NEW YORK -- What services does New York City provide for aging New Yorkers and their caregivers, and how can you make sure your loved ones get the benefits they're entitled to? As part of CBS New York's series on "The Cost of Caregiving," Jennifer Bisram shares how the city's Department for the Aging is trying to help not just financially, but also emotionally. Caregiver Renee Simmons ' family has to shell out about $1,500 every month to care for her 91-year-old mother, despite some available services. "I just believe that the city needs to be more on top of things," Simmons said.
"We're paying out-of-pocket for services that I believe for someone at her age who worked and contributed to the city ...
at a time when she was more vibrant and healthy, and to have to literally almost kind of beg for stuff, I think that's really, it's almost like a slap in the face." It's a concern that many caregivers have, so CBS New York went to the city's Department for the Aging for answers. Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez, 73, is the commissioner for the city agency.
She's also a caregiver to her own 94-year-old mother. "She just is in a rehab center because she fell. She has diabetes, heart disease, everything that happens with the onset of age," Cortés-Vázquez said.
"How hard was it for you? And you are in this industry, but how hard was it for you?" Bisram asked. "Not only am I in this industry -- I'm the commissioner and I fund many of these things, and it was extremely hard for me," Cor.