Eductional Aliance/Faces At Wald

What makes this center is the seniors. Yes the director of the center is trying to make the center better for seniors like combining the lunch and activities together so more seniors can participate in the center. The menu for lunch is getting better each month. New seniors are joining the center each week. Yes changes are hard, but the center will be better with the director is trying to do. Senior center is the place to me New people and have a great time to spend your time here with your new friends.

I am extremely disappointed and upset with how this center is being run. For the last 6 months to a year the treatment and service to the seniors have gone downhill. The seniors that used to enjoy coming to this center and the workers have been mistreated, disrespected and have even been threated. To make things worse, the assistant director Ms. Napoleon, who worked for 10 years at the senior center was fired by Director Alejandro Vila. She was the main reason why we all loved coming to the center. For a decade she made all seniors feel welcomed and was the life of the center. She would stop at nothing to help anyone she could. Ms Napoleon always went above and beyond. What is extremaly disheartening is that Director Vila would fire someone like her but keep an employee that continues to harass seniors, volunteers and staff. Even with us giving complaints about the treatment from this individual it still took Mr Vila a year to get rid of them. It seems that Mr Vila has been cleaning house of all the people who are great for the community and now is trying to have us sign for services we do not use just to show that the center has a lot of participants. Mr Vila has let the center become a place of misery and many wish to not return as long as he is still in charge. BRING BACK MS. NAPOLEON!!!!

I am writing as the sister of Rafael Laboy who has attended your senior community center alongside our father for some time. I feel it is important to address serious concerns regarding my brother’s treatment by certain staff members, while also acknowledging the meaningful contributions he has made to the center and its seniors. My brother is a genuinely kind, dependable, and service-oriented individual. Throughout his time at the center, he consistently went out of his way to assist others—helping seniors with mobility and daily needs, offering companionship to those who were lonely, and volunteering his time to support center activities. Most notably, my brother helped save a senior’s life. When a man who regularly attended the center had not been seen for three days, my brother took the initiative to personally visit the man’s home to perform a wellness check. Because of his actions, this senior was found and spared from potentially dire consequences. This act reflects the depth of my brother’s care and sense of responsibility toward the community. In addition, my brother is well known within our neighborhood community and has always been regarded as someone who steps in to help in any situation and consistently looks out for the well-being of those around him. This reputation for kindness and responsibility extends well beyond the community center. I would also like to note that I live in Florida but visit my father frequently, and during those visits I have interacted regularly with staff members and seniors at the center. At no time has anyone ever expressed a negative concern about my brother. On the contrary, I have consistently heard praise for him as a kind, helpful, and genuinely good person who looks out for others. I would also like to acknowledge that the issues my brother has been accused of are either untrue or have been taken out of context. Based on what I have observed and been made aware of, the situation appears to stem from a personal issue involving one particular staff member rather than any misconduct on my brother’s part. Despite his positive contributions, the treatment my brother has received has been distressing and emotionally harmful. As his sister, I have pleaded with him to break all ties with the center out of concern for his well-being and self-respect. My father is 87 years old and experiencing the early onset of dementia. For this reason, I do not wish to remove him from the center or disrupt his routine, as doing so would be upsetting and detrimental to his emotional stability. He is not aware of the issues involving my brother, and I have chosen not to share this information with him in order to protect his peace and well-being. That said, I am requesting assurance that my father will be safe, treated with dignity, and cared for appropriately while attending the center. It is essential that he not be negatively affected by any prior issues involving my brother, and that all interactions with staff remain respectful, professional, and supportive. This letter is written in the spirit of advocacy, accountability, and the protection of vulnerable seniors. I sincerely hope these concerns will be taken seriously and addressed appropriately. Thank you for your time and consideration.

I have been attending the Lillian Wald Older Adult Center for 4 years. I was pleased with the services they provide for the senior athe center. Specially for the assistance of Joann Napoleon assistant Director. She is always attentive to our needs. When we need someone to accompany us to the Court or some Government office, or we needs to fill out form and translate she helps us. To this day she always treats us with respect and empathy. It makes us feel we are not alone. She goes above and beyond to help us with our needs. For about 7 months there have been changes in the center; for example the food lately is not the same like before, sometimes is not cooked right. Unfortunately, not everyone who works in the center has the same respect for the seniors. Mr. Diaz treats us without respect, as if we was worthless and we're children and the worst thing is that we have witnessed the lack of respect he has for Mrs. Napoleon and the harassment she has had to endure. Some of us have complained but we have not seen that actions have been taken to correct this situation. I belive that the safety of us and the employees should be the priority of the HR.

I am grateful for the help I have received. Many of the employees are wonderful but some need to have empathy. The food sometimes is not good for elderly people. Joanna is excellent and helps us a lot, she is always available.