631.405.4857 
Senior Dreams Come True, a nonprofit program which helps low-income seniors in need founded by Cona Elder Law, elder law firm based in Melville, granted a wish to Marilyn, age 69. Marilyn has lived in a 400 sq. ft. studio in an Old Bethpage low-income housing development for ten years. Her only source of income is a small social security check.
Suffering nerve damage from a work related accident she incurred 13 years ago as well as an auto-immune disease, Marilyn is unable to work and constantly struggles to pay her bills. When she owned a very small specialty toy store many years ago, Marilyn never imagined that she could end up in this dire position.
The situation worsened when Marilyn’s cat recently got sick with bladder stones and needed costly treatment plus an expensive prescription diet. To pay for her cat’s care, she couldn't afford her usual household bills for about two months. FIOS turned off her phone and TV due to lack of payment.
Senior Dreams helped Marilyn catch-up by paying her outstanding phone bills, medical bills and veterinary bills. Senior Dreams also paid for Marilyn to get her hair cut and gave her a $400 gift card to Target to help her get some basic household and personal care items. All told, Senior Dreams Come True gifted over $1,500.
“Marilyn just needed that one time bit of help to get back on track,” says Melissa Negrin-Wiener, Esq., partner, Cona Elder Law. “This is exactly the kind of assistance Senior Dreams Come True can provide: short-term assistance to help a senior get over a hump.”
"Going into every month overdrawn, makes it difficult to live," says Marilyn. "I desperately tried to seek help from other organizations, but to no avail until Senior Dreams generously responded to my plea and came to the rescue. I’m so thankful for their generosity.”
Describing herself as an "old hippie", Marilyn is divorced and has two daughters, two granddaughters and two grandsons.
Applicants for Senior Dreams Come True must be 65 or over with an income limit of no more than $1,500 per month for single individuals and $2,000 per month for a married couple. A letter or statement under 750 words describing the senior’s need must be submitted along with a Wish Request form. The application should also document how the senior has given to others and contributed to society in some way.
To obtain an application and “Wish Request” form, go to the Cona Elder Law website: www.conaelderlaw.com or call 631-390-5000.
Cona Elder Law is recognized as a leading elder law and estate planning firm on Long Island. The firm was ranked the #1 Elder Law firm by Long Island Business News for 4 consecutive years (2012 – 2015) and was a finalist in the 2015 HIA Business Achievement Awards. The firm provides creative advocacy and cutting edge planning strategies and has been featured in many publications including: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsday, L.I. Business News, Investor’s News Daily, USA Today, The Daily News, The New York Post, Kiplinger’s, Reader's Digest and many others. Cona Elder Law attorneys have appeared as guests on WNBC-TV, WABC-TV, CNN-fn, News 12, WLNY News 55 and many radio stations including WOR, WCBS AM, WBAB and WFAN.
