Westchester Explained.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_02: In this episode, we sit down with Westchester County Department of Senior Programs and Services Nutrition Coordinator Krish Drummond to take a closer look into how the county is helping older residents live healthier and more independent lives through nutrition, wellness, and community support.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_02: From home-delivered meals and senior center dining to nutrition counseling and other resources that help ensure older adults have access to healthy food and the support they need to age in place, we explore the ins and outs of the county's senior nutrition programs.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_02: And we also discuss the growing challenges of food insecurity and how these programs are doing more than providing meals.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_02: They're helping to combat social isolation, strengthen community connections, and improve quality of life.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_02: Join us as we explore the resources available to all Westchester seniors, the people working to support them, and the county's commitment to helping residents age with dignity, independence, and connection.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_02: Because this is Westchester Explained.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_02: So let's begin.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_02: So today we have an exciting guest in the studio because it's you work in an area where, God willing, all of us will enter one day, which is aging.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_02: So why don't you introduce yourself and tell us where you work?
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: Hi, good afternoon or good morning, everyone.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Chris Drummond.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: I'm the nutrition coordinator for the Department of Senior Programs and Services.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, my unit is the health and wellness unit, um, and we oversee a lot of nutrition programs.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_02: So let's start at a very basic level.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_02: So you work for the Department of Seniors for Westchester County.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_02: What is the department for seniors?
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: So the Department of Senior Programs and Services consists of multiple units.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: So we have our contract unit, um, and then we have our home care unit, housing, and the nutrition, health, and wellness.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: So we provide services to seniors within the county that seniors may not be aware of.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, like if somebody needs home health aid, uh, we may be able to find them a resource for home health aid.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, if a senior needs uh home delivered meals, so we might point them in the direction of communities that whole have the home delivery meal program.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: And there are other programs that we do offer too, or services, um housekeeping, um, in-home health aid assistance.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_02: And so why is being a senior and aging something so important that the county has decided that a whole department is needed to help this population?
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: Well, everybody needs to age in place.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: And what we found that That's the goal.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: Let's pause right there.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: So that's the goal is to age in place.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: I I I and I want to explain what aging in place means because a lot of times people think, oh, as you get older, you know, you have to look at resources uh beyond your home.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um so aging in place means to be able to grow old in your own home and access those services while you're there.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: Because a lot of times the mindset has always been that as you get older, you need a place to live.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: And we look at long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and those, as we know, are very expensive.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: So to keep somebody in their own home and provide the services in their home is the goal.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you for for touching on that.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_02: So um so go back, go your original question was about why we want to keep people in the not why we want to keep people in the home, but why this is an area that is such a there's such a big focus on.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Because nobody wants to live in the care of somebody else, right?
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: Think of our parents or your family household.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: You would rather have your grandmother live in home in her home and be taken care of, whereas living in a facility.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um so we have the resources.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the need for this is that uh there are resources available.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: We are funded federally by the federal government, and the funds come down through the New York State Office for the Aging and then onto the county department.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: So we allocate those funding according to need uh to different municipalities.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: So right now, 16 municipalities receive our funding and it goes through their senior nutrition programs.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_02: And so, generally speaking, how is Westchester County doing when it comes to aging and taking care of the aging population?
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: How are we doing?
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: How do we rate?
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I think we're doing great compared to other counties because one, we have the resources, we have the staff, we have the department to provide those services.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we receive at least$30 million uh for funding for our seniors, which is which is not a big amount.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: I was told recently that New York State Office for the Aging only receives 1% uh in the state budget for um funding seniors.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: And how big is the senior population in the county?
