NJAAW News and Resources

Sept. 15, 2021

(next edition: Oct. 6)

September's

Coffee & Conversation:

Self-care for You &

Your Staff, 9/22, 1-2 p.m. ET

If you work in the field of aging, you are a caregiver. Your work and programs help older residents in a wide range of areas. And these past 18 months under COVID have been challenging.

It’s time to make sure you "put on your own oxygen mask first" as you continue to work for others. Join us to hear from Jaime Angelini, the Statewide Director of Disaster Services and Special Projects at the Mental Health Association in NJ (MHANJ), and share, ask, learn and connect with others about self-care. Register here.

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Falls Prevention Week: 9/20-24

According to the National Council on Aging, one in four Americans aged 65+ falls every year. Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for older adults, and they are costly -- both in dollars and in quality of life. But falling is not an inevitable part of aging. Click here to find 10 Tips to Prevent Falls from the NJ Division of Aging Services.

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NJAAW is featured in

Advocate newsletter

Our thanks to Senior Medicare Patrol of NJ/Charles Clarkson for featuring NJAAW in their Sept. 1 Advocate newsletter.

The issue also includes information and comparisons on Medigap policies, genetic and cardiovascular fraud alerts, and much more! To subscribe, email Clarkson,

October webinar series with Parker Health Group,

10/5 and 19

Our free webinar series with Parker Health Group, Inc., resumes in October with two events:

The Importance of

Vaccines for Older Adults

10/5, 1-3 p.m. ET

While the past several months have focused on the importance of the COVID vaccine for older adults, regular immunizations are still important. This webinar will cover other vaccines available for older adults, who should get them and when.

Our speaker will be NJAAW Board member Vikranta Sharma, MD. Dr. Sharma serves as the Medical Director of Hospice and Palliative Care at VNA Health Group and Medical Director of Palliative Care at CentraState Healthcare System. Register here.

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Infection Control –

COVID and Beyond

10/19, 2-4 p.m. ET

Under COVID, many new measures were put in place to prevent the spread of the virus.

The cold and flu season is returning. Obtain information and ideas on how to minimize exposure to germs in your home, place of work and life. Register here.

Senior Freeze and

Tax University 9/30, 2-3 p.m. ET

Join us for an important "Senior Freeze" (Property Tax Reimbursement), webinar, featuring speakers from Taxation University -- a team of tax specialists and instructors within the New Jersey Division of Taxation.

The Senior Freeze reimburses eligible senior citizens and persons with disabilities for property tax (or mobile home park site fee) increases on their principal residence, which makes staying in your home affordable. The 2022 state budget has increased the eligible level, making thousands more NJ older residents eligible.

Working our way

through the

age-friendly domains:

Civic participation

and employment,

Part I

As we continue through domains of age-friendly and healthy aging communities, let’s discuss “Civic participation and employment,” but we’ll divide it into two parts. We’ll start with the harder one -- what exactly is civic participation/engagement?

If you can remember your middle school civics class (although civics hasn’t been taught for years in most public schools), you could say civic participation includes individuals or groups working in both political and non-political ways to either make or prevent a change in a community -- with the goal to address public concerns and promote the quality of the community.

So how does this relate to age-friendly efforts?

Community participation by and for the benefit of older residents can help a town, county or state make a place better and more appropriate for residents as they live longer.

You can get involved to support housing, transportation and services for your older neighbors and, as we have discussed in previous issues, work in any of the domains to benefit the entire community -- not only people over 60.

Consider joining a municipal committee, speaking at town hall meetings, volunteering in your community or writing letters to local politicians to present your views and concerns.

Be part of the change you want to see happen and keep this in mind: How will your efforts in civic engagement now affect you in the years ahead?

In addition, older and long-term residents bring unique perspectives to their communities. They can speak on successes and failures of the past, highlight potential changes as they discover changing needs and provide a long-term context to balance short-term fixes. They have years of experience in professional fields that can be a great resource to towns stretched for resources. And, as the people who built their community over decades, they have a vested interest in seeing it thrive.

