New: Community Wellness Workshop Videos

You can now view recordings of four workshops University Settlement offered to NYC Quakers over the past couple of years as part of our shared Community Wellness project. 

Understanding Homecare Services in NYC

A workshop led by Sofiya Pidzyraylo, LMSW, in February, 2025

Homecare is care that allows a person with special needs to stay in their home. It might be for people who are getting older or for people who are chronically ill, recovering from surgery, or have a disability. In homecare, a PCA (Personal Care Aide) or HHA (Home Health Aide) will come to the home to provide services. The workshop covers the different ways to get and pay for homecare: private pay, Expanded In Home Services for the Elderly (EISEP), Certified Home Health Agency (CHHA) care, and Medicare.

You can also view the slides from the Homecare presentation.

Planning for a Better End of Life

Understand End-of-Life Planning for Older Adults and Their Families and Caregivers in NYC, a workshop led by Aaron Twitchell, Program Director at End of Life Choices New York, in May, 2025 

Advanced care planning helps protect your wishes regarding your medical care in case you become unable to speak for yourself. The forms you can fill out to communicate your wishes include health care proxies, living wills, and other directives. Completing this documentation requires important conversations with your loved ones about your beliefs, and this workshop gives tips on how to have these conversations. Palliative and hospice care are also discussed, including how they can benefit you and improve your quality of life.

You can also view the slides from the presentation.

Dealing with Grief and Loss During the Holidays

A workshop led by Dayanne Rodriguez, LMSW, in December, 2024 

Dealing with Grief During the Holidays is a supportive and uplifting workshop that will help you embrace the season with renewed strength and find joy, even in challenging times. Though timed for the end-of-year holidays, the video of this workshop is a helpful resource for people experiencing grief at any time of year. What is grief? Who experiences it, and when? The different types of loss are discussed. The workshop offers concrete things you can do and new traditions and patterns that may help. Friends also have resources like their support system, belief system, therapy, and their own selves.

Navigating Medicare for Older Adults in NYC

A workshop on Medicare coverage, enrollment, and choosing the right plan, led by Eric Hausman, HIICAP Outreach, Volunteer Manager, NYC Department for the Aging, in June, 2025

Medicare is a federal health insurance program primarily for people age 65 or older. This workshops covers, in detail, Medicare Part B enrollment, Medicare Cost-sharing, Medigap/Medicare Supplement, benefits included in the ten standard Medicare Supplement Plans, Medicare Supplemental Insurance Policies (as of Jan 2025), Medicare Advantage (Part C), Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage (Part D), and resources to help with medical costs, including savings programs. 

The June 2025 Community Wellness newsletter has the key takeaways from this workshop.