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: We have almost um, I want to say about 280,000 seniors.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: I have to get the stats on that.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_02: Wow, but still a lot of it's an incredible amount of people.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_02: And your office is charged with helping them age.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: And there are some municipalities that we don't provide the funding to, but we still provide the services.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so yeah, we do try to assist every senior that calls us or needs help.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: Amazing.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_02: And so your area of focus is nutrition.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: So talk to me a little bit about what you do.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: So, as the nutrition coordinator, as I mentioned earlier, we provide 16 municipalities with funding.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, 30% of that$30 million comes to my desk where we allocate the funding to different municipalities.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, our core services are congregate meals, where if you look at any senior center in the county, a senior can go to the co to the senior center, participate in physical activities, receive a meal.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: That meal that they receive is funded through the county.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: And it's free.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: And it's free.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: Well, we do suggest a suggested contribution, and that depends on the municipality.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: Nothing more than$7, or you know, it ranges between three to seven dollars.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: So and those that money received goes to offset the balance of the upkeep of the operation cost for the programs.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um so that's one service.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: We also provide home delivery meal services.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: So seniors who are frail, live alone, don't have access to food, can call one of our municipalities.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: And if there's a home delivery meal program in that area, we will provide the meal.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um when I say we, it's not me and my staff, it's the municipalities themselves.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_02: And so then participating municipalities, do you want to list them or is it all of them?
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: We have 16 right now.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: You can find them on our website.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: We and on the website it will tell you whether they have a congregate program, a home delivery meal program.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: And then the other core services are nutrition education, nutrition counseling, um, and we get referrals through programs, uh, people calling in and saying, My mom is really sick, I need and she's not eating.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: Can you send out a registered dietitian to take, you know, to do an assessment?
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we will do that.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: So um, and then we also do the farmer's markets senior nutrition program.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that comes through the state to our offices, and we distribute that uh to the centers and we do emergency meals.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: So emergency meals happen two times a year during July and December.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: So mainly for bad weather when people can't get out to access the food.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: And then we also partner with um other community partners to do food pantries and food bags.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_02: Is there an income requirement for some of the programs that you are referring to?
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_02: No.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: So the good news is that uh these are federally funded programs with no income limitations.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: So any person over the age of 60 or any person over the age of 60 living with their parent with a disability can access our program.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_02: Living with the parent with a disability.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_02: What does that exactly mean?
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're a child and you live with your parent and the parent is 60 years and older, you can qualify for our home delivery delivery meal program.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so that is the disability part.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_02: That's really an incredible offering to people who are who are aging.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, food can get complicated because you going shopping and Westchester is, they're very rural parts of the county.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_02: So this is really just an incredible resource.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_02: Um I hope everyone knows that this is available to them.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: Uh what I found, I've been with the county for five years.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: And what I found throughout the five years is that there are gaps in our in the county where there's no access to food.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, recently we have been trying to promote our programs, even though most of our municipalities are overserving by 200%.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: When I say overserving by 200%, I mean if they were allocated a thousand meals, they are doing 2,500 or 3,000 meals.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and the municipalities take on the cost of that.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: But um, we've noticed that there are gaps in certain parts, especially the northeast region of the county.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, they don't have senior nutrition programs or they don't, they're not aware of this.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: So we're trying to be more present there in terms of education and letting people know we are here, we are available to help.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: If we can help, uh, because there's only so many, right.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's so, you know, the amount of dollars that we can spend, uh, but we are trying to help everyone.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: So we want to be seen, we want to, we want people to know we we're available.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: So we do attend a lot of cultural events uh countywide.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_02: And so when we talk about the meal delivery and the senior centers, you know, there's some seniors who are on strict diets for various reasons.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe it's diabetes, maybe it's something else.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_02: Do you give them tailored meals?
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_02: How does that work?
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: So um we do have a menu.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, it's a six-week menu cycle.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: It is done by one of my staff.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: All my staff are registered dietitians.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, there is a regulation that we have to follow, uh, meaning that the the meal has to be heart healthy, low sodium, low salt.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, they are guidelines.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: So when we compile a menu, we have to make sure that all those criteria are met.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, if somebody we don't do modified diets, we call them modified diets, uh, but in the event somebody needs one, we will have that registered dietitian see the senior in a pro, you know, in a counseling session.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um the other thing is if we do need, for example, kosher meals, uh, we do have a cater that will provide kosher meals.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: So uh when a senior has been approved into the program, they will let you know what their diet restrictions are, and we will make sure that we, you know, set them up with a cater who will provide that.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: We are getting a lot of requests for vegetarian options.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: So the goal is to have a vegan or vegetarian menu.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: So as an alternate.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we've also aligned our menu to match cultural holidays.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: For example, Diwali is coming up.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so that week of Diwali, we always make sure that we have something of uh Eastern um ethnicity.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um that's great.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: So we try to look at the holiday calendars, match that with our menu, and uh provide that to the seniors.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_02: What are some examples of, I know you just said you have a Diwali option, um, but what are some other examples of the type of food that seniors can get through this program?
