Older Adults & Caregivers

Services for Caregivers of Older Adults

We are committed to making the caregiving process easier for both caregivers and their loved ones. We offer practical information, connect you to local resources and services, and provide the emotional support that many caregivers need.

Care Consultation
JFS Care Consultation is a free telephone-based program designed to serve family caregivers as well as the care recipients. Care Consultation focuses on the unique needs of each family. The program provides ongoing support and solutions to meet your needs, adjust to changes and plan for the future. Care Consultation is an evidenced based program developed by the Benjamin Rose Institute for Aging in Cleveland, Ohio and is recognized as a “model caregiver support program” by the National Council on Aging and by the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving.

Our care consultation social workers are licensed clinicians who can help you:

• Develop a better understanding of the physical and emotional needs of the care recipient
• Share available community resources and provide referrals
• Increase your understanding of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia and how it may progress over time
• Learn how to better manage challenging behaviors

The Care Consultation program equips family caregivers with information and resources they can use to assist their aging loved ones.

For more information, please call us today at (973) 637-1740 or email us at caregivers@jfsmetrowest.org.

Geriatric Assessments
For families needing more intensive services, JFS social workers are available for fee-based geriatric consultations and assessments. Assessments and consultations can be scheduled in the office or through ZOOM, and Comprehensive On Site Assessments (COSAs) are also available and take place in a senior’s home.

The consultation/assessment will:

• Determine the appropriate care for the older adult’s unique circumstance
• Ease the strain of caregiving for the family
• Assist with the complex emotions that arise when generations must reverse roles and responsibilities

After determining what is needed, the social worker may suggest:

• Medical assessments by a geriatrician, geriatric psychiatrist, or neurologist
• Resources and referrals to professional services including in-home support, senior adult day centers, elder care attorneys, private geriatric care management or alternative residential settings
• Determination of entitlements and benefits
• Coaching and advocacy
• Home modification recommendations

For more information, please call us today at (973) 637-1740 or email us at caregivers@jfsmetrowest.org.

Support Groups
JFS has partnered with Alzheimer’s New Jersey in Essex and Morris County to provide ongoing monthly support groups for those caring for someone with dementia. These groups are offered both virtually and in person.

Learn more about our Support Groups here.

Caregiver Respite Program
The Caregiver Respite Program offers respite to caregivers in the community.  The caregiver will be matched with a volunteer who can regularly visit their loved one so they can get a break while knowing their loved one will be supervised and safe.  The caregiver does not have to be home while the volunteer visits and the visits are available for a few hours a week or every other week. Our volunteers are screened, background checked, and trained to work with people experiencing memory loss. This program is free of charge.

To sign up, contact Mei Lepowsky Moyer at 973-637-1762 or email MMoyer@jfsmetrowest.org.

Additional Services
To learn about caregiver education programs, visit our Community Programming Page.

To learn about Individual counseling for caregivers, visit our Counseling Page.

To learn about Holocaust Survivors and their caregivers, visit our Holocaust Services Page.

Caregiver Support Services are possible thanks to funding and support from the Morris County Board of Freeholders, Jewish Federation of MetroWest NJ, ALZNJ, and Wilf Family Foundations.

Services for Older Adults

We offer various services from counseling to volunteer based assistance to help you with your needs.

Counseling
Older adult counseling services are available to assist individuals and families in coping with challenges faced during the aging process such as caregiving, depression, loss of independence, chronic health issues, loss, and bereavement. Individual counseling is offered by social workers who have expertise in geriatric issues.

Learn more about our Counseling Services here.

Support Groups
Learn more about our Support Groups for Older Adults & Caregivers here.

Case Management
JFS Older Adult Case Management is a FREE program that focuses on the unique needs of each person to help older adults adjust to life changes & plan for their future. This service is for adults who are able to direct their own care.

Our goal is to allow the older adult to stay in his/her own home for as long as possible through the use of community supports, both professional and volunteer.

A social worker collaborates with the client and family to develop an appropriate care plan by assessing the needs of the client to determine if they would benefit from additional supports and resources.

Client referrals, access, and coordination of additional services available including:

• At Home Assistance: Home Health Aide/Companion Agencies
• Adult Day Programs/ Senior Centers
• Mental Health – Counseling, Support Groups, Friendly Visiting
• Medical – Geriatricians, Visiting Nurse Agencies, Geriatric Psychiatrists
• Home Modification Services
• Food – Meals on Wheels, Food Stamps (SNAP)
• Financial – Medicare Counseling, Elder Care Attorneys
• Housing- Senior Buildings, Assisted Living Facilities, Skilled Nursing Facilities
• Community and Government Resources

This service is available for older adults (65+) in Essex, Morris, Sussex & Northern Union Counties.

If you are an older adult calling for services for yourself, please contact Nicole Viola at (973) 637-1705

If you are a family member calling about services, please contact JFS Care Consultation at (973) 637-1740

Friendly Visiting

JFS’s Friendly Visiting program pairs homebound older adults with a volunteer to provide companionship, conversation, and connection to the outside world during weekly in person visits. Volunteers are carefully screened, background checked, and trained before being matched.

For more information, contact Kathy Mikula, kmikula@jfsmetrowest.org, 973-637-1726.

Shop & Drop

The Shop & Drop Program pairs an older adult with a volunteer to food shop on a weekly or biweekly basis.  The volunteer will call for the grocery list and schedule a time to drop off the groceries. Clients are from Essex County, Morris County, and the surrounding areas.  Clients must have the ability to reimburse the volunteer for the groceries. This program is free of charge.

To sign up, contact Mei Lepowsky Moyer at 973-637-1762 or email MMoyer@jfsmetrowest.org.

Tessie’s Touch

Tessie’s Touch brings joy & connection to isolated older adults by matching them with a caring volunteer to do activities and excursions within the community. Tessie’s Touch is an extension of our traditional Friendly Visiting program in which an older adult is paired one-on-one with a volunteer to facilitate a deeper connection through shared experiences and activities. JFSMW will work with the pair to find an activity that brings them joy such as a trip to a botanical garden, attending a show or movie, or sharing a meal at a local restaurant.

Tessie’s Touch is generously funded by a private donor in honor of her mother, Tessie.

For more information, contact Kathy Mikula, kmikula@jfsmetrowest.org, 973-637-1726

Medicare Counseling (SHIP)

Medicare beneficiaries frequently have questions about benefits, claims, and supplement policies such as Medigap and Medicare Advantage plans. The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) provides free help to Essex County Medicare beneficiaries who have problems with, or questions about their health insurance.

Volunteer counselors, trained in areas of health insurance coverage and benefits that affect Medicare beneficiaries, provide information and assistance for dealing with claims and in evaluating health insurance options. Counselors also help low-income Medicare beneficiaries apply for Extra Help, prescription assistance, and Low-Income Subsidy programs.

Volunteer counselors do not provide legal advice, sell, recommend, or endorse any specific insurance product, agent, insurance company, or plan. They provide information and assistance so that Medicare beneficiaries can make their own decisions.

Counseling is free of charge and provided virtually via phone or Zoom or in easy to access community sites, such as libraries and community centers.

To speak with a Medicare Counselor, contact our Helpline at (973) 637-1717 or email medicarehelp@jfsmetrowest.org.

SHIP is a statewide program administered in Essex County by JFS MetroWest and RSVP. It is funded by the New Jersey Department of Human Services with financial assistance through a grant from the U.S. Administration for Community Living.