The Article below appeared in The Suburbanite on March 28, 2007

LOW FEE DENTISTRY, MORE FOR SENIORS

SESCIL receives $7,500 to continue services

BY CRISTINA KUMKA
Staff Writer

 Their flyer reads: “If you know someone who is 55 or older and is not getting enough fun out of life, encourage them to join SESCIL.”

 But directors of the Southeast Senior Center for Independent Living revealed that the center offers more than fun activities among peers.

A walking tour began up the creaky wooden stairs of the Lydecker Homestead - a designated historic site built in early 1800s transformed into the landmark home for SESCIL. The buzz of dental equipment could be heard.

Upstairs, seniors were getting their teeth examined by dentists and dental hygienists. Those waiting to be seen for exams and those walking out had smiles on their faces.

To maintain free services to seniors, such as low-fee dentistry and other enrichment programs, the Community Chest of Tenafly and Englewood Cliffs has recently supported SESCIL with a $7,500 grant.

SESCIL is the only senior center in northern Bergen County that offers low-fee dentistry, at almost 50 percent less than the normal rate for dental work to seniors over the age of 55, according to Program/Outreach Director Cornelia Williams. The center serves 11 communities and approximately 1,200 members.
 
Caring for the general health of their more than 1,200 members is touted as not only unique, but pivotal to maintaining the non-profit agency's independence and financial stability, said Williams and the center's Executive Director Ed Barsuk.

According to Barsuk, a former director at the JCC on the Palisades for 15 years, grants such as the one received by the Community Chest are essential in light of the fact that competition for funding has become more and more intense. When seeking grants, SESCIL administrators name the center's unique services to help in obtaining funding.
 
“No one else provides this service in the area,” said Barsuk. “We want people to use the programs and services."

A day in the life of a senior at the center may include receiving a health assessment, including a blood pressure screening from a registered nurse, followed by a legal consultation and then a watercolor painting course.
 
Funding for recreation classes and health services provided by SESCIL has been down because there [are] so many organizations that need to survive, said Barsuk. With an annual budget of approximately $358,000, SESCIL depends on a federally funded community development block grant from Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for most of its income.

Unfortunately, in the past 10 years, that funding has declined by $70-to-80,000. SESCIL gets a $10,000 cut in federal funding each year, Barsuk said.

He now looks to other donors such as the Kaplen Foundation and the Community Chest for additional funding to pay the cost of instructor salaries, staff and other related costs to maintain programs. Dentists, a social worker, a podiatrist, an audiologist, registered nurse and administrative assistants, make up some of the staff.
 
[Summing up,] Barsuk said the senior programs, above all, “prevent aging and institutionalization.”