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_02: Some other menu items.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, so if you look at our menu, we do like St.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: Patrick's Day.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll have a that week of St.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_00: Patrick's Day, we'll have uh meals that are aligned with the Irish culture.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: So like corned beef.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, corned beef and cabbage.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um beef.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: And then we have a very like it all also depends regionally and municipality based.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: So in the Northwest region, we have a very high um you know, Hispanic uh community.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: So they would like more rice and beans on the menu, and then we tailor that menu to that community.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we do Italian, um typical American.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: In the summer, we do hamburgers and hot dogs.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, you know, they'll do grilled chicken, baked chicken, uh, salmon, whatever.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's a varied menu, and you'll never see the same item twice in that cycle.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_02: It sort of reminds me, and I mean this in a very affectionate way, of like a school lunch program.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_00: It is, in a way, because they are guidelines that we have.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_02: Guidelines, yeah.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_02: You're following a calendar and you're sharing a nutritious meal with a senior who otherwise would not have this option.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: We don't realize the impact our meals make.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I have to give a shout out to our home delivery drivers.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: Some of them are volunteers, some of them are paid by the municipality, and they are our eyes on our seniors.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, when they knock on that door and they don't hear from a senior, um, they will call the next of kin or the emergency contact to say, they did not answer the door today, could we follow up?
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so that's really important.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: That's amazing.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, and some of our drivers know the seniors, they know the people they deliver the meals to.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, they go in, they have a friendly chat, they they, you know, the senior will say, Could you place my meal here?
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: They would do that.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, um and that's why I said our program is so um people don't know of what we do and how extensive and the benefits uh that's being received by the seniors.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_02: As um the economy is obviously in a bit of a rough patch, and I know food insecurity is becoming more and more of an issue.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_02: Do you see the increase on the rise?
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, do you see the need on the rise, excuse me?
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we do.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: We've noticed that since during the pandemic, and ever since that, I can't believe it's almost seven years post-pandemic.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but we've seen that there's been a 25% increase in the demand of food.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: Uh food costs across the county and the state have gone up between 15 to 25 percent.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we have adjusted that cost um in terms of uh meal preparations, and we get a regional kitchen cost as to how much they, you know, it takes them to prepare one meal.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we've seen like initially meals were costing less than$4, now they're costing anywhere between$78.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: So they're doubled in price.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: And we I was at a leadership meeting last week, and New York State, in terms of meal cost, I think Westchester County is the lowest right now.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: So I can't imagine what other seniors in rural parts of the state are going through.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, when I say low, our reimbursement rates are$9.62 for a meal.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so so we see the cost of food gone up.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_00: We we've heard from our community partners that the lines for food pantry has doubled.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, so it's happening all over.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_02: With the seniors that you're delivering meals to or who are eating at the senior center, do you find that they are also do they also are they also going shopping and preparing other parts of their food for different parts of the day, or is that their only meal?
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: Some seniors that could be their only meal.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_00: So the senior center would give them a second meal or a third meal to take home or to take home.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um and then we also have seniors who use this as a supplement to their other meals.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um because it's not a income eligible program, so we don't collect that data.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: We don't know.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I you know.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, as you age, um, and certainly as a senior, does uh nutrition become even more important for your wellness?
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_00: Definitely.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um as a senior, you know, uh there's so many things that are going on.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um your your ability to taste food decreases, so you eat less.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_00: So there's a chance that you may maybe losing weight and not even knowing that.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um all your so people who lose their sense of taste tend to not want to eat.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um and then there and also your appetite decreases, so you tend to lose weight.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: We've seen that in a lot of seniors.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um also with all the micronutrients and vitamins that you're not getting from your meal, if you're not taking a supplement, you may be deficient in that.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_02: Because you're not eating as much, because you can't taste it or you're not as hungry.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_02: That's correct.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_02: Wow.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_02: And are there certain foods that are more senior-friendly that they should be eating?
