NJAAW's 27th Annual Conference:

The Faces of Aging

Friday, May 16, 9am - 3pm

New Brunswick

It's almost here!

With just over a week to go, "The Faces of Aging" conference will feature 25+ leaders in the aging field, networking opportunities and most importantly, YOU - our colleagues and partners who work every day to help New Jersey residents age well!

Each year at our annual conference, we recognize outstanding work in the field of aging through the Carl F. West Award. NJAAW considers “Excellence” not a one-time event, but a consistent approach that fosters innovation and continuous improvements with long-term benefits for older adults. This year, we are pleased to announce the Carl F. West Award is given to Governor Phil Murphy and the Murphy Administration for their work towards making New Jersey an age-friendly state. We are honored that Commissioner Sarah Adelman will come to receive the award. See our announcement here: Award Announcement

Once again, we will start the conference which virtual presentation the day before. This year’s virtual presenter will be Raymond Jetson, Founder of Aging While Black. All registrants will be sent a link to join the virtual presentation live as well as the recording post-conference.

See our conference webpage for the complete list of speaks and the schedule: Faces of Aging

It's not too late to join us! Register here: Faces of Aging

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. Organized by leaders in the diverse field of aging, we aim to prioritize aging in this year's gubernatorial race by highlighting the needs and impact of an aging NJ.

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, so that New Jersey can become an even better place to age well.

Why Lifelong Strong? Because aging is one of the few things we all have in common.

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

Policy Research - Cost of Living for Older Adults in New Jersey

Under a grant from the New Jersey State Policy Lab, NJAAW and Anita Franzione (Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers-New Brunswick) are leading policy research on economic challenges for older New Jersey residents.

The initial report shows New Jersey residents are living longer, but not necessarily better. While New Jersey has expanded eligibility for programs designed to help older residents, people at every income level continue to report facing economic challenges to meet their needs. Download the report here: Report

New Jersey State Policy Lab's goal is to expand understanding of policy issues impacting the state and to amplify policy recommendations – for policymakers, the public, and other key stakeholders.

Re-Establishing the

NJ Association of Senior Centers

NJAAW is pleased to share that we have received a grant from the Friends Foundation for the Aging to re-establish an association of senior centers in New Jersey! Now more than ever, we need to come together to share ideas, resources and advocate for our older residents. 

If you are coming to our conference on May 16, there will be a pre-meet at 8:30 am to network, share ideas and volunteer to help re-establish the Assocaiiton.  

On June 18, we will have a virtual kickoff meeting. Please register to join us: NJASC event

Want to see what senior centers around the country are doing? Read this article from Next Avenue: here

Local Age-Friendly Advocates Must be Well-Versed on the Impact that Many Federal Government Programs Have on Older Adults’ Lives

Age-friendly work aims to empower older adults to advocate for themselves.

In today’s tumultuous times – with the news of potential cuts to federally funded programs changing weekly and sometimes daily – it can be challenging to keep up with the latest developments, much less write your congresspeople and state lawmakers about them.

Fortunately, there are many nonpartisan and nonprofit entities that stay abreast of the latest budget proposals and the fast-moving policy and personnel changes in Washington so that older adults – as well as those who care for them – can be informed about the potential impact on their lives and their livelihood....

Read this and past blogs here: AFNJ blog

Rocky Brook Cohousing

Introductory presentation

May 15, 6:30pm

The Cohousing Company is holding a public presentation at the First Presbyterian Church of Hightstown. This presentation will be about the start of Rocky Brook Cohousing forming in Hightstown.

For more information, visit their website at : www.cohousingco.com/

Redefining Aging: Innovative Approaches to Lifelong Well-Being in NJ

May 20, 2025

New Jersey Hospital Association's day-long conference will explore promising practices and successful approaches to enhance physical, mental, and social well-being among older adults. Through comprehensive discussions and case studies, you'll learn how to develop and implement supportive environments and improve quality of life for aging populations.

For full details and registration information, click: here

Understanding Cannabis:

Education and Accessibility for for Older Adults

Health and wellness, particularly for the older population in our state, is highly individualized and cannot and should not be a "one size fits all" approach. Our aging population deserves to be empowered to make informed choices about their own health.

Join our expert panel, Angela Speakman, Alan Ao, Marianne Bays and Anna Schwabe as they discuss how evidence indicates that responsible cannabis use has many potential benefits for New Jersey's older residents, yet accessing accurate information and education about it continues to be a challenge.

Read Angela Speakman's blog: Accessing Helpful Cannabis Resources

Goals of Care Coalition Presents: A Walk in the Woods

Although understanding about palliative care during the last decade has improved among healthcare professionals, there is still confusion about this specialty and how to implement it in practice. New Jersey’s population, like many other states in the US, is aging with a greater incidence of cancer and a high prevalence of chronic conditions. This will increase the demand for high quality palliative care, hospice care and end of life care services.

Join Dr. David Barile with "A Walk in the Woods," a series of nature walks as he shares a historical perspective on caring for people with serious illness, discusses how to improve shared decision-making, and explores what’s new in serious illness care with state and national thought leaders and palliative care innovators.

Learn more here: Learn.goalsofcare.org

Not Just a Young Person’s Issue:

Disrupting the Myths Around Senior Food Insecurity in New Jersey

By: Jackie Philbin, RDN, LDN Director of Healthcare Partnerships, Brooklyn Kitchen

When people think of food insecurity, they often picture young families or children — not their neighbor, their grandparent, or a retired schoolteacher. But in New Jersey and across the country, a growing number of older adults are facing hunger in silence. And they're doing it under the weight of outdated assumptions: that all seniors are homeowners, that they’ve saved enough, or that they simply need to “budget better.”

It’s time to upend that narrative. Because food insecurity doesn’t just affect the young — it affects nearly 1 in 10 New Jerseyans aged 50+, totaling around 340,000 older adults. And as the population ages, this issue is only becoming more urgent. By 2030, 25% of New Jersey’s residents will be over the age of 60, up from just under 20% today. The numbers don’t lie — but the assumptions we make about seniors often do.

Read the full article here: Food insecurity

Designing Pedestrian-Friendly Spaces to Enhance Health and Accessibility for New Jersey’s Aging Population

View NJ Future's new report by Bethany Villa, "Designing Pedestrian-Friendly Spaces to Enhance Health and Accessibility for New Jersey’s Aging Population." This report gives a series of recommendations for improving New Jersey’s built environment to better support our aging population. Recommendations draw inspiration from successful projects like pedestrian improvement projects and increased transportation options for older adults.

See the report here: Report