Florham Park, NJ–Older adult services at Jewish Family Service of MetroWest assist seniors and their families cope with challenges related to aging, and help seniors live in their own homes with dignity for as long as possible.
JFS MetroWest provides clinical, nutritional, social, and case management services. JFS’s Solutions to Senior Hunger initiative, a response to escalating numbers of seniors 50+ struggling for food, conducts Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) outreach and education and administers SNAP application assistance. Solutions to Senior Hunger is a national initiative from MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger.
JFS offers mental health counseling and support groups that address issues associated with aging. Case management provides assistance in qualifying for entitlements, connection to supportive services including home modifications, home health aides, friendly visiting services, and money management.
JFS MetroWest offers services for caregivers too. Care Consultation helps caregivers for those 55+ identify services and provides guidance and support for them. The Alzheimer’s Family Care Program helps caregivers manage care at home, understand the disease, and work through challenges. The Music and Memory program creates personalized playlists using iPod Shuffles. This enables those struggling with Alzheimer’s and dementia to reconnect with the world through music-triggered memories.
Kosher Meals on Wheels delivers meals to homebound seniors in Hudson County. The Chai Caf? at the Bayonne JCC provides lunch, socialization, and health education programs. Tai Chi is offered weekly by the Arthritis Foundation. Caf? Europa is a social support group for Holocaust survivors with lunch and programming that meets twice monthly. A grant from the Conference on Material Claims Against Germany provides in-home services to financially and physically eligible Holocaust survivors.
Additional information about all senior services and support groups is available by calling 973-765-9050 or visiting the website at http://www.jfsmetrowest.org/services/for-older-adults.
By Kimberly Colchamiro