We had a community meeting at the V.C. senior center. The Dept. for the Aging, NYC only judges centers by the number of people who eat lunch. Other issues that have impact on the quality of the life of the elderly are hard to measure and are ignored. Once again the issue was not enough people showing up for the congregate meal, average 70, need 80 to be an adequate senior center. The executive director announced that complaints about the small quantity of food per meal were being addressed and that portions were now larger.

When it was open mike time, I suggested we have more of a relationship with the elementary school children who are upstairs in the same building. For instance, sharing our histories. Someone amended what I said to say we should encourage the youngsters and their parents to tell us about them. Good idea.