Our Blog

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Detour the Dumpster‚ A Better Approach to Overwhelming Clutter

By Guest Bloggers Carolyn Quinn and Jaime Angelini The people we meet who have “too much stuff” won’t ever be followed by a camera crew that captures shots of perilous, towering stacks of papers, bins or boxes. There will never be split screen comparisons of their house or apartment before and after workers and family […]

Aging Greatness: Great Achievements by Older Adults!

As a culture we tend to praise accomplishments as if there were an age limit. We like to focus on achievements made by people under a ‚Äúcertain age‚Äù as if we think ‚ÄúThe younger, the better!‚Äù But achievements, major accomplishments, even fame and fortune, don‚Äôt have a cut-off age. There‚Äôs nothing wrong with celebrating accomplishments […]

MEDICARE OPEN ENROLLMENT

MEDICARE OPEN ENROLLMENT ARE YOU AWARE OF YOUR CHOICES? Charles Clarkson, Esq. Jewish Family Services of Middlesex County, Project Director/VP, Senior Medicare Patrol of New Jersey ¬† Every year between October 15 and December 7, during a period known as ?¢‚Ǩ?ìOpen Enrollment,?¢‚Ǩ¬ù Medicare beneficiaries can make changes in their Medicare coverage. The Senior Medicare Patrol […]

Income Taxes and Your Social Security Benefits

Income Taxes and Your Social Security Benefits David Vinokurov, District Manager, Trenton, NJ, Social Security Administration With tax season upon us, many of you have asked about Income Taxes And Your Social Security Benefits. Some people have to pay federal income taxes on their Social Security benefits. This usually happens only if you have other […]

Water, creating a balance is essential.

Water, creating a balance is essential. In the NY Times Science Section‚Äôs Well, Personal Health column on May 10, Jane Brody shares her experience with mild dehydration after two very physically active days.¬† She cites Professor Barry Popkin who talks about things we do not truly know about water, like how hydration impacts our health […]