CORTLANDT, N.Y. — Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg (AD-95) welcomed local seniors to Cortlandt Town Hall earlier this month for her third annual senior forum, themed “Sustaining Our Seniors: Happy, Healthy Hobbies.”
Along with a breakfast sponsored by NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital, the event provided seniors with resources and inspiration for staying mentally, physically and socially engaged while aging.
“Helping our seniors stay active and connected is essential to building brain health as well as supporting healthy, equitable communities,” Levenberg said in a press release. “This year’s forum was a celebration of the many ways older adults can age well and joyfully.”
The program began with a welcome from Levenberg, Cortlandt Town Supervisor Richard Becker and Marie Hargrove, a program manager with the Alzheimer’s Association’s Hudson Valley chapter.
In her remarks, Levenberg said the theme of healthy hobbies was inspired by her husband, who is managing early-onset Alzheimer’s through a combination of medication, physical exercise and mentally stimulating activities such as writing, attending plays, learning sign language and being read to by a friend.
Attendees enjoyed a variety of engaging presentations and activities.
Lisa Feiner, co-founder of the cognitive health nonprofit Sharp Again, gave a presentation titled “Age Well With a Sharper Brain,” offering strategies for preventing dementia and maintaining brain health. Marti Wolfson of NewYork-Presbyterian led a live cooking demonstration featuring a nutritious recipe. Adam Choper, farm director at Hilltop Hanover Farm & Environmental Center, presented “Pollinator-Friendly and Small Space Gardening Tips,” encouraging native plant gardening at home.
Local resident and AARP volunteer Dennis Sklenarik hosted a coin-collecting show and tell, and local musicians Jim Garber and Izak Breslauer performed fiddle and banjo music.
The forum also featured presentations on scam prevention and legal issues by Kate Martin, assistant attorney general in the Westchester Regional Office of the New York State Attorney General, and Emily Rowe-Smith, assistant district attorney with the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.
Outside the main event, representatives from NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital, the state’s Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) Program and Westchester County Parks hosted tables along with the presenters and their organizations.
Those unable to attend can view the presentation at nyassembly.gov/mem/Dana-Levenberg.
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