Retired Teachers Chapter News
UFT is always there for you
Feb 14, 2008 12:03 PM
I have a riddle for you. What is it that takes good care of your body, your mind and your pocketbook? I won’t give you multiple choice answers to choose from. If you haven’t already guessed, the answer is — the UFT, your union.
The UFT, through generous health benefits, provides what you need to stay healthy or to get well. The UFT also provides an amazing variety of classes, seminars and field trips to keep you lifelong learners and mentally agile. And your pocketbook is taken care of by your pension, Social Security and TDA if you have it.
The degree to which the union is committed to the well-being of its 54,000 retirees is evident every day in the beehive of activity on the 17th floor of UFT headquarters in Manhattan. There, a very competent staff of professionals provides a unique array of services which no other union that I know of provides for its retirees.
Too many of you are not even aware of the extensive social services available to retirees and your families no matter where you live in the United States. Experienced professionals will help you deal with health concerns, including mental health, and scores of other retirement issues — issues you may never have imagined you or your family would have to face.
Sasha Greene, LMSW, the director of Retiree Social Services; gerontologist Jamee Harris, MS; and a staff of eight case managers are trained to provide that special help.
Greene described a recent case in which a retiree who lived alone was about to be discharged and sent home in a weakened condition after three weeks in the hospital until UFT social services intervened. Instead, arrangements were made for the retiree to be sent to a rehab center to regain his strength and balance.
In another case, it was determined that a retiree being treated at a rehab center be discharged to a nursing home. Again the union intervened, this time arranging for 24-hour care so the retiree could return to and stay in his own home.
Become familiar with the many social services the UFT provides for all of us including:
Counseling: Case managers provide confidential short-term counseling after which they may make suggestions or referrals to professional sources for further help. They also help you deal with issues such as when to contact an elder law attorney and how to deal with the isolation of care giving.
Nationwide hospital stay-in-touch program: Because a hospital experience can be overwhelming, at your request, Harris will maintain constant communication throughout your hospital stay. She will remain in touch on a daily basis to make sure your dietary needs, physical therapy and doctor visits are being met. She will also make sure you are discharged in a safe, legal way and that rehabilitation needs, home care, transportation services and home modification needs are met. And she will continue staying in touch after discharge. (As Greene reassured us, “There will be no frightening Friday at 6 p.m. hospital discharges when no prior arrangements have been made and nobody is at home.”) Please remember to call prior to a scheduled hospitalization to request this service or call while in the hospital.
Referrals to retirement communities, nursing homes, etc.: Case managers will explore with you the growing creative housing/living options for older people. The decision to choose a nursing home or assisted-living residence for yourself or a loved one is always difficult. When to start looking, what to look for, how to choose, how to apply, how the admissions process works and what to expect after admission are some of the questions you will face and may need help with in finding answers.
Nationwide telephone reassurance program: Case managers will set up weekly, friendly telephone calls to members who are going through a difficult time such as an illness, recent loss, or family problems or who are home recovering from a recent hospital stay. The calls will continue for as long as you wish them to. (At the moment, 80 people are receiving weekly calls.)
Support groups: Case managers are familiar with or able to research the many community groups designed to help you deal with bereavement, Alzheimer’s, cancer, stroke, etc.
Greene also spoke of two growing problems facing retirees that social services can help with. The first is that more and more retirees are responsible for caring for elderly parents, aunts and uncles, and other relatives. The second is the growing number of single retirees who have no one to care for them or advise them in times of emergency, hospitalization or other traumas.
Fortunately for all of us, this professional care is available to help us face and deal with these serious concerns and with a wide array of other issues.
While Greene reaches out to retirees at meetings around the metropolitan area to inform them about the broad scope of social services, she is concerned many retirees are struggling with problems alone, unaware that help is at hand. She said she hopes this column will make retirees aware of all the help, advice and support available to them and that it will put an end to members saying to her, “I didn’t know about you,” or, “Why didn’t I know about this service when my mother was ill?”
“Remember,” she stressed, “we are just a phone call away.”
And that “just a phone call away” also applies to traveling retirees. No matter where in the world you are, if you need the help of any of these social services, feel free to call the UFT collect.
For more information or for an appointment, I encourage you to call 1-212-598-6880, Monday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or write to Retiree Social Services, United Federation of Teachers, 52 Broadway — 17th floor, New York, NY 10004.
Our union is unique because it protects its retirees in every possible way.
Members began coming out in droves to the RTC Annual Meetings in January, in order to get the latest information on benefits, senior issues, retiree programs and other topics. Meetings will continue at other locations this month. above: Chapter Leader Tom Pappas addresses the Staten Island group. left: Sandra March, UFT liaison to the RTC, discusses pension issues at the Manhattan event.
