January 8, 2008
The White House approved a funding bill that contains $243,000 for a senior services program carried out by the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County.
The earmark, which was secured by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Dist. 6), is intended to meet the emotional and physical needs of seniors in Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities, or NORCs, neighborhoods or buildings where a large segment of the residents are “aging in place.”
“We have a significant cluster of adults who have aged in place in Highland Park and this will basically provide for their health and well being,” said federation executive director Gerrie Bamira. “This is our first NORC, and we applaud Cong. Pallone for recognizing the increasing needs of the elderly population in our community and for working closely with us to secure this grant.”
The allocation for the NORC demonstration project was included as part of the $515.7 billion 2008 Federal Omnibus Appropriation bill signed into law Dec. 26 by President George Bush.
Bamira said the federation is now working to develop programs and services tailored to the specific needs of the seniors. Such efforts will be home- or community-based with the goal of helping older adults maintain their independence, dignity, and quality of life.
“Their extended families will also benefit knowing their loved ones will not be isolated and their needs will be receiving attention,” said Bamira. “Volunteers will be providing these services as well as a greater connectedness to the community.”
Bamira said many of the seniors in need of help in Highland Park have already been identified and will be contacted by federation or one of its partner agencies, particularly the Jewish Family & Vocational Service of Middlesex County, with which the federation will coordinate efforts.
“Residents of these Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities need assistance with meeting particular health and social service needs,” said Pallone in a written statement. “The federal funds will allow the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County to continue to coordinate delivery of services to these communities. The Jewish federation should be commended for its long-serving dedication to this vulnerable population.”
Highland Park Mayor Meryl Frank welcomed the federal funding, adding, “Highland Park has an amazing and vibrant senior community, but there clearly are needs. We are thrilled to work together with Cong. Pallone and the Middlesex County Jewish federation to assure that those needs are met.”
The Middlesex appropriation was one of five received by Jewish federations across the state, according to Jacob Toporek of Edison, executive director of the New Jersey State Association of Jewish Federations.
Toporek, a former chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Middlesex federation, said the state association supported the five applications with visits to Congress and coordination of strategy with the United Jewish Communities, the umbrella organization for Jewish federations across North America.
State association president Roy Tanzman of Kendall Park, a former president of the Middlesex federation, praised the federal appropriations.
“Reinforcing local aging services is a top priority for the federations and certainly is vital to the at-risk older adults served by the federations,” said Tanzman in a written statement. “The federal funding comes in the face of the fast approaching retirement of our baby boomers. The newly funded NORCs allow federations to better foster innovations in service delivery essential to meeting the increasing needs for community-based aging residents.”