“Just because we’re seniors doesn’t mean we’re not interested in health and what’s going on,” exclaimed Diana Metasky as she stood in front of the smoothie station at Margaret Tietz Nursing and Rehabilitation Center’s first-ever Healthfest.
Metasky, 78, and a group of fellow seniors from the Pomonock Senior Center were among the hundreds who attended the March 19 health fair that featured yoga, tai chi, healthy cooking instruction, as well as oxygen saturation and blood pressure testing.
“Anything health related, they need to know,” said Pomonock Assistant Director Dinah Morgan, who accompanied her seniors to Margaret Tietz.
In addition to educating seniors, Healthfest, organized by Margaret Tietz and its partners under the Beth Abraham Family of Health Services umbrella, was intended as a marketing and outreach tool to promote the facility’s diverse offerings.
“I’m hoping that they know that Margaret Tietz is here for the community, for whatever they need,” Margaret Tietz Executive Director Gerald Hart said of those who attended the event. “We want to get rid of that nursing home stigma.”
As a musician meandered through the Margaret Tietz lobby and recreation room playing guitar and harmonica at the same time, seniors sipped fruit and yogurt smoothies and watched cooks prepare a sizzling stir-fry suitable for diabetics.
Down the hall, the scene was a bit more subdued, as Margaret Tietz Recreation Director Isabel Kellerman led Healthfest attendees – ranging in age from a young woman to 86-year-old Charlie Schwarz – in seated yoga.
Schwarz, of Rego Park, was no stranger to the programs and services at Margaret Tietz. Two years ago, after breaking a hip, he spent six weeks in rehab at the center.
“When I came here I thought I wouldn’t walk anymore,” said Schwarz, smiling as if he had surprised even himself by leaving his chair for some upright yogic stretching a few minutes earlier.
Of course, the legacy of Margaret Tietz’s devotion to Jews and Holocaust survivors is also appealing to Schwarz, himself a Jew who escaped Germany as a teenager.
But Hart was quick to note that Margaret Tietz is evolving along with Queens’ diverse immigrant populations. During the event, a group of Chinese speakers embarked on a tour of Margaret Tietz’s facilities.
“The goal is if you want to service a population you have to have someone who speaks the language and you have to have the appropriate food,” Hart said, noting that Margaret Tietz now serves kosher cuisine.
Gwendolyn Vaughn, for one, was impressed with Margaret Tietz and Healthfest. The Director of Senior Affairs for State Senator Shirley Huntley, whose district includes Margaret Tietz, said the health fair and other events like it “make seniors aware of what’s happening.” She added, “It gives them a broad outlook about resources that are available.”
