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NJAAW News and Resources
May 6, 2026
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Happy Older Americans Month!
Champion Your Health
"The 2026 theme, Champion Your Health, underscores prevention, wellness, and personal responsibility as cornerstones of healthy aging. It encourages taking an active role in managing and advocating for your health, accessing preventive care, and making informed decisions. This year, we are focused on evidence-based approaches, self-management, caregiver roles, and community partnerships that empower individuals to lead healthy lives." - ACL.gov
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Join us on Friday for our Annual Conference!
This year's theme explores the intersection of aging with every sector of our lives. Whether housing, health care, employment or social engagement, an aging New Jersey impacts everyone.
Join us on Friday, May 8 at a new location, the Hyatt Regency, Princeton. Registration is still open and walk-ins welcomed.
See our speakers and schedule on our conference page Aging in Every Sector
Eligible for 4 General Social Work CEs with additional fee of $75.00.
To Register, click here: Register
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Announcing the Legacy Award
NJAAW is giving its first Legacy Award to Roberto Muñiz, in recognition of his outstanding career focused on enhancing the lives of older adults in New Jersey. As head of the Parker Health Group, Roberto Muñiz has taken 2 small nursing homes and turned them into a modern, comprehensive, and state-of-the-art health group. His generosity has supported the Parker Health Group Division of Geriatrics program at Rutgers, and his organization has been certified as an age friendly employer. His creativity and leadership have produced unique, impactful spaces and solutions, like building a childcare center next to their adult daycare program. Roberto's high standards of care, compassion, and innovation are evident in the Parker tagline, “we make aging part of life.”
To carry Roberto’s legacy of excellence for both clients and employees, NJAAW is establishing the “Next Generation” program. Beginning with our 2026 conference, college and graduate students will receive complimentary admission to all NJAAW conferences, educational sessions, and events under the Roberto Muñiz Legacy Award.
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The 2026 Carl F. West Award
NJAAW is giving the annual Carl F. West Award for Excellence in Aging to the Carl F West Estates in Washington DC. Named after our founder, this is the first time this award has been given to an organization outside of New Jersey. Carl West took a holistic view of the needs for aging. Not just as out founder and leadership in Mercer County senior services, but as an active member of the 0National Black Caucus on Aging and advocate on county, state, and federal levels.
The Carl F. West Estates revolutionize what we know as “affordable housing.” Of particular note and exemplary of our founder’s creative attention to solutions, a large number of apartments are dedicated to grandparents raising grandchildren with services and supports in place to help people in this unique situation. We know that more than 50,000 grandparents in New Jersey are raising their grandchildren, and hope his namesake building will inspire a similar housing program, right here in New Jersey.
| | Lifelong Strong New Jersey | |
Executive Order No. 17 Aligns with LLSNJ Calls for Housing for an Aging NJ
On April 27th, Governor Sherrill signed Executive Order No. 17 to accelerate housing production across New Jersey by increasing coordination among State Agencies and Accelerate Housing Development.
This order calls for recommendations for a housing plan to be delivered by September, 2026, along with establishing a Housing Governing Council comprised of state agencies including the Department of Community Affairs, the Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, the Economic Development Authority, and NJ Transit to streamline housing policy and reduce regulatory barriers.
E.O. 17 directs all relevant agencies to conduct a comprehensive review of budgets, regulations, and state-owned land, and calls for time-bound action:
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Within 60 days, E.O. 17 calls for a report to identify actions that could increase housing supply and affordability.
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Within 150 days, it requires the council to deliver recommendations on five key issues, including housing goals, production tracking, financing coordination, and expanding access to affordable housing.
Once again, the new administration’s priorities for affordability and efficiency align with LLSNJ’s calls for an MPA, and every state currently implementing an MPA includes housing as a core pillar or goal.
See the press release: HERE
| | Age-Friendly Movement in NJ | | |
Illuminating Dementia Efforts in NJ
Dementia Friendly movements have launched in towns and counties across the United States during the past decade, paralleling efforts to spur the growth of age-friendly initiatives.
The two movements operate independently of one another, but many advocates call for more intersectionality. In keeping with that, the upcoming annual conference of New Jersey Advocates for Aging Well (NJAAW) will feature a presentation about both expanding initiatives.
The May 8 conference in Princeton, titled “Aging in Every Sector,” will cover a broad swath of topics and explore why New Jersey needs to take a more unified approach in planning for population aging.
“Our goal is for the conference to educate our state and community leaders about the many disparate yet similar efforts happening across the state to make our communities and institutions more inclusive and more supportive of the needs of all New Jerseyans,” said Dr. Cathy Rowe
Continue reading here: AFNJ blog
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ICYMI - Spring 2026 Age-Friendly NJ Alliance
Event with the Mayor's Wellness Campaign
Thank you to Lisa MacClements and Fairlawn for All Ages for hosting our meeting - and lunch - to learn about the Mayor's Wellness Campaign and how it aligns with age-friendly work.
