New York City is home to more than 1 million older adults. Today, the senior population in NYC is growing faster than ever. According to the city’s Department for the Aging, the number of seniors is projected to increase to 1.84 million by 2030, which means every 1 in 5 NewYorkers would be age 65 and above.
Surviving a city with so much mobility brings not only physical challenges to the elderly. Mental health and social connections are also critical to seniors. NYC’s Department for the Aging funds over 250 senior centers across the 5 boroughs. With more than half of the seniors’ population being immigrants, places such as the NYC Chinatown Senior Center helps them break the language barriers and find their communities.
But, with the increase of the aging population in the city, the medical supply is not meeting the demand. There are less than 8,000 geriatricians in the country. Megan Rau, a geriatrician from NYU Langone Health urged young professionals to learn the primary geriatric principles, and apply them to their future practice.