Ali Hodin Baier serves as Chief Program Officer at DOROT and oversees a variety of intergenerational programs that spur connection for older adults in the state of New York.
Tell us about the work that your organization does. What is your mission and what population(s) do you serve?
DOROT is a nonprofit social service organization with a deep commitment to and widely recognized expertise in alleviating social isolation among older adults. We do this by bringing the generations together and delivering engaging and innovative programs that help older adults live independent, healthy lives. DOROT welcomes participants, volunteers, and staff of all backgrounds and programs are free. The result is a community where everyone can feel a sense of belonging.
With offices in Manhattan and Westchester County, DOROT offers robust in-home and onsite programs for local residents as well as a wide array of offerings by Zoom and telephone that bring lifelong learning, intergenerational community, and social connection to older adults throughout the country. We are proud that there are no geographical, digital, mobility, or cost barriers to benefiting from our life-enhancing programs.
In FY25, DOROT served 6,697 older adults aged 60+ and welcomed 8,215 volunteers of all ages who dedicated 49,225 hours of their time to engage with and support older adults.
Please tell us about the goals of the program you are involved with and how you support social connection?
DOROT programs are designed to foster vital peer, intergenerational, volunteer, or staff social connections with constituents; support successful aging; and ensure a welcoming and compassionate community for all. These are essential pillars of our mission. Our set of one-on-one and group programs represent a wide variety of interests and opportunities to build relationships with peers and people of all ages.
Program examples include:
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Through GENuine Connections®, adults 65+ and teens meet online in weekly workshops to discover the rewards of intergenerational friendship. Activities include brain games, storytelling, chess, art workshops, current events, and more. Participants choose an interactive workshop series that runs from three to six weeks. All participants are considered volunteers and discover how intergenerational bonds can enrich their life.
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Our Peer Group Programs include a rich menu of activities in areas like health, culture, current events, and creative aging that empower adults 60+ to be active and socially connected. Participants choose offerings in the format that works best for them – in person at our Manhattan or Westchester offices, online, or by phone. Many programs have a legacy component encouraging individuals to reflect on their lives and own creativity. We consider audience engagement at every stage, from program conception and implementation to the selection of facilitators and artists, who we work closely with to share the needs of our community and best practices for engaging older adults.
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DOROT’s One-on-One Visiting Programs are a proven source of connection, purpose, and intellectual engagement. We match older adults and volunteers for meaningful and ongoing interactions that bring comfort and friendship directly into seniors’ homes. Our signature Friendly Visiting program involves weekly or monthly in-person visits in Manhattan and Westchester and Caring Calls involves weekly phone conversations that engage people throughout the country.
Share one of your top achievements or a success story.
Since we look at success in terms of our agency’s impact on those we serve, I’d like to share some results from our 2025-2026 surveys that reflect the ways in which we are making a difference in our constituents’ lives.
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Nearly 65% of survey respondents in DOROT’s University Without Walls (UWW) program, which offers lifelong learning and enrichment offerings by phone, reported that social connection was the most meaningful benefit. Participants who described isolation or loneliness frequently also described UWW as their primary or only source of social interaction, a consistent connection to the outside world, or a place where they feel known, heard, and included. Nearly half do not attend other programs at DOROT or other organizations.
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Across all of DOROT’s intergenerational programs, participants overwhelmingly say that they formed meaningful relationships and were able to connect and build authentic relationships across generations. Establishing meaningful intergenerational connection requires that participants both recognize the value of these relationships and develop the ability to engage across generational differences. The data indicates that this shift occurred: 83% of young volunteers and 86% of older adults reported greater awareness of the benefits of intergenerational social connections, and 95% of young participants reported an improved ability to form intergenerational friendships.
Why is promoting social connectedness important to the community/population you serve? Why and when did you start incorporating social connectedness into your programming?
Since our founding nearly 50 years ago – long before loneliness and social isolation were hot topics or recognized as a public health crisis – DOROT’s mission is to be a source of social connection that helps older adults live independently as valued members of the community. During our inception, the founders were recent social work graduates from New York City and inspired to address the growing issue of loneliness and isolation among their older neighbors on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. They began with regular visits and food deliveries. The connections they made with their older neighbors grew into loving bonds between generations. This remains a prevalent goal in the programs we offer.
Global research underscores why the work to ease or prevent loneliness and social isolation is essential, and the detrimental impact of social disconnectedness. Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy’s 2023 health advisory, Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, similarly highlighted the urgency of this issue, especially for older adults who live alone.
Any exciting projects coming up?
Aging Alone Together® is DOROT’s flagship program for solo agers to learn positive, practical ways to prepare for their futures. Since launching our new curriculum in fall 2024, this six-session workshop series gained national attention through a Washington Post nationally syndicated feature and other media. Interest now comes from individual solo agers and organizations nationwide, including community organizations, area agencies on aging, and healthcare providers. Last fiscal year, we ran 17 six-session workshop series serving 561 older adults with an average age of 78, and the oldest at 97 years old. We are excited to capitalize on the high demand for and interest in this program and are taking steps to continue expanding our reach.
Do you have tips for others looking to increase social connection and engagement programming or a key resource you can share?
Here are a few DOROT resources that others may find helpful:
Do you have any recommended reading for others interested in this topic?
Primarily, I’d like to echo what many other Champions have said – The former U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation is a necessary read. I come back to it time and again to look at research findings and recommendations for addressing the public health threat.
Other reading recommendations include:
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Nicholas Epley, A Little More Social: How Small Choices Create Unexpected Happiness, Health, and Connection
How can others connect with your work? Do you have a project website?
We are all stronger when we work together. DOROT is proud of our long history of partnership with social service organizations, corporations, schools, faith-based organizations, and others.
Part of DOROT’s mission is to share our program models with others. You are welcome to email me if you would like to learn more about how we do our work.
If you are interested in working with us or bringing DOROT programs to your community of older adults or volunteers, please complete this Partner Interest Form to start the conversation. We are always delighted to explore new collaborations with others.