Traveling and singing instead of borscht and grandchildren: why more and more Americans are visiting 'kindergartens for the elderly'

If you start a conversation with representatives of the post-Soviet space about “kindergarten for adults,” few will understand what we are talking about. But in America this will not surprise anyone - such cultural and medical centers for the elderly are very common here. They are called “nursing homes without beds” - that is, here you can receive any medical care, attend amateur art groups, learn a new language or go on an excursion. In general, all inclusive for older people. And more and more elderly people in the United States prefer to spend time in such centers instead of babysitting their grandchildren. The other day we visited Bainbridge - a center for senior citizens in New York to understand why these “kindergartens” attract old people so much.

Are you going to kindergarten?

Bainbridge Adult Center today – 25 years. The same number of people work in it Elena Palatnik. She recalls with a laugh: she came to get a job after college, thinking she was going to a nursing home as a social worker. And they asked her: will you go to kindergarten?

“I was a little taken aback, I told them: I, of course, love children, but I didn’t prepare myself for kindergarten. And they laugh: no, this is a kindergarten for adults!” - she says.

Since then, Elena has risen from a social worker to director of the medical center. She said the Bainbridge Senior Center, which serves Brooklyn, Staten Island and Far Rockaway, is a second family for the seniors in her care.

“This is their life. This is their home. Children usually don't have enough time for their elderly parents. They are busy with work and their children. And here they feel needed! In addition, we not only take full responsibility for their health, but also keep them busy with interesting things. Dancing, fashion shows, singing, traveling, yoga and meditation. And this is not the entire list. A car picks them up from home, and if the driver is 15 minutes late, they immediately call and worry whether everything is okay, whether he will come.”,” Elena clarifies.

Everyone here is special

Among the regular visitors to the center for the elderly in New York is Lydia Brodskaya. She's been coming here for about two years. The woman has a family, two adult children, and her hobby is sculpture. At the Bainbridge center they call Lydia “our sculptor.”

“I have never seen such respect as here! Literally, all you have to do is think about something – and everything will immediately come true. Not just for me, for everyone. Some kind of simply exceptional kindness. When they found out that I was a sculptor, they immediately organized an exhibition for me. I’m sitting at home and bored, but here – well, my hands are itching to do something! I am a modest person, I have always considered myself ordinary, but here everyone is vying with me to tell me how special I am. This is incredibly nice!” – Lydia shares.

"They are all special here!” – says psychotherapist Lyudmila Fisenko. She herself is from Ukraine, she sang there at the Opera House in Kyiv, and here she not only conducts psychotherapy sessions, but also teaches visitors to the center to sing.

"We had people who had never sung at all. But then they start singing in the choir, and then become soloists - because they have always, all their lives, dreamed of singing, of the stage. And here it is, the scene. It's amazing how everything becomes possible! – Lyudmila argues. – As for me, such centers for seniors in the USA are a salvation! Rescue from loneliness, salvation from depression, from all kinds of worries. Even when one of our charges loses loved ones, I always encourage them: don’t sit at home alone, come!”

They have a meaning in life

Losing loved ones is, unfortunately, commonplace here. But the center says: the surprising thing is that, according to statistics, their old people live longer than those who stay at home.Founder of the center Mr. Joseph Brachfeldadmitted that initially, kindergartens for adults in the United States were created to provide medical care.

“The idea was to have fewer people go to live in nursing homes- says Brachfeld. – That’s why they decided to build nursing homes like this without beds. That is, initially we had nurses, dietitians, therapists, and social workers. And only a sick person could get to us. That they are all sick here, can you believe it? Look: they sing, dance, look great! But they all have chronic diseases. And initially our task was to maintain them in a functional state for as long as possible”

The center is confident that it was not only medical care that helped keep the elderly afloat, but also the fact that they were constantly busy with business. They now have meaning in life. They had somewhere to go in the morning.

“In New York there are many centers for the elderly, which are designed either only for medical care or only for social adaptation. But, as we have learned with experience, it is the combination of these two services that works best. And there are not many such centers in the city”- explains center co-founder Jacob Goldbrener.

“Thanks to this approach, people lived with us for 20 years of a full life, and this despite the fact that we had many clients with cancer, diabetes, and dementia. We’ve even had a couple of patients who are over 100 years old!” Brackfeld adds.

Then he changes his face and says: “But then COVID came”.

Как Covid changed everything

When the pandemic hit, the State Department of Health decided that all adult day care centers in New York City must close immediately.

“Our patients were terrified, because we were their support and support during this difficult time- says corporate director Susan Methal. - We had their medicines, even their families did not know how to take care of them, because we did everything. And there were, for example, patients with dementia who needed 24-hour supervision. We weren't even given a chance to make sure they had caregivers! I called Mr. Brackfeld in tears and told him I couldn't leave our patients. But the Department of Health only pays us if people come to us - and here this was prohibited. And then our center managers continued to pay staff salaries out of their own pockets to ensure that there was a home treatment plan for every patient!”

Susan says they were able to keep all the employees. Even the kitchen was working - food was delivered to the elderly at home, because many of them were lonely and could not even go to the store. The center’s employees launched a telemedicine program and were constantly in touch with all patients, prescribing and delivering the necessary medications to them.

“The average age of our patients is about 80 and older. That is, this is the most vulnerable part of the population to coronavirus. A year and a half into the pandemic Covid we lost 13 patients. Moreover, only five of them died from coronavirus infection, the rest - from their underlying diseases; they were already under a hundred years old! I think it’s our merit that we were able to support so many people and save their lives!” – Susan shares.

When the pandemic subsided and the elderly began to return to the senior center in New York, everyone Bainbridge saw how much the year and a half spent at home affected them.

“We had to work really hard with them to get them back into their groove. After all, they haven’t left their apartments for over a year! And we brought most of these people back to the movement. Did you see how they danced at the festival today? Believe me, many of them could not reach the corner of the house!” – she assured.

Excursions, fashion shows and meditation

This is really hard to believe, because most of the elderly people in the senior center are now active and full of energy. At the 25th anniversary party, a slide show is shown - and it becomes clear how busy these people's lives are. Here they are on an excursion in the Botanical Garden, and here they are on the beach, and here they are organizing a fashion show. Everyone who comes to a senior day care center in New York City is first asked about their interests.

“I came here a year and a half ago. I was lonely. I heard an advertisement on TV, came - and never regretted it - says Vladimir Korenberg. – I made a lot of friends at the center! We play billiards and dominoes here. Plus trips - when you don’t have a car, it’s very good. They even take us to shopping centers for shopping. In general, we are all like family here. My son sings - he also performed here on my birthday!”

Even those who cannot dance or go on excursions find something interesting for themselves in the center. Mira Kitaigorodskaya walks with a walker, but at the same time in the center - every day.

“I haven’t been here very long – just a few months. I came because I wanted to somehow diversify my leisure time. We have many clubs here. For example, I go to meditation. It helps me relax. We also have various concerts here - I don’t perform, but I listen with pleasure.”, – shares Mira.

Recently in Bainbridge Senior Center In addition to the medical program, a separate social program was opened. Now those visitors who do not have medical problems can take part in the active life of the kindergarten for the elderly. The center is confident that in this way they will be able to bring meaning to the lives of even more people.