City of Montclair Township

What is your age and where were you born?  I was born in NYC in 1950.

When did you move to Montclair and why?  We moved in 1991. We lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan at a pretty dark time, the middle of the crack epidemic in NYC.  Montclair offered my family some of the diversity of the city, good schools as well as the kid-size freedoms of the suburbs.

Are you currently employed?  If so, doing what?  If you had a career, what was it?  I was a public defender for The Legal Aid Society and a litigator in the adoption and foster care fields for more than 30 years. Just before turning 60, I started a second career. I went to Hunter College School of Social Work and have worked for the past 12 years as a clinical social worker. I specialize in working with older adults and end-of-life issues. I find it enormously satisfying to help older people and their family members cope with the aging process and making a life well lived.

How are you currently engaged in the community?  As I was aging in Montclair, it became clear to me that elder-friendly lifestyle models were few and far between. With a group of other older residents, I founded Aging in Montclair in 2015, which now has 600+ members and advocates on many issues important to older people. I continue to facilitate one of AIM’s many programs aimed at fostering meaningful discussion for area seniors.

What organizations or clubs are you affiliated with or a member of?  I swim laps at the YMCA several times a week and love my public library fiercely. I am a member of the Montclair Housing Action Group. This group investigates Montclair’s current housing dilemma for older residents, which often forces them to leave the community they love due to limited options for those with a fixed income or needing support as they age, and develops proposals for aging-in-place changes.

What are some of the most important lessons you feel you have learned throughout your life?  Last year, I moved to Cedar Grove and share a large house with my best woman friend. Our “Golden Girl” experiment has many plusses like companionship, cost sharing, and support in many realms of life. Just as it “takes a village” to raise a child, it takes a village-like community to grow old safely and satisfied. I have learned that having different groups of friends, access to a range of activities and comfortable places to hang out is an important prescription for mental and physical health.

What is your mantra or words you live by?  Count your blessings often.

What are your plans for future? How does Montclair fit into these plans?  I continue to work to advocate for better housing solutions for older adults. Montclair has demonstrated concern for its older residents but has a long way to go to change regulations and policies that force seniors to move out of town because of the limited downsizing options.