Brookdale’s director of strategic policy initiatives, christian gonzález-rivera, testified remotely on April 6, 2022, before the New York City Council Committee on Aging, the Subcommittee on Senior Centers and Food Insecurity, and the Subcommittee on COVID Recovery and Resiliency. The committees held a joint hearing on protecting older adults at older adult centers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and on reopening older adult centers.
In his testimony, gonzález-rivera presented suggestions for reimagining what senior centers can be. First, the senior center of the future should be a place that facilitates access to the city’s abundant resources. Second, it should be a place that unleashes older New Yorkers’ power to use their knowledge, skills, and energy to support their fellow New Yorkers, regardless of age.
