WBFO Older Adults News Desk

Studies indicate that older Americans who have a greater sense of purpose often have a higher quality of life. WBFO’s Sandy White reports on a 73-year-old retiree whose life’s journey continues to enrich others.

He was born in Germany in 1925. Stephan Lewy and his Jewish family were able to flee that nation just after Kristallnacht in 1938, but he eventually returned to Europe as part of the U.S. Army, serving under General Patton's command and liberating many of his fellow Jews. Lewy, who now shares his life experiences with local students, was honored this week as Erie County's Senior of the Year.

Ground was broken in the Town of Cheektowaga Tuesday on the spot where an apartment complex will expand to more than triple its number of units. When finished, many of the new affordable-housing units will be available to persons living with various conditions - including a diagnosed mental health concern.

Brenda McDuffie was not born in Buffalo, but she has spent her professional career making the city a better place to live. She retains no Brooklyn-born accent, but the public housing she grew up in remains her inspiration to tiredlessly help disadvantaged residents gain the diverse quality-of-life skills needed to provide for themselves and their families. McDuffie chairs the Erie County Industrial Development Agency, is a member of the Greater Buffalo Racial Equity Roundtable and, this year, celebrates 20 years as President and CEO of the Buffalo Urban League.

Dr. Janet Sung arrived in the United States in 1972 with only her CPA husband John and the $200 their native South Korea allowed its emigrants at the time. Fifteen years later, the couple opened their own radiology practice in a renovated Pizza Hut with pink doors in Cheektowaga. She was the only doctor and had only one x-ray, one mammogram and one ultrasound machine. Little did she know, in 2002 the Erie County Legislature would honor the business, then known as Windsong Radiology, as the largest free-standing diagnostic imaging center in the United States - and it has continued to grow, now serving more than 400,000 visits annually at five locations across Western New York.

The number of those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia is rapidly increasing as baby boomers continue to age. Caretakers are often impacted just as much as those who suffer from the terminal disease. WBFO’s Nick Lippa spoke with volunteers at the Alzheimer’s Association about the difficulties they’ve encountered combating the disease.

Approximately 400,000 New Yorkers are currently living with Alzheimer’s, a terminal disease that destroys memory and other mental functions. Despite the high number, many who report they experience memory loss are not talking with their health care provider about it. The Alzheimer’s association wants to change that by launching a public awareness campaign like you’ve seen for cancer or smoking. WBFO’s Nick Lippa spent a day in Albany with their Western New York chapter as they asked politicians to financially support this campaign as part of the upcoming budget.

Kathleen Garvey, 67, has reinvented herself several times. She began her career as a registered nurse, then taught nursing in Houston and at D'Youville College in Buffalo. At the end of the Vietnam War, she used those nursing skills in the U.S. Army Reserves, then on active duty and again in the reserves, eventually obtaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. However, after two decades of military service, it was time to reinvent herself again. Garvey graduated law school and worked on Medicare appeals and the Erie County Medical Malpractice Reform Model. Most recently, she began her own elder law practice, but continues to volunteer with veteran organizations.

Patti Jones has considered herself a typical female since she was a very young boy named Peter. She earned her degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology, joined the family machine and tool design company, taught skiing and snowboarding, raced sailboats, was "happily married to a wonderful woman" for 24 years and had a daughter. It was at the age of 50 - in 2004 - she formally transitioned and has since been dedicated to Western New York's LGBTQ communities as an activist and mentor. Jones shared her journey with WBFO.

Leslie Zemsky has perhaps the best job title in Western New York. As Director of Fun (and Vice President) of her family-run Larkin Development Group, she is helping infuse "whimsy amongst the warehouses" of what was Buffalo's first business district. A lifelong philanthropist dedicated to numerous nonprofit causes and board memberships, Zemsky began a creative new adventure in 2002 when the family sold its Russer Foods and bought the Larkin Terminal Warehouse at 726 Exchange St. Since then, the area has blossomed into a vibrant community hub powered by her altruistic energy, called Larkinville.

Down in the Valley is Margaret "Peg" Overdorf. Hang your head over the Michigan Avenue Lift Bridge and you can hear her wind blow. This year, Overdorf is celebrating 40 years as Executive Director of the Valley Community Association, from which has bloomed a renewal along the Ohio Street Corridor to the Buffalo River. You may not recognize their names, but the VCA, Overdorf and her close-knit army of volunteers are leaving their mark on our region, serving families and turning former polluted dumping grounds into waterfront destinations.

At a Laughter Yoga session at the Brighton Place Library in Tonawanda, a small group of 4 laughter yoga leaders, and a couple of participants all stand in a circle, gathered in the library’s community activity room. After introductions all the smiles quickly turn into giggles, and the awkwardness turns into openness.

During the housing crisis a decade ago, an estimated one-third of civil filings in New York State Supreme Court were foreclosures. "It was huge numbers," remembers the Hon. Paula Feroleto, "so the court had to adapt how cases were treated." Today issues like the opioids crisis, jailing people with mental illness and Buffalo's influx of refugees are requiring new thinking. As Administrative Judge of the Eighth Judicial District, Feroleto's role is to supervise all 95 judges and 850 employees in Western New York's 22 courts while preserving justice for all.

Few Western New Yorkers have led a hospital and fewer have been women. Then there is Sheila Kee. She has led three local hospitals, the Community Health Association of New York State and the Western Region for the state Health Department. Since September 2008, she has served as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, where her imprint can be found on many transformational initiatives. However, her career sprung from one of the most important periods in American politics.

Ellen E. Grant is a fellow at the Weiss Institute, an initiative of Say Yes to Education that marshals best practices and the latest research to address inequities and boost economic development by supporting young people from early childhood to adult success. It is the latest of many leadership hats worn by this savvy woman over 60, who grew up in Buffalo's public housing to become a nurse, a social worker, a licensed therapist, an executive coach, a college instructor, Director of Cornerstone Manor, Vice President at BlueCross/BlueShield of Western New York, President and CEO of Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, Erie County Commissioner of Mental Health and City of Buffalo Deputy Mayor.

Althea Luehrsen has been CEO of Leadership Buffalo since January 2012 and is Co-founder and Vice Chair of Women Who Lead WNY. Through service, diversity, inclusion and openness to change, she believes giving back to her community is key to the success of the region. She does this every day, not only by freely sharing her 40 years of work experience, but through numerous board memberships and nonprofit causes. No wonder her career is full of accolades and her mantelpiece with awards.

Three Mount St. Mary Academy High School students created a special activity book for those living with Alzheimer’s disease. WBFO's senior reporter Eileen Buckley says as part of the school’s entrepreneurs program, the students published a book called Forget Me Not.  

Entrepreneurship among seniors is trending in the United States and research shows that people 50 and older are opting to turn a business idea into a rewarding and profit-making retirement plan. 

They say the holiday season can be either the best time of the year or the worst, depending on where you are in your life. WBFO's Marian Hetherly has the story of one local attorney making the best of the worst.

How you handle your busy late-December plans can drastically change if someone you love is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia. WBFO’s Nick Lippa talked with Western New York Alzheimer’s Association Care Consultation Director Katie Keith-Badeau to discuss some helpful tips on how to make the holiday season jolly for all.