Council Member Gale Brewer

We would like to thank Council Member Gale Brewer for including us in her newsletter this month (see below). If you read about us and are eligible, call us! We'd love to hear from you and capture your stories.

The Gallagher Initiative - The purpose of this survey, called “The Gallagher Initiative”, is to learn about how aging Irish Americans are coping.  What health services, social services, or other services are needed and wanted.  Which older adults who are living alone or are isolated. The survey is being conducted by professors from Hunter College and Fordham University under the auspice of the Fund for the Advancement of Social Services.  If you volunteer to participate in this survey, you will be interviewed by a trained interviewer at a time and location that you choose.  The interview will be private and confidential. You may participate in the survey if:

·         You or your parents or any of your grandparents were born in Ireland

·         You live in New York City (any of the five boroughs)

·         You are age 55 years or older

Whether you are in excellent health or poor health, working or retired, have recently immigrated or are second generation, you can participate in the survey. Participants will receive a FREE tote bag and resource pamphlets upon completion of the interview. You can contact us at 917-575-7158 or email Gallagher.initiative@gmail.com or visit: GallagherInitiative.blogspot.com

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is the interview private and confidential?
Yes. The only people who see the interview are the researchers of the project.

2. Where is the interview done?
The interview can be done at a place of your choosing. Many participants prefer to have the interview done in their homes because it is more convenient for them. Others have done interviews in public places such as cafes, restaurants or senior citizen centers.

3. Who does the interview?
We have a team of well-qualified and trained interviewers. They are assigned to cases and call a participant to set up the interview shortly after we receive contact information from the participant.

4. How long does an interview take?
The interviews generally last an hour. However, depending on how much a participant wants to share it can be longer or shorter.

5. What type of information is asked in the interview?
The purpose of the survey is to determine what needs the elderly Irish/Irish American population have and which are not being met. To that end, the interviewer will gather some background information (i.e. age, gender, when did you or your parents move to the U.S.), ask about services that you receive, and services you would like to receive. It is beneficial to the study and the community to answer these questions as they provide us with a better idea of what needs to be done. However, if there is any question you do not wish to answer, you do not have to.

Gallagher Goes to Ireland

The Director of the Gallagher Initiative, Dr. Elaine Walsh, recently visited Ireland where she did many interviews with radio and newspaper reporters. Below is a link to the article written about the project on the BBC website.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-18132374