A big thanks also to our speakers:
- Katie Bisaha, Program Officer at the New Jersey Healthcare Quality Institute, to discuss the Mayors Wellness Campaign
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Genaya Palmer, MA, LPC, Director, Suicide Prevention Services, Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris Inc,
- Shannon Lyons, MS, Age-Friendly Grants Program,
To see the speakers'' slides, go to Age Friendly NJ Events
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Meet Grandparents for Vaccines
Join us to learn about Grandparents for Vaccines, a newly formed, volunteer-led movement that mobilizes the voices of grandparents to share stories of how vaccines changed their world.
Share your stories and learn more here: Grandparentsforvaccines.org
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Choices, Conversations, and Care: Making Advance Care Planning Meaningful
May 12th, 1:00–2:00 PM
Our partners at GOCCNJ will be featured in an upcoming webinar, "Choices, Conversations, and Care: Making Advance Care Planning Meaningful," hosted by Compassion & Choices. Lori Feldstein and Dr. Hamza Habib will lead a live discussion highlighting the essential role of healthcare professionals in advance care planning.
The event is free to attend. For more information and to register, click : HERE
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Mid-Atlantic Intergenerational Conference
The Stockton Center on Successful Aging, in collaboration with Penn State, is hosting the 2nd Biennial Mid-Atlantic Intergenerational Conference on June 3-5, 2026 in Atlantic City.
Download the flyer here: Flyer
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COPSA Caregiver Support Events
For 50 years, the COPSA Institute for Alzheimer’s Disease
& Related Disorders has been helping individuals, families
and professionals who care for those with memory issues
by providing compassionate care, support and education.
To find out more about services, call 800-424-2494.
See the schedule of May support groups here:May 2026
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This year’s Leading Age NJ & DE conference theme—Changemakers—celebrates the bold spirit that drives our field forward. It’s about those who dare to ask what’s possible and then roll up their sleeves to make it real. It’s about pushing past what has been to create what can be—for the organizations, teams and the people we serve.
For details, click: HERE
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CMS NY/NJ Monthly Webinar
May 14, 2026, 10:00 AM - 11:15 AM
The May CMS NY/NJ monthly webinar will celebrate Older Americans Month. The 2026 theme, Champion Your Health, highlights the importance of prevention, wellness, and personal responsibility in healthy aging. It inspires people to take charge of their health, speak up for themselves, use preventive care, and make choices that support their independence.
To commemorate Older Americans Month, Dr. Thomas Bane from CMS will discuss issues related to mental health among older Americans and Dr. Tanya Raggio, Chief Medical Officer at CMS, will provide insights into prevention and preventive services, with particular emphasis on Wellness Visits for healthy aging.
Register by clicking: HERE
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Caregiving is the Backbone of the Economy
See NJ Senator Andy Kim's recent video "Fighting for the Sandwich Generation." As a member of the sandwich generation, the Senator highlights the importance and need for caregivers and calls for DCWs to be treated with dignity and decency. Without them. many of us would not be able to work, go to school or take care of our loved ones.
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American Library Association Landscape Report: Aging Together
The American Library Association (ALA) has released a landscape report, "Aging Together," that examines how public libraries support older adults' health and well-being.
The report provides a view of the library programming environment through a review of existing literature on programs to advance health, social connection, end-of-life care and caregiver support. A final report will be published in early 2027.
Read more here: Aging Together
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Project ECHO Report
The Getting Older in New Jersey (GO-NJ) ECHO
program, which ran from June, 2025 through March, 2026, addressed gaps in knowledge about adult protective services (APS) processes, and mandatory reporting requirements while increasing collaboration to protect vulnerable adults.
Through the discussion of real-world cases and the sharing of best practices, participants gained valuable insights into APS processes and the ability to address challenges related to aging and navigating ethical dilemmas.
Read the GO-NJ ECHO report by clicking: HERE
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Theo of Golden
It is not often the story of the author is as inspiring as the story in the book.
Not only is Theo of Golden an intriguing story of an older man full of mystery, kindness and purpose, it is Alan Levi's 1st novel, published at an age most people would consider ready for retirement
"Theo of Golden is the endearing story of a curious old man who quietly moves into a southern city and, for reasons unknown to anyone but himself, undertakes a campaign of anonymous generosity. ....Meet Theo of Golden. He’s happy to meet you."
from www.allenlevi.com/the-book
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Paid Family Leave in New Jersey
New Jersey Family Leave Insurance is one of only a few of its kind in the country, and it provides New Jersey workers' economic security when caregiving needs arise. Watch our webinar with Yarrow Willman-Cole of New Jersey Citizen Action and convener of the Time to Care Coalition as she breaks down the details of this program, how to apply, changes that are coming, and the impact it has in helping NJ residents access the time and resources they need to be caregivers.
| | 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. | | | | |
