NJAAW News and Resources

June 4, 2025

NJAAW photo contest

Thank you to everyone who submitted photos for our "Faces of Aging" photo contest this spring.

Our winners were selected from many terrific pictures and capture the real faces of the real people we strive to serve everyday

1st Place

Submitted by Michael Brophy

Runners Up

Submitted by Kristen Tyler:

Submitted by Nicole Rolston:

NJAAAW gets AARP Community Challenge Grant for Housing Design Competition

We are thrilled to share that we are one of 383 grantees selected to receive a 2025 AARP Community Challenge grant from @AARPLivableCommunities and AARP NJ!

We are incredibly proud that AARP selected us for this investment to make New Jersey more livable for residents of all ages. Through this grant we will hold a Housing Design Competition highlighting potential solutions for building housing that is both affordable and appropriate for aging the Garden State. The competition will seek proposals for ADUs, single-family homes and multi-family units, all utilizing age-friendly and universal design elements.

Details for the competition coming soon – we will send out an RFP later in the summer. To make sure you don't miss anything, sign up to receive news and the RFP HERE

New & Noteworthy

PBS Launches New Documentary

on Caregiving

While many people know Bradley Cooper as an actor, like so many of us, he has also been a family caregiver. Inspired by his time caring for his father, who was diagnosed with a terminal illness, Cooper is executive producer for this film which follows people on the frontlines of caregiving in America, their stories, successes and struggles. The film is narrated by award winning actress, Uzo Aduba.

Caregiving is available to stream on pbs.org and many other platforms. For more information and to view it, click here: PBS Caregiving

Viewers are also invited to share their well-being stories, caregiving journey, and messages of encouragement on the Well Beings Community Story Wall at wellbeings.org/.

Essential Jobs Essential Care NJ Launches Website

Direct care workers deliver compassionate, skilled care in homes and facilities across New Jersey. Despite their critical roles, workforce shortages are growing. We proudly joined the Essential Jobs, Essential Care NJ Coalition to support and grow the Direct Care Workforce (DCW). Learn more and join us: www.EssentialJobsNJ.org

Lifelong Strong New Jersey

Lifelong Strong New Jersey is an advocacy campaign to ensure all New Jerseyans can thrive in the Garden State as we age. As demographics rapidly change, we ask that the next Governor recognize our increasingly older population and include aging as an important consideration in all policy discussions and adopt a Multisector Plan for Aging.

How is a Multisector Plan for Aging different from other aging programs? Find out in this article: State Multisector Plans for Aging Can Promote a More Coordinated "Ecosystem" for Older Adults

Visit our website, LifelongStrongNJ.org for news, updates, our blogs and to sign up for our newsletter.

Age-Friendly Movement in NJ

Age-Friendly Ridgewood’s New Guide Offers Helpful Tools

A common flaw in many “how-to” guides is devoting too much time and space on the “why’ instead of the “how.” The Municipal Toolkit for Building an Age-Friendly Community written and published this spring by the leaders of Age-Friendly Ridgewood doesn’t make that mistake. In fact, it goes beyond the mere “how” to the “how exactly.”

From sharing model ordinances and sample program fliers to spelling out planning techniques and policy strategies, the toolkit offers a department-by-department primer on how to infuse age-friendly thinking into all elements of municipal governance.

Read the full article here: AFNJ Blog

Save the Date

Our next in-person event will focus on local public libraries as age friendly partners.

When: Wednesday, September 10^th at 10:30am

Where: Leonia Public Library

Details coming soon

NJ Department of Human Services Now Opens Second Round of Age-Friendly Communities Grants

NJ Department Human Services has announced that local governments can apply for Age-Friendly Communities grants to develop local age-friendly initiatives that support the health and well-being of older New Jerseyans. A total of $2.7 million in grant funding will be awarded to eligible municipalities, counties, and nonprofit organizations partnering with local government. This follows the firt round of grants which were awarded this spring.

To learn more about this opportunity , click here: RFP

Events

SHA 27th Annual Supportive Housing Conference - Seeking Proposals

Proposals Due July 11,

Conference November 14, 2025

Your knowledge and workshop proposals help make our annual conference a success! Share the latest innovations impacting our statewide supportive housing community and industry and put the work of your organization and team members in the spotlight.

