Our Blog

Avoiding COVID-19 Vaccination Scams

Guest blog by Charles Clarkson, Esq., Project Director, Senior Medicare Patrol of New Jersey On March 13, 2020, a national health emergency was declared due to the coronavirus pandemic. After many years of running the Senior Medicare Patrol of New Jersey (SMP), I knew it was only a matter of time before we starting seeing […]

Seeing Less/Enjoying More: Living with Permanent Vision Loss

by guest blogger Annemarie Cooke You – or someone you care about – are older, and having trouble reading print. The simple act of scanning a printed page visually is now laborious and slow-going. It’s time to get that checked out with the eye doctor. After running some tests, the doctor’s declaration is all-too-familiar and […]

“2020 Vision for Successful Aging”

NJ Foundation for Aging is honored that the North Jersey Alliance of Age-Friendly Communities, a partner organization, wrote about their impressions of our 22nd annual conference and shared them with us as a guest blog. Mornings on the golf course. Weekends with the grandkids. Vacations to dreamed-of destinations. These are the visions of “successful aging” […]

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2020

NATIONAL CENTER ON ELDER ABUSE Red Flags of Abuse Our communities are like structures that support people’s safety and wellbeing. One of the most important ways we can all contribute to this ongoing construction project is by looking out for warning signs of maltreatment. Does someone you know display any of these signs of abuse? […]

Caregiving by the Numbers

See resources at the end of this blog, including information for caregiving during COVID-19.  A Caregiving Report by AARP’s Susan Reinhard and Lynn Friss Feinberg revealed that in 2017, about 41 million family caregivers in the U.S. provided an estimated 34 billion hours of care to an adult with limitations in daily activities. Support included […]

Testimony given by NJFA Executive Director Melissa Chalker to the inaugural meeting of the Assembly Senior Services Committee, 1/27/2020

  The New Jersey Foundation for Aging’s Executive Director, Melissa Chalker, was invited to testify at the inaugural meeting of the Assembly Senior Services Committee on January 27, 2020. The committee includes Chair Valerie Vainieri Huttle, Vice-Chair Shanique Speight and members BettyLou DeCroce, DiAnne C. Gove, Angela V. McKnight and P. Christopher Tully. This was […]

Aging and happiness

(With apologies to beloved game show host Alex Trebek.) Happy New Year! Let’s start 2020 with a “Jeopardy”-esque answer, and you provide the question. Answer: “According to multiple research studies, our happiest days occur at this age in life.” Cue the theme music… OK, time’s up. The correct question? “What is old age?” Surprised? You’re […]

The Importance of Programs

By Mason Crane-Bolton   The Importance of Programs There are many programs available for eligible older adults, but not everyone is signed up for them. Some people aren’t aware of the types and specific programs available and others may know the programs, but don’t believe they’ll qualify for assistance. In today’s blog post we’ll take […]

Medicare Fraud. How We Can Fight it.

Today we bring you a blog post from guest blogger and NJFA friend Charles Clarkson, Project Director of the Senior Medicare Patrol of New Jersey. By Charles Clarkson, Project Director, Senior Medicare Patrol of NJ   Medicare fraud is estimated to cost American taxpayers $60 billion a year, monies that are siphoned off and are […]