Interview with Ron Bruno, Executive Director of Morningside Retirement and Health Services, on Feb. 24th, 9AM pst.

On February 24th, 9AM pst, I will be interviewing the executive director of Morningside Retirement and Health Services, Inc. (MRHS) which serves elderly residents of Morningside Gardens, a 982 unit, multi-racial, middle income housing development in West Harlem. It consists of six high-rise buildings and approximately 1,700 residents. More than 50% of the households include a resident over the age of 60. Many of the older residents have lived in the Gardens since it opened for occupancy in 1957 and have “aged in place.” As a result, the complex has become what is known as a “NORC”–a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community–with a large population of elderly people with special needs. The mission of MRHS is twofold. We aim to: * HELP frail and at-risk elderly residents of Morningside Gardens remain in their own homes comfortably, safely, and with as much independence as possible for as long as they can. * PROVIDE programs which promote health and provide opportunities for education, socialization and recreation for all older residents of Morningside Gardens, with particular attention to the special needs of the infirm, homebound, and isolated.

The mission of MRHS is twofold. They aim to:
• HELP frail and at-risk elderly residents of Morningside Gardens remain in their own homes comfortably, safely, and with as much independence as possible for as long as they can.
• PROVIDE programs which promote health and provide opportunities for education, socialization and recreation for all older residents of Morningside Gardens, with particular attention to the special needs of the infirm, homebound, and isolated.

Services
MRHS now serves about 300 residents a year with an on-site staff consisting of three social workers, a full-time geriatric nurse, two part-time home health aides, a consulting psychiatrist, and approximately 150 volunteers, most of whom are elderly themselves. The professional staff provides an array of health care and social work services, which include case management, nursing care, psychiatric consultations, doctors ‘house calls’ for the homebound, entitlements counseling, home evaluations, home care and hospital discharge planning, liaison with families, lawyers, physicians, and financial planners.
MRHS’ Doctors Home Visiting Program is staffed by geriatric fellows who provide medical care to the homebound elderly under the supervision of the Division of Geriatric Medicine of St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital Center. In collaboration with the health care team, MRHS’ consulting psychiatrist provides psychiatric evaluations, therapeutic counseling, and medication monitoring.
In addition, educational, recreational, and social activities are offered — almost all of them planned and led by elderly volunteers. Volunteers also provide direct, concrete assistance to their neighbors, such as shopping, escorting, visiting, bill-paying, and reading correspondence.

http://mrhsny.org
Phone:
(212) 666-4000