Published
December 15, 2025
Tags
Our Chief Program Officer, Ali Hodin Baier, told the New York City Council recently about several ways DOROT prevents and eases social isolation among older adults, and how we expand our reach by offering many ways to participate.
“DOROT offers a range of cultural activities and lifelong learning programs that happen not only in-person at DOROT, but by phone and online, which lets us serve older adults who vary in mobility, interests, lack of transportation or WIFI, or who have different needs in bad weather,” said Hodin Baier (pictured at left).
In testimony before the council’s Committee on Aging, Hodin Baier also cited the profound impact of DOROT programs such as Friendly Visiting, which connects older adults with volunteers for regular at-home visits, and Caring Calls, in which volunteers and older adults build relationships through regular phone conversations.
“Whether it’s an arts workshop, book club, museum tour, or tech help, we intentionally weave social connection into every program we offer,” Hodin Baier explained. The city, she added, can do the same by putting social connection at the heart of its older adult programs and providing the staff and resources needed to ensure their success.
The goal of the hearing was to understand how the city identifies and serves socially isolated older adults, including those who don’t come to in-person programs, and the resources it might take to ensure these programs serve all who need them. “As the city becomes older and more diverse, and more socially fragmented, we must strengthen our infrastructure for connection,” said Council Member Crystal Hudson, who chairs the Committee on Aging.