Aging In NYC: Photographer Captures Senior Life In The City

I first saw Ivan standing at one of the vegetable stands that dot the sidewalks of Manhattan. As I watched him leave the stand and begin to cross the street, I noticed that in addition to his interesting hat, he had a nasal oxygen tube coming from his walker. I caught up with him, and we began to talk as I explained what my blog was about. Ivan was interested.

Ivan is 71 years old and has been retired for 12 years. He quickly added that he has been disabled for 10 years. He has emphysema and needs continuous oxygen. He uses his walker when shopping so that he has a place to put his groceries, but it also provides a portable seat for when he tires. He has never married and has no children. He does have family-brothers and sisters and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews in Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island. He is close to his extended family and sees them often. His closeness with his extended family keeps him from feeling lonely or isolated.

Ivan attended Queens College and worked in production for AM and FM radio shows that were broadcast all over the United States. However, he was able to work from a central location in Manhattan for these broadcasts. He did live in Los Angles for twelve years and he described his life there with as that of a love-hate relationship.

He loved having a house, with a garden and the ability to barbecue, but felt that Los Angles was a sprawling city that felt more like a suburb. He decided that instead, he wanted to live in New York City. He loves being retired in Manhattan. He frequently attends Broadway plays and movies. He mentioned that he has tickets for 3 plays in the near future. Getting around even with a walker is relatively easy.

I asked him what he dislikes about the city, and he said the cold or inclement weather can sometimes be very difficult for him to manage. He likes getting out, but when it is very cold, he has difficulty breathing and getting around with a walker in the snow can be challenging for him.

Most people are helpful, nice and considerate of him, but it does bother him when he believes people are taking pity on him when the see the walker and oxygen tube.

Ivan is a born and bred New Yorker. He is getting old and getting out and does not allow his walker and oxygen to be barriers. Nothing stops him from enjoying the culture and excitement of New York City.

Herb Bardavid is a social worker with a passion for photography going back to his childhood years. When he was 12 years old, Bardavid commandeered his family's only bathroom to serve as a part-time dark room for developing photos. At his wife's suggestion, the Upper West Side resident chose to chronicle the lives of New York City senior citizens for a year-long photography project.

Bardavid, who's in his 70s, is inspired by New York City's elders who don't let their age get in the way of how they live their lives."Elderly people in New York City are sometimes invisible," Bardavid told Patch. "People walk by and nobody pays attention to them. So when I stop people they are not only surprised but also happy because people don't often talk to them."

Check out Bardavid's blog here.