News & Events

Join Art Against Ageism and Gray Panthers NYC, on May 28 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern for a dynamic conversation, with Christina Peoples (aka Gero-What?!), a leading voice reshaping aging by tackling ageism through culture, storytelling, and community. This gathering will feature Christina's bold initiatives, "Real Homies Want to Know" and "Black Elder Truths," as we explore how storytelling and social media can challenge bias, spark connection, and reframe how we see aging across ge

What does it really mean to care for someone? Not just clinically. Not just efficiently. But humanly. During the April 28, 2026 Transformation Tuesday, we were joined by Marcus Engel—author, speaker, and narrative medicine educator—whose lived experience reshaped how many of us think about compassion in healthcare. His story began with trauma. But what stayed with us wasn’t just survival—it was what made survival possible. The Power of “I’m Here” In the chaos following a deva

On April 23 in Atlanta, I had the honor of presenting at the 2026 ASA conference alongside Carrie on a topic that feels both timely and deeply personal to long-standing advocacy organizations: Reviving, Rebranding and Rebuilding: GPNYC for the 21st Century. We titled our session as a reflection on what it means to evolve without losing identity, history, or mission. For organizations like ours, longevity is both an asset and a challenge. We carry the vision of Gray Panthers f

I’m just going to say it: not having dementia is a low bar to set for a political leader….no matter your political party. In the last couple of years, we’ve seen the increasing age in our political leaders and many calling out their age, assigning a casual “diagnosis” of dementia, but then still re-electing them. In contrast, there have been some congressmembers who have proposed legislation to make sure that we aren’t doing so. In 2023, Representative Scott DeJarlais propose

Dedicated to the radical spirit of Maggie Kuhn If we are serious about transforming elder care in America, we must follow the money. For decades, our reimbursement system has been built around crisis—not prevention. We pay when something goes wrong: a fall, a hospitalization, a decline. But we invest very little in keeping people strong, independent, and at home. The result is a system that quietly manages decline instead of promoting autonomy. It doesn't have to be this way.

A Voluntary National Review (VNR) is one of the most important accountability tools at the United Nations for tracking progress on sustainable development—and yet it remains little understood outside policy circles. A VNR is a country-led report presented at the United Nations, specifically during the annual High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). In the report governments share their progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—

At our March 31, 2026 Transformation Tuesday, Gray Panthers NYC explored one of the most intimate, difficult, and deeply human questions any society can face: Who gets to decide how a dying person dies? In a timely and thoughtful conversation, David Leven of End of Life Choices New York helped unpack New York’s newly signed Medical Aid in Dying Act, what it does, what it does not do, and why this issue is ultimately about dignity, autonomy, compassion, and justice. Here are

Two years ago, at my first Eden Alternative Conference, I heard about a place that stopped me in my tracks: Sherbrooke Community Centre in Saskatoon, Canada. This year, I had the chance to learn from them again—and I was just as inspired. Because Sherbrooke isn’t just doing things differently.They are living proof of what’s possible when we truly rethink long-term care. But what struck me most is this: In many ways… Sherbrooke isn’t new at all. It’s a return to something many

As a member of the young generation in the 2000s, I grew up in a world where healthcare was at my fingertips – I could schedule an appointment online, message doctors through apps with ease, and even participate in video visits from anywhere in the world. For my generation, digital health isn’t necessarily the “future,” it's the default. However, the more I learn about global public health and intergenerational advocacy spaces, such as the Gray Panthers, the more I recognize

In March 2026, leaders, advocates, and innovators gathered in Atlanta, Georgia for the Eden Alternative Conference—a space dedicated to reimagining aging and long-term care. From March 9th through the 12th, the conference challenged attendees to move beyond traditional models of care and toward something more human: connection, belonging, and purpose. Starting with Transformation: Connected Communities Pre-Conference Before the official opening, Connected Communities hosted a

Thank you. My name is Jack Kupferman and I'm with the Gray Panthers and I'm representing the constituency of older people. The age-friendly cities concept is a wonderful planning tool to implement SDG 11 in all communities and cities around the world. The age-friendly cities framework focuses on older persons but creates improvements for all people in the community. The eight interlocking domains of age-friendly focus on outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, housing,

With the New York State budget within weeks of its deadline on April 1st, there is a lot of jostling with budget priorities. But among the priorities Gray Panthers wants to see get over the finish line this budget season is increased funding for aging services. A Master Plan for Aging–launched by Governor Hochul herself, it must be said–had a final report that laid out a bunch of proposals. And one of those proposals was to fund aging services. (1) And rightfully so. Systems

From: The Pass It On Network (PION), which connects positive ageing advocates across 60 countries. Margaret Young ( Age Knowable ) joined Moira Allan, PION co-founder and member of the AGE Platform Europe task force, in opening the session with what happened during the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) meeting in Geneva in February. It was the first formal drafting session toward a UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons. In 2024, the UN Open-Ended Working G

There is a particular tenderness in loving a home that has loved you back. In a recent Boston Globe essay, psychiatrist Elissa Ely captures this feeling with quiet precision. She writes from a familiar kitchen — sun pouring through windows replaced 22 years ago, a stained teapot coming to a boil from the original renovation. “Nothing needs to be different,” she observes. “Living here is right.” For Ely, and most of us, home is not simply shelter. It is biography. Rooms becom

One of the defining principles of Gray Panthers NYC is embedded in our mission: combating ageism and achieving social justice through intergenerational collaboration and activism. From the beginning, the Gray Panthers movement understood something that is still often overlooked today—true social change happens when generations work together. Ageism thrives when generations are divided. Too often older adults are portrayed as out of touch, while younger people are dismissed

Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) continues to generate intense debate in New York State and across the country. Who has the right to decide how we die? What protections exist? What does the Medical Aid in Dying Act that was recently signed into law in NY entail? Join us for a timely and thoughtful conversation with David C. Leven, JD, a nationally respected advocate and policy leader in end-of-life care. With decades of experience advancing patient rights, palliative care reform,

$50 a Month in 1988. Still $50 Today? In 1988, the Personal Needs Allowance (PNA) for nursing home residents receiving Medicaid in New York was set at $50 per month . It is still $50 in 2026. Let that sink in. For nearly four decades, the cost of living in New York City has soared. The price of toiletries, clothing, haircuts, phone service, snacks, transportation, and over-the-counter medications has risen dramatically. Yet the small monthly amount that nursing home resid

A series of missile strikes led by the United States and Israel has led to the killing of over 500 people in Iran as of the time of writing, including the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader. First and foremost, Gray Panthers NYC condemns these actions. In the United States, over 1 in 10 people are in poverty, 8% are without health care, and homelessness is at a record high. These are the sorts of issues taxpayer dollars should be going to, not missile strikes killing people ha

At Gray Panthers NYC, we often say that intergenerational activism is not just part of our history—it is our future. That future is already here. Hadia Miriam, a high school student from Des Plaines, Illinois, recently completed a National History Day documentary on the Gray Panthers movement under the theme Revolution, Reform, and Reaction . National History Day is a rigorous national research competition in which students conduct extensive primary and secondary research to

This month’s Transformation Tuesday made one thing unmistakably clear: isolation is not a “visitor policy” issue—it’s a human rights issue. The Essential Caregivers Act is about ensuring that no resident in a nursing home or other Medicare/Medicaid-certified long-term care setting can be cut off from the person who knows them, steadies them, advocates for them, and helps them survive— even during emergencies. 1) The cost of separation is real—and it compounds fast Mary Danie