Our Blog

“Building a direct care workforce for an aging population”

By: Cathy RoweJune 6, 2022 This article was originally published on njbiz.com and is posted here with permission. At New Jersey Advocates for Aging Well, we are always looking at the numbers. So, consider these statistics. The population age 65+ was the fastest growing group in New Jersey between 2010 and 2020, increasing 26.8%, according to usafacts.org/data. This […]

Home is where the heart is

“There isn’t one large leap from living independently in one’s home to needing assisted living – there are numerous steps and choices.”

I’m proud of you, New Jersey!

As we wind up 2021, I just want to take a moment to say I’m proud of you, New Jersey! Now, with all the jokes made about the great Garden State, you might not be used to the compliment, but here is why I am proud of our older residents, in particular. New Jersey was […]

COVID-19 and Senior Volunteering: To Serve or Not to Serve?

The onset of the pandemic hit NJ’s Foster Grandparent Program hard. The novel coronavirus was particularly concerning to our program because according to public health officials, two of the most vulnerable groups at risk were seniors aged 65 and older and school-age children. Unfortunately, those also happen to be the core segments of our program’s […]

Elder Index at Work: Defending Property Tax-Relief Programs for Older Homeowners in New Jersey

This blog post was written by Steven Syre of the Gerontology Institute at University of Massachusetts Boston, and is reprinted with their permission.  This article is one in a series of stories about how people across the country are using the Elder Index to understand the true cost of living for older adults and its […]

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? […]

Grandparents Stepping Up to Assist Grandchildren with Virtual Education

  As a young child growing up in New Jersey, I recall spending countless summers in the sandy woods of Wall Township with my maternal grandmother, Carolyn Holland. On her screened-in porch, we spent hours playing such card games as Pitty Pat, War and Casino. This card shark, with less than an eighth-grade education, showed […]

The COVID-19 Crisis at NJ’s Long-Term Care Facilities

We’d like to thank guest blogger and NJFA friend Laurie Facciarossa Brewer, NJ’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman, for her blog post. By Laurie Facciarossa Brewer, NJ’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman The COVID-19 crisis in long-term care facilities is an unprecedented national tragedy. Around the country, tens of thousands of vulnerable residents of nursing homes and assisted living […]

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 […]