UES Woman Starts Group To Connect Single Neighborhood Seniors

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — New York City can be a difficult place to manage for senior citizens. The streets and businesses are bustling, a lot of walking is required and information about good doctors and other medical information can be hard to identify from junk and scams.

These difficulties are even harder for seniors who are not married and have no family to help them navigate the city, which is why 72-year-old Upper East Sider Carol Shusterman is organizing a support group for the neighborhood's single seniors.

The longtime First Avenue resident thought of the idea for a singles group for seniors when she was faced with a mounting list of tasks that all seniors must come to grapple with. As people get older their health deteriorates, Shusterman said, which can make tackling tasks such as writing a will and arranging a funeral even more difficult. People without family to help them with these tasks often have nowhere to turn.

"I myself am single, I'm not well, but I do get around. And I've met other people that were in the same boat with similar circumstances in the sense that they're single, that they may have no family and they need help," Shusterman told Patch.

"I know it's morbid — I'm 72 and I'm not looking to be buried at this point. And I don't expect to be Let's be unforeseen happen. But this is a reality of life," Shusterman added.

Shusterman's eventual goal for the group is a place where people can recommend doctors or lawyers, ask for favors such as picking up items from neighborhood stores or arranging pickups from the hospital, share news stories and feel connected to a community.

The Upper East Sider took to Patch's Neighbor Post section this month to propose her idea, and was met with a massive response. Shusterman's post, which went live on March 7, has gotten nearly 60 responses. She says many people have sent her their email addresses and phone numbers, and she hopes to set up a teleconference with interested seniors soon.

Shusterman said she has even been in contact with community liaisons from State Senator Liz Kreuger's office, who offered to help with efforts to get the group started.

Shustermand told Patch that she thought of the idea for the singles group before the outbreak of Coronavirus in New York City. With seniors at high risk of the virus, the group may be even more helpful, even if the connection means just having people to talk to, she said.

"I think [the group] might help. I do. I mean, it's becoming monotonous staying in like this. I think that it might be a good idea — and if I can get it going as soon as possible I will."

Shusterman told Patch that seniors — and young people who want to help — can reach out to her at CShusterman@msn.com to discuss the group.