For details and instructions, click: SHA Proposals

Questions? Email conference@shanj.org.

Senior Law Day

Tuesday, July 15

The NJ State Bar Foundation invites members of the public to attend Senior Law Day to learn more about navigating the key legal issues facing older adults.

This year’s conference will offer information about:

Scams facing the aging population
Basics of estate planning
Advanced directives
Long-term care ~ how to seek out information about long-term care, and how to pay for it

This event is free and open to the public, and will be held in person at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick, with a virtual option as well.

For more information, click here

Resources

Harvard Business Review:

Your Company Needs an Eldercare Policy

What an outstanding article in the Harvard Business Review: "Your Company Needs an Eldercare Policy" by Age Wave’s Ken Dychtwald, Robert Morison and Katy Terveer and Terry Fulmer, president of the John A. Hartford Foundation.

Summary.

"For the first time in U.S. history, the number of working adults providing care to an older adult (nearly 23 million) has surpassed the number providing care to preschool children (21 million). To help employees rise to this challenge, the authors argue, employers need to step up, just as the majority have done for childcare, by providing more support in the form of new and expanded business policies, programs, and benefits."

And don't worry - "If you feel you don't have time to read it (maybe because you are a caregiver and you feel stretched thin) you can listen to it too at: article

Aging While Black

by Raymond A. Jetson

Congratulations to our virtual conference presenter, Raymond A. Jetson, on the publications of his new book, Aging While Black: A Radical Reimagining of Aging & Race in America.

Raymond shared a powerful and inspirational presentation with us, which can be viewed here:

Aging While Black

To order the book, click here: order

ICYMI

Design Connections

From our friends at Birsel + Seck:

Thank you for joining us for the Design Connections™ webinar on Wednesday, or just for your interest in Birsel + Seck and the work we do. Please enjoy the recording of the presentation and feel free to contact our team with any questions or inquiries.

Want to dive deeper? You can learn more about the details of the Design Connections program in our comprehensive final report, Facing the Future With Optimism. Reach out to Meltem Parlak at meltem@birselplusseck.com to receive the PDF.

Interested in bringing this work to your community? We're actively seeking partnerships with nonprofits and academic institutions to expand this program across America. To explore opportunities for collaboration, email Leah Caplan at leah@birselplusseck.com.

See the recording here:

NJ Association of Senior Centers Kickoff Event

Thank you to everyone who joined us on June 18 to explore re-establishing the NJ Association of Senior Centers. If you missed it, please see the video on the left.

We are planning an in-person event in October and want to reach out to as many senior centers as we can. If you haven't already done so, please take this brief survey to share your contact information, priorities and ideas: Senior Center Survey

Policy Updates

KFF Issue Brief: What to Know About the Older Americans Act and the Services it Provides to Older Adults

KFF has published an issue brief, "What to Know about the Older Americans Act and the Services it Provides to Older Adults." The provides an overview of the Older Americans Act (OAA) and the community-based social services it offers to older adults, such as meals, transportation, and caregiver support.

The authors raise concerns about potential disruptions due to the proposed dissolution of the Administration for Community Living within the Department of Health and Human Services, and also note that while millions benefit from OAA services, funding growth has actually lagged behind the increase in the older adult population. The brief underscores Congress's crucial role in funding and reauthorizing the OAA amidst these administrative changes.

Read the brief here: KFF Issue Brief

What Are We Listening To?

Wiser than Me

Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ award-winning podcast, Wiser Than Me™, brings in iconic older women to share, well, their wisdom. With funny, touching and personal conversations Julia has interviewed Jane Fonda, Carol Burnett, Rita Moreno, Patti LaBelle, Nancy Pelosi, and checks in regularly with her 90-year-old mom, Judith.

Now in its 3^rd season, Wiser Than Me will make you laugh, cry, respect the number associated with guests' ages and get wise. As Julia says, “All Hail Old Women!”

Support NJAAW

Is our information useful to you? Then please consider a financial contribution today. As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, New Jersey Advocates for Aging Well relies on foundation grants and other donations to fund our work. We welcome your support, your suggestions and your input for advocating for NJ's oldest residents as we celebrate our 25th anniversary and strategize for the next 25 years.

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