This example displays a vertical translate button.

Donate Menu

JFS Older Adult Services

Older Adult Services

Through an array of services, we address the needs of older adults in our community – physically, financially, emotionally, socially and Jewish-ly. Our trained and dedicated staff is here to make sure that all Jewish older adults in the Lehigh Valley remain comfortable and connected.

Outreach to Residential Facilities

 

Jewish Family Service frequently hosts communal meals on Shabbat and programming at holidays for Jewish older adults living in residential facilities. Our staff is also available to make one-on-one visits. 

 

If you or someone you know could use a friendly visit or would like to be part of a Jewish communal experience, contact Carol Wilson at 610-821-8722 or cwilson@jfslv.org. 

Shabbat at Atria

Home Visits

 

Our friendly, professional staff and trained volunteers are available to make one-on-one visits to older adults in their homes.

 

If you or someone you know would like a visit, or you would like to volunteer to be a visitor, contact Carol Wilson at 610-821-8722 or cwilson@jfslv.org.

Ella's Story

 

When Ella* called JFS about a year and a half ago, she was struggling a great deal. Her cognition and mobility were declining as she aged, which meant that her ability to meet her own needs was extremely compromised. She found herself unable to cook, and after a bad fall in the bathtub, she was afraid of being independent in the bathroom, and hadn’t taken a bath in a year and a half. Her housekeeping was beginning to deteriorate, and she was not able to manage her medication administration.

 

This all began to change when she met Carol Wilson. Carol spoke with Ella and did an assessment, and after the pair prioritized what was most important, it was time for JFS to intervene. JFS's Fund for Jewish Human Needs helped Ella get a home health aide until she could access other services that she was referred to. For those six weeks, JFS sent someone into Ella’s home twice weekly, which made a “world of difference,” according to Carol.

 

For Ella, it was life-changing “for her to feel like a lady, like she could get a shower, clean sheets on her bed, and have someone empty her trash,” Carol said.

 

Ella now receives services from the community referrals, and continues to receive weekly visits from a JFS social worker to talk through issues of depression, loss, and loneliness. Without JFS's involvement, Ella would not have been able to be independent in her home.

 

* All names have been changed to protect our clients' privacy.

Friendly Telephone Callers

 

Our staff and volunteers stay in contact with older adults in the community with phone calls.

 

If you or someone you know would like a phone call, or you would like to volunteer to be a visitor, contact Carol Wilson at 610-821-8722 or cwilson@jfslv.org.

Jean's Story

 

Carol has been communicating with Jean*, an older adult aging at home, for the past eight months. During this time, Jean has declined steadily, both in terms of her cognitive status and her ability to manage safely at home. Her nutrition is compromised because she struggles with meal preparation, she feels unsafe in the bathroom, and she has to go down to the basement to do her laundry, which is unsafe because of her mobility issues. Her family is not in a place to support her emotionally, geographically, or financially, so her interaction with Carol and other volunteers in person and over the phone is a huge help to maintaining her way of life. “She represents a lot of the clients who we work with,” Carol said, adding that she, like many JFS clients, are “one crisis away from the next step.”

 

* All names have been changed to protect our clients’ privacy.

Counseling

 

Our professional counselors are here to help older adults with a full range of issues including:

 

  • Life Span Adjustment
  • Stress Management
  • Depression
  • Anxiety and Phobias
  • Bereavement

 

LEARN MORE

Guidance for Children of Aging Parents

 

Our older adult outreach staff is available to meet with children of older adults who are looking for guidance as they care for their aging parents. Staff will work on themes of loss, transition, independence and control. Contact Carol Wilson at 610-821-8722 or cwilson@jfslv.org to learn more.

Margaret and Fannie's Stories

When Carol Wilson met Margaret*, she was living independently, yet wondering whether she should stay at home with support or think about moving to a residence. In addition to helping Margaret work through this complicated decision, Carol spoke to her children, who live out of town, via emails, phone calls, conference calls, and seeing them when they come to town. “I meet them and I spend a lot of time listening about what their perceptions are, and then I get [Margaret’s] version of the story,” Carol said.

 

In Margaret’s case, Carol helped her children understand that the medicine administration system and smartphone they had given her were causing her a lot of stress. She hadn’t spoken up for fear of offending her children, but thanks to a mediated discussion with Carol, the family was able to express their feelings and make choices together.

 

Carol also helped Fannie*, who moved from out of state to live with her daughter, and was dealing with challenges in terms of blending two households into one. When her daughter said it wasn’t necessary for Fannie to bring her own furniture, although it was well-intentioned, Fannie began to feel stressed, to the point that “managing both of their needs, wants, and wishes had been extremely problematic,” Carol said. In the end, Carol “spent a lot of time with each of them alone and together, supporting them to help them share their versions of the story and come to a resolution.”

 

* All names have been changed to protect our clients' privacy.

 

LINKS TO AGING RESOURCES

2021 Phyllis Ringel Lecture "The 'Conversation' About Aging" video

2021 Phyllis Ringel Lecture "The 'Conversation' About Aging" slides

The Master Checklist

The Conversation Project

Meet the Staff