If you are an older resident, see if there are seats or positions open on your municipality’s committees and boards that match your skills and interests.

You can find ways to get involved at any age and help make your community truly friendly to residents of all ages.

Have you missed our previous coverage on age-friendly domains? Read past issues of NJAAW News and Resources on our website, here!

Be Prepared,

Be Protected:

Emergency Care Planning for Caregivers, 9/28 1-2 p.m. ET

Caregivers may be so caught up in day-to-day care that they do not recognize the importance of planning for potential emergencies -- both those that are likely and those that are only possible. This webinar covers potential emergencies, safety strategies and how to develop an emergency care plan to assure for the safety of your loved one and the caregiver.

Participants will receive a checklist of other helpful tools to help build an emergency care plan and kit. Register here.

Changes in SSI eligibility

The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently changed its rules about how pandemic-related financial assistance can affect an individual’s eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or monthly SSI benefit amount.

Previously, SSA had been counting many types of assistance as income and resources for SSI purposes, resulting in individuals having their SSI benefits reduced or suspended, or having their applications for SSI benefits denied.

However, due to the severity of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, SSA has decided they will not count most types of pandemic-related financial assistance against SSI eligibility or benefit amount.

Click here for more SSI details.

Governor Murphy

announces resources

for those impacted by Ida

Ida has had a tremendous impact on the people, communities, and businesses of NJ. For information on recovery resources for NJ residents, including warnings about disaster-related scams, click here.

Click here to learn about a partnership to provide access to free or discounted rides to residents who lost a personal vehicle due to Ida.

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Online Certification in Grandfamily Leadership

The University of Maine Center on Aging offers an online certificate program for professionals and volunteers who work with grandfamily caregivers.

The online Certificate in Grandfamilies Leadership program takes place from Sept. 27 through Dec. 19.

The program provides core education, technical support and leadership development for professionals delivering grandfamily and kinship programming across the country.

For further information or to register, click here.

Aging Insights TV update

Our population is aging rapidly and people are living longer as well. Is the medical profession prepared or preparing to treat their aging patients? Should older adults opt for a geriatrician at a certain age or health status?

The 119th episode of our Aging Insights TV program, Aging Well with Your Doctors, tackles these topics and more with guests Dr. David Barile and Dr. Katie DeMarco.

In this episode, Dr. Barile, a geriatrician and Founder and Chief Medical Officer, Goals of Care Coalition of NJ, supplies the definition of a geriatrician and notes why/when one may be needed. He states that there is a current problem: a “huge shortage” of geriatricians. “As we’re having more and more older adults, we’re having less and less geriatricians,” he says.

According to Dr. Katie DeMarco, DNP, MSHS, APN, ACHPN, a Palliative APN (Advanced Practice Nurse) and Clinical Supervisor at Hackensack Meridian Health – Hackensack University Medical Center, Pain & Palliative Medicine Institute, the role of the Nurse Practitioner will be key in solving that shortage.

Other issues addressed on “Aging Well with Your Doctors” are continuing relationships with current medical professionals as a patient ages, methods of locating a geriatrician, the transition of care as age/illness progresses, the geriatrician’s approach to patient care and age-friendly care systems/hospitals.

(pictured: "Glass slipper" by Dan Sroka)

Morris Art’s "The Color of Life" exhibit opens at the Atrium Gallery, 9/30

Yearning for color, vibrancy and a sense of life in these difficulty times? The public is invited to a free opening reception for "The Color of Life" at Atrium Art Gallery on Sept. 30, 7-9 p.m. Atrium Art Gallery is located at the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court St. in Morristown.

Meet the six artists whose works on display utilize oils, alcohol ink, digital media, soft sculpture, acrylics, printmaking and photographic techniques. Masks and social distancing are required for all entering the building.

The Atrium Art Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The exhibit will remain in place until 1/10/22.

Have you visited njaaw.org lately? Our website, with disability-accessible options, has an expansive number of statewide services and resources for older adults, caregivers and professionals in the field of aging. It also features blog posts and a library of archived policy reports and Renaissance magazines. Check it out!