Wellness Together social worker Jia Xin Huang with our neighbor Louise

By Melissa Aase, CEO, University Settlement 

Over the last several months we’ve accomplished a five-fold expansion of Wellness Together, our program for keeping homebound adults connected and cared for.

We’re now reaching more than 1,000 of our neighbors over 60 with this approach, which first ensures that basic needs are met and then engages bodies, minds, and spirits.

Sometimes scale can be impressive; it can also be obscuring. One thousand is a nice round number, but there are countless human stories contained within that statistic.

I had the chance to connect with our neighbor Louise, who told me about how Jia Xin Huang, her Wellness Together social worker, has been helping her navigate the challenges of getting older in NYC:

A few months ago, I suddenly fell ill – I kept falling. I used to be in good health, so I never thought I needed help. But when it started happening, I felt lost.

I was thinking, “I’m getting old, right? Does that mean I’m useless now? That I’ve been abandoned by society? What do I do when I’m sick and all alone?”

I do have a daughter, but she lives far away.

I just wanted to find someone who could help me. I found the phone number for Wellness Together, and I thought I’d give it a try. I had reached out to some other places, but they weren’t very proactive.

When I called, I reached my social worker Jia Xin, and I immediately felt that she was very patient and kind. When I talked with other organizations, they only asked me a few questions, and they didn’t reach out to me again until many days later. But Jia Xin was very thorough, asking me about everything.

I was feeling helpless, but she comforted me and said I could call her if I needed anything. And then she followed up with me after a day or two, asking after my health and whether I needed any help. And she’s kept doing that.

Every time I talk about University Settlement, I always tell people how lucky I am to have found it. I have been having difficulty walking, I can’t take the subway, so I need to take a taxi to go to my medical appointments. My doctor is in Midtown, which is quite far. Once, I mentioned that the taxi fare was too expensive for me to afford. Right away, Jia Xin said, “Let me give you a phone number you can contact for that.” If I need anything, they arrange it for me right away.

Honestly, she feels just like family to me.

For the last few days, I haven’t been able to cook, so they delivered Chinese meals directly to me. They’ve truly been responsive to everything I’ve asked for, and I’m very satisfied. I feel like University Settlement gives us older people – especially those of us who are dealing with health issues – a sense of hope.

Your support helps make it possible.