(Courtesy of JFSCNJ) The Jewish Family Service of Central New Jersey’s Project CEASSE (Combatting Elder Abuse through Supportive Services and Education), entering its fifth year of service to the Union County Community, was recently awarded $20,000 from The Sephardic Foundation on Aging. Since the program’s inception, under the umbrella of services geared to older adults that JFSCNJ offers to the community, it has rapidly developed the reputation for being the “go-to agency to address elder abuse.” The program provides service to older adults and their caregivers in addition to offering community education on the various signs, and how to report elder abuse.

Project CEASSE Program Coordinator Peter Jacob, LSW, stated, “We are honored to be supported by The Sephardic Foundation on Aging, which has a notable history in fostering innovation in services to our older adults.”

Joshua Hoffman, executive director of the Foundation, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic opened our eyes to the prevalence of elder neglect and abuse in our society, and JFS of Central NJ’s expertise and experience in providing services for older adults dealing with neglect was a natural fit for the Foundation’s desire to help provide trauma-informed care to older adults who desperately need that support.”

National statistics suggest that elder abuse is on the rise, especially during the ongoing effects of the pandemic. As a part of the COVID-19 recovery efforts, Project CEASSE will continue to provide community education and services. Virtual presentations are provided at this time. In-person interventions are safely provided through mental health services, nursing, homecare and connections to community resources.

Thanks to the general funding of The Sephardic Foundation on Aging and the Jewish Federations of North America’s Center on Holocaust Survivor Care and Institute on Aging and Trauma, JFSCNJ is able to assuage and end the likelihood of elder abuse through its various wraparound services.

For further information about Project CEASSE, contact Peter Jacob, LSW,
[email protected], 908-352-8375.