WELCOME

The Philippine Community Center Services for Aging is dedicated and committed to firmly establish  its identity as a continuing advocate and  resource organization for Aging Fil-Ams through  Community Approach Model.

Greetings from the Philippine Community Center Services for Aging (PCCSA).

 

In an effort to firmly establish our identity as the continuing advocate and resource organization for the Aging Fil-Am, we seek to develop a Community Approach to this Shared Mission through Inter-Generational Collaboration by organizing & promoting:

  • PCCSA Forum Series on Taking Care of the Aging Fil-Am." 
  • PPCSA Outreach Program to Aging Fil-Ams

This Forum Series is a bold and timely initiative to challenge all Filipino-American community organizations in the Tri-State area, to create strategies and follow-up action plans on numerous issues of aging Fil-Ams in their own family or friends’ networks.  In addition, to seek innovative ways on how to advocate for the well-being of all Fil-Am senior citizens.  This community approach emphasizes a shared mission with younger peoples’ groups and/or organizations and encourages intergenerational participation, to instill and establish a culture change on Aging as a continuation of “life, fun and diversity,” thereby changing how Seniors and Elderly persons are viewed, treated, and eventually taken care of, under our “Preparing and Enjoying the Golden Years Program”.

 

Goal (Forum Series 1): 

  • To reach out and identify the Aging Seniors or Elderly Immigrants living in our own family/friends network, who are seriously challenged by chronic illness, loneliness, isolation/separation from family, and lack of information on access to government benefits.
  • To address Aging Seniors or Elderly Immigrants unmet needs and encourage them to actively participate in community or neighborhood activities.
  • To encourage seniors to expand their range of choices & strengthen support networks that help them address their health, housing, psycho-social, financial, or legal/immigration issues.
  • To encourage Fil-Am organizations to share Spaces&Time for “Intergenerational Dialogues” where Senior and Younger persons interact, recall, and document their family and social histories, through song, dance, the arts, poetry, literature and drama. (This activity has been and is supported by the Queens Memory Project.)

It is our vision that this forum series and outreach could feature OTHER organizations with creative, innovative programs/services for their group of Seniors/Aging Fil-Ams.

 

Sincerely,

Ma. Consuelo Almonte

Founder/ Executive Director

Press Release

September 8, 2019

                              “The Juniors and Seniors Prom 2019”

                                          PAGBABALIK PARANGAL

 

The Philippine Community Center Services for Aging (PCCSA) is proud to present the Juniors Seniors Prom 2019 celebrating The Graying “FIL-AM” New Yorkers, particularly the “graying” Filipino immigrants and the growing millennial Filipino-Americans. This presentation is to “spotlight” and focus on the transition process into our aging years, with the wise, balmy laughter and soothing hilarity of the Fil-Am community, one of the happiest peoples on earth.  It is also an enlightening opportunity to hand over the unique Filipino tradition of Respect for the Elderly as well as our historical heritage while assimilating and accepting the present realities of the homeland.  

 

We declare this as a bold and timely initiative to challenge all Filipino-American community organizations in the Tri-State area, to innovate, to create strategies and to pursue relevant action programs on the numerous issues of aging Fil-Ams in their own family or friends’ networks. 

 

This Community Approach to Aging emphasizes a shared mission with younger people’s groups and/or organizations that encourage & engage intergenerational participants to instill deep culture changes on Aging as a continuation of “life, fun and diversity,” thereby impacting and transforming how Seniors and Elderly persons are viewed, treated, and eventually taken care of.  Hence, we seek innovative, unconventional, more dynamic ways to advocate for the well-being of all Fil-Am senior citizens.

 

Our Vision is an Inter-generational Approach to Aging through community bonding that encourage Fil-Am organizations to share Spaces and create Time where & when Senior and younger persons interact, recall, and document their family and social histories --- through Song, Dance, Poetry and Drama as media or channels for in-depth, intimate “Intergenerational Dialogues.”

 

Our Mission is to showcase the various aging Fil-Ams by creating family-like (“kapamilya”) connections & relations between Fil-Am young adults and Fil-Am seniors/elderly in a non-traditional, informal environment while engaging in friendly, comfortable, “no-holds barred” interactions that become creative tools for “Preparing and Enjoying the Golden Years.”

 

 “Pagbabalik Parangal,” is a Special Tribute to the Fil-Am seniors who are the unsung heroes we honor today for their deeply significant but silent roles in developing our most valuable treasure, the Filipino-American families and communities.

 

DATE & TIME:   September 8, 2019, Sunday from 4:00 – 8:00 pm.

VENUE:              Ilocano Center, 185-14 Hillside Avenue, Jamaica, NY

DONATIONS:     Individuals ($10)   Organizations ($50)

 

(Note: Contributions will be used for PCCSA’s advocacy & service program on Home Living for Seniors.)

                                                               

FILIPINO COMMUNITY INTERGENERATIONAL FELLOWSHIP MIXER

 

Vision/Goal:  Creating family-like (“kapamilya”) connections and relations between Fil-Am young adults and Fil-Am seniors/elderly in a non-traditional, informal environment while engaging in friendly, comfortable, “no-holds barred” conversations.

