Elderly & Loneliness in New York City:

Proposed Design Solution and Implementation

Alaa Balkhy, Rabia Dilara Cumhur, Maxine Morris, and Kara Schlindwein

By 2050

2 BillionPeople at 60+ globally

doubling between 2006 and 2050*

*Beard & Petitot, 2010.

By 2030Americans, aged 65+

will increase from 14% to 20%

93% of seniors

want to age in place, independently*

*Blumenthal & Lape, 2014

“Urbanization”Global Demographic Trend

Increased life expectancy Major shift to the cities Increased opportunities for communityBetter access to many amenities

New York City Seniors

Increase to 1.3m in New York City

1 in every 5 New Yorkers will be over the age of 65+

27% of elderly walk-up residents are at higher floors

By 2030

*Blumenthal & Lape, 2014

Challenges of NYC Seniors & Loneliness IssuesPoor infrastructure of rent-controlled apartments

Affordability of age-friendly residences

Social disconnectedness due to mobility issues

Self-isolation and loneliness

Detrimental effects of loneliness on health and wellbeing

Psychological research studies that involve pets often

examine how pets affect happiness and/or well-being to

people around them.

Programs That Help

THERAPY DOGS CANdecrease feelings of isolation

provide comfortlower blood pressure

improve cardiovascular healthdiminish physical pain

reduce the need for medication

INTRODUCING

THERAPUPSDOG WALKERS

There are 600,000

registered dogs in New York City.

75% of NYC Millennials give to charities.

43% do volunteer work.

76% of Millennials are more

likely to make an expensive purchasefor their pet than for themselves.

Our Partners

Department for the Aging

How it Works:. Elderly Neighbors.

The NYC dept for aging will refer elder residents of the lower east side who would like to receive visits from therapy dogs. Their case workers will pair our program with their clients who are the most appropriate fit, keeping personal situations and health conditions like allergies in mind.

How it Works:. Pet Owners.

Our marketing will be targeted to Millennial pet owners. When they sign their do up for our service through the website their dog is screened for health and temperament and receives a free training and therapy pet certification through our partner the Good Dog Foundation. Rates for walks are just over the average for dog walking, but the cost is tax deductible through our nonprofit partner.

How it Works:. Dog Walkers.

All of our employees will be trained as therapy pet handlers by the good dog foundation. We will pay walkers $18/hour, more than the industry average. We aim to hire bilingual employees to better serve the 46% of the NYC elderly population that are immigrants. This will provide younger immigrants and international students with an opportunity for employment that doesn’t require higher education but pays decently.

Implementation Plan

1 2 32

MARCH JUNE SEPTEMBER

Register BusinessEstablish PartnershipsSecure Funding

Hire & TrainMarketingOutreach Launch

Implementation Plan

Startup Costs

$200 Registration

$1,000 Website

$5,000 Advertising

$300 Certification

$6,500

Operating Costs (annual)

$700 Insurance & Bonding

$100 Web hosting

$2,400 Training for Dogs

$67,392 Salaries

$73,400

Cost to Clients

$90 5 30-min. Walks/week

Anticipated Revenue (annual)

$113,580

Stakeholders

Thank you