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: We tend not to put hard foods on the me on the menu.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: So apples will serve like maybe a baked apple or applesauce.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um so it all depends on, you know, what what the general population is looking for.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: We do give out a survey every day with the meals just to get some feedback as to whether this was a good meal, could we tr you know have it have been, yeah.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um so we get some positive feedbacks and then we do get some negative feedbacks, and we pay attention to those negative feedbacks in into how can we improve this meal.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: Because my philosophy is you do not put something on the menu if you are not going to eat it.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_00: So we do taste testing.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_00: We, you know, the recipes are all planned, tested, and if it's appropriate, then it will be put out on the menu.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_00: That's incredible.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_00: What would you say is the most popular meal?
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_00: I think our Italian meals are popular.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_00: I don't have a specific one.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um we introduced quinoa on the menu.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_00: We got some very positive feedback because quinoa is a new grain.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people are not aware of them.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_00: So um, so we got some good feedback.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: And it's very filling and nutritious.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, and I think it has a high protein content because as we age too, we tend to forget that we need to eat more protein.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_00: You have to you have to eat more protein as you age?
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: More protein.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_00: The goal is one uh gram or one K wait, one gram per kilogram.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_00: So if you 120 pounds, you should be eating at least 56 grams of protein per day.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, seniors don't know that.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_00: That's why we are here to give them that information and make sure that the meal consists of that protein requirement.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like less carbs, more protein?
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_02: Uh yeah.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_02: And no sugar, I'm assuming.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_02: You can tell us it's okay.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_02: I know.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_02: I already know what you're gonna say.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: People always think sugar is the bad thing.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_00: Sugar is not bad.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_00: There is no bad food.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's all about consumption in moderation.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: Moderation.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: Moderation is the key, right?
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: We hear this all the time.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's the hard one.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_00: That's hard.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_00: That's the hard one.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_00: But also being active, right?
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_00: People don't tell you you have to be physically active.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um not go to the gym five days a week, but at least um, you know, take an afternoon walk, do something.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_00: Uh data has shown that after five minutes of walking after a meal reduces your glucose intake by 10%.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_00: So what does that mean?
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: That if you've eaten a meal with rice, some rice, chicken, and vegetables, your glucose after two hours would peak.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_00: If you do a five to ten minute walk, that number would be dropped down by 10%.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: So 10 to 20%.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_02: So that's where you were saying the the senior centers, they're getting exercise, they're getting a meal, they're socializing, which of course is so good for everybody, but um in particular for seniors if they live alone.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_02: And you're making their day so much better.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: And we're improving their health in some way or the other.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: I think also the goal is to get our seniors to the senior center.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_00: Uh a lot of seniors live alone.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_00: Just getting them out there, you know, would help them with meeting new people, just being active, just talking to someone.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_00: I did a site visit yesterday in White Plains and one of the seniors was 93 years old.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_00: And he said, I would not stop coming.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_00: I would come even if I have to wake up every morning and, you know, like struggle to put my clothes on to get here.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: I just come because it's better than sitting by myself.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: And that just like made me realize that's the impact we have.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: That's what these senior centers are all about.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: And it's bringing the people out to socialize.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_02: The thing that I think is so beautiful about the work that you do is these are men and women who have, they've worked, they've contributed to society, they've raised children, they they they did so much.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_02: And now we are giving back to them.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_02: We're taking care of them.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_02: And it's just such a beautiful thing.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_00: And the senior who I was talking to said she was a county employee.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I like that even more.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like a 360 degrees, right?
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: You, you, as you said, you were a child parent, you raised your family, you worked in a community, and now you come back to that senior center as a member.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and we want to see that continue, you know, keep keep keeping with what what we do.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_02: So well, thank you so much for the work that you do.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you to your department and your division and for for feeding so many people who really need a hot meal.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_02: It's really a beautiful thing.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_02: So thank you so much.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_02: Um, if people want to learn more about these programs, if they want to get in touch with you, if if they need food, um where how should they get in touch with your department?
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: So they could call our number, which is 914-813-6300.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_00: That's the main line, and it will be directed to whatever services they're looking for.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we also help with Snap registration.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: So if people need help, they could do that.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, or they could call me or email me uh directly, which is KQDK at WestchesterCounty ny.gov.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and we'll be able to assist them in whatever ways we can.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_01: But thank you so much for having me.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we're glad to have you, and uh, we'll have a next day.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.