Objectives: 

  1. To provide space for Fil-Am young adults and elderly or seniors to dialogue on Life Experiences, i.e., growing up in Philippines and/or America; immigrating to America; leaving loved ones in the Philippines;visiting Philippines for the first time; and similar life-changing milestones.
  2. To show or demonstrate how Younger adults (the so-called “Millennials”) view Aging people and their own aging process.
  3. To show and identify areas and activities where Seniors and Juniors can collaborate, cooperate, commune together, such as,

 

A)Physical Exercise – moderate and regular, which has powerful mood-boosting effects.

B)Connect with Others- not just on Facebook, but face-to-face whenever possible.

C)Maintaining healthy diets in preparing foods.

D)Hobbies, like Touring City parks, museums, landmarks, etc.

E)Volunteering together at AARP and other groups

F)Exploring Spiritual Journeysbeyond the conventional traditions (meditation, yoga, tai chi, qi-gong, etc.)

G)Learning New Skills – drawing or painting, singing, dancing, playing music, etc.

H)Laughing Sessions, using traditional Filipino “Balagtasan,” as literary vehicle to laugh while learning the language.  Likewise, using Filipino jokes and humorous stories to convey (or critique) cultural norms and practices.

 

Interactive Methodology: Using Group Dynamics, Role-Playing, Games, Demos, Group singing or dancing; Poetry reading;Writing songs, stories and play scripts; Dramatizing characters from Philippine history, legends and ethnic oral traditions; Improvisations in theatrical modes, Puppetry, etc., and all other ways and means to promote maximum interaction among participants. 

Organizing & promoting a Forum Series on Taking Care of the Aging Fil-Am

Outreach Program to Aging Fil-Ams  

CASE FINDING

COALITION & NETWORKING

Collaboration continues with The Nursing Office, Philippine Community Center Services for Aging, USMedicare PH and Rehab World (August 27, 2016).

NAVIGATING RESOURCES

Your Guide to Medicare/Medicaid

Long Term Care

How it Works: By Continental Home Care

AARP/The Nursing Office

How to use/avail healthcare services in the Philippines using Medicare & US Based Health Insurance 

Pooled Income Trust

The Story of Antonio Taguba and HomeCare Giving

Don’t Wait for a Crisis to Start Planning

I wish my siblings and I were better prepared for my parents’ caregiving needs. I wish we had planned how to support my mother as she suffered from cancer and my dad with dementia in his old age.

Both of my parents needed help at home in Hawaii. My siblings and I were committed to caring for them, but we lived in different states. We traveled home every few weeks, but it caused rifts between us as we juggled finances and started resenting each other. We could have avoided the anguish and arguments had we planned ahead and paid closer attention to our parents’ ailments, medical, and financial needs.

Several of my friends’ parents are in the early stages of needing extended care. Most of them don’t have a plan to provide for their parent’s needs. Some think they can handle everything within their immediate family. A few don’t want to think their parents will need additional care because their savings and health insurance will cover it. Caregiving is a critical family matter. Below is my advice on caregiving:

1. Begin the conversation now
Start talking to your parents and other family members about finances, health care insurance, medical coverage, housing, and other personal concerns. Your parents might be reluctant to discuss these sensitive topics because they fear losing their independence or being removed from their home or don’t want to be a burden to you. Reassure them that their long term health care is not only important for them, but for the entire family. Tell your loved ones this conversation is needed because you love them.

2. Research resources
There are many caregiving resources available. If you don’t live close to your parents, research the resources available in their communities like social service agencies, advocacy groups, nursing and assisted living facilities, hospice care, fitness centers, recreation, and churches that your parents can frequent. Online resources can also be helpful in planning. AARP.org/caregiving provides information, tools and tips for caregivers. AARP's Long-term Care Calculator offers state-by-state comparisons of home health, hospice and assisted living costs.

3. Create a caregiving plan
Organize the information you’ve collected, including contact names, phone numbers, and locations, and create a routine for your parent’s caregiving with checklists. Schedule medical appointments, arrange for transportation, and synchronize other activities with caregiver’s calendar. Discuss the plan with your parents, siblings, and trusted caregivers. Adjust the plan as your parent’s physical and medical condition, financial, insurance, or other circumstances changes, and share the revised plan with everyone. 
Developing a comprehensive plan is time consuming, but it will be even more difficult and complicated without one if your parents suddenly fall ill. Seriously consider the positive effects of having a family plan.

By (Ret.) Major General Tony Taguba/ AARP Ambassador

Source: AARP

EDUCATION

  • Lectures/Forums: MEDICARE & FIL-AM Seniors
  • Home Living: Creating your Perfect Nursing Home
  • Reimagine End of Life Week is a citywide exploration of big questions about life and death through creativity and conversation. Join NY Writers Coalition for a special creative writing workshop exploring end-of-life themes. NYWC’s workshop leader, the playwright and author Alison Lowenstein, will lead the group through writing prompts touching on legacy, endings, and imagination—or you can write what you feel. Share in the dialogue about loss, denial, wonder, and preparation through writing.
  • When to say NO more/Giving it up with Grace (End of Life)
  • The Great Surrender (End of Life) "I say, Amen"
  • Yes, you need help! (We can help)  

RESOURCES

AARP