Jewish Family Service of Rockland County, Inc.

Quality ~ Accountability ~ Confidentiality ~ Affordability

900 Route 45, Suite 2, New City, NY 10956 -- Phone: 845-354-2121 -- Fax 845-354-2928

Geriatric and
Elder Care

Ramapo
Senior Citizen
Enhancement
Program (SEP)

Jewish Family
Life Education

Geriatric and Elder Care

Does someone you care about need more help than you can give them? Or does living a distance away prevent you from being there? Let the Jewish Family Service specialist find the right service for your relative or loved one. We can be a link between family members and we can provide your loved ones with the personalized supportive care that you want for them.

When calls come to JFS regarding information on housing, homecare, and other subjects related to the age 60 and older generation, the call is routed to a knowledgeable social worker who will match the client's need with the appropriate service. Information for elders who live out of town is also available. Through our membership with the Association of Jewish Family and Children's Agencies (AJFCA), an organization of over 145 Jewish Family and Children's Agencies and Specialized Human Service Agencies throughout the U.S., JFS Rockland can refer concerned family members to a Jewish Family Service Agency in the community where their elder resides, no matter how distant that city may be. The AJFCA Elder Support Network functions as a telephone bridge linking JFS Agencies to each other nationwide, enabling us to link up services in any area of the United States. Brief consultation and volunteer services are provided upon request free of charge to anyone over the age of 60 years old and there is no fee charged for information and referral services.

Services provided by the agency on an ongoing basis are:

Community Support

Do you or someone you care about need some supportive care? We have volunteers who visit or telephone the homebound on a weekly basis. Call us and ask about our Send-A-Friend and Telephone Reassurance programs, and our Monthly Share-A-Shabbat program.
Computer Training for the homebound

Community volunteers will train homebound elderly to use their computer to better communicate with the outside world.
Consultation Services

Telephone discussion with the client and/or family members responsible for the client of changes in an aging person's physical and/or mental functioning and what the implications are with information and referral for appropriate options.
Counseling

NYS-licensed social workers are available for individual sessions with the client and/or family member(s) to enhance available coping skills and improve emotional functioning and to deal with any issues impacting the well-being of the client and/or family members. In addition to our agency sessions, we offer in-home counseling for those who are homebound. Additionally, at the agency there are always ongoing men's and women's therapeutic discussion groups, groups for the newly bereaved, and widow-widower groups.
Information and Referral

Older people and their families often have a difficult time coping with aging and finding the appropriate service. JFS can locate the best resources and match them to the client's needs.
The Rhoda Bloom Kosher Food Pantry at JFS

One Sunday per month Kosher food, free of charge to those in need, is available. Contact 354-2121 - All inquiries are kept strictly confidential.
Town of Ramapo Community Development Block Grant, Senior Citizens Services Enhancement Program (SEP)

The Senior Citizens Services Enhancement Program (SEP) is a collaboration between the Town of Ramapo and JFS. SEP provides professional services designed to compliment and enhance services offered to senior citizens of the Town of Ramapo. SEP is designed to assess and address current unmet needs and to design and implement a program to reach out to senior citizens. For more information about this program, please click here.

There are several more services that JFS is capable of providing to the community when we have benefactor grants allowing us to do so. Included in these services would be our social worker meeting with the individual in the family home to evaluate whether new arrangements need to be made. The needs of aging parents are constantly changing, we can assess your loved one's needs and develop a personalized care plan.

Fees for In-home or office sessions and case management services are charged either as an agreed upon flat fee for the service or as hourly fees.

Services provided only when grant money is available are:

Advocacy
Assessments

An initial assessment includes collection of information from the client, his/her family, and relevant others. This data helps JFS evaluate the client's strengths and deficits regarding his/her general living situation, ability to engage in activities of daily living, physical health status, cognitive and emotional condition, social resources and utilization of community services. Based on the client's identified needs resulting from this thorough assessment, an individualized care plan is developed.
Care Plan

An individualized care plan is developed based upon identified needs after an assessment has been completed. It contains service requirements necessary to maintain independent living status and service objectives with specific, observable changes in behavior, skills or circumstances sought to be attained.
Case Management

Once an in-depth assessment is completed and a care plan developed, client families can opt for ongoing case management to see that the plan is implemented and continuously carried out as is appropriate. There is continuous reassessment of the needs and identification of emerging difficulties for the client, and ongoing supervision of the client seeing that needs are met and resources are appropriate. Coordination of care and assistance with communication between the client, his/her family, physicians and other caregivers, telephone calls during the month as needed to monitor the condition and progress of the client, and follow up telephone calls with family members is provided on a regular and ongoing basis. Families can choose total case management, or can select from a group of services as they see are needed. Case management and all of the separate services are charged at a flat hourly fee for time spent managing the case or conducting the specific service. Some items that can be selected separately or as part of the overall case management are: family consultation, counseling, homemaker supervision, personal affairs management, limited personal care assistance, all as described below, and any other professional services not described that may be agreed upon between the client and/or responsible party and JFS in order to ensure the safety, welfare and dignity of the client.
Consultation Services

Discussion with the client and/or family members responsible for the client of changes in an aging person's physical and/or mental functioning and what the implications are. Exploration of options regarding in-home support services, assisted living or nursing home placement, availability of community resources for older adults and caregivers, and assistance with information gathering, decision making and referrals regarding the care of the older adult client and/or the caregivers. This is part of our ongoing case management services, or can be opted for separately.
Homecare or Placement Arrangements
Homemaker Supervision

When the client requires supervision of in-home support services that are employed from sources independent of JFS, such supervision by a professional JFS caseworker may include initial screening of in-home caregivers, coordination of scheduling service providers, finding substitute providers when necessary, helping to define the duties of the caregivers and monitoring their activities with the client. This is part of our ongoing case management services, or can be opted for separately.
Implementation of Care Plan

This is part of our ongoing case management services, or can be opted for separately when ongoing monitoring is not needed, but assistance with setting up a care plan is requested. Implementation may include: Assistance in registering for government benefits and entitlement programs; Screening applicants for direct care and in-home support positions; Review of service contracts with independent contractors and negotiating charges; Establishing work and service delivery schedules; and Instituting performance standards for ensuring the adequacy, quality, efficiency, effectiveness and satisfaction with the care received.
Personal Affairs Management

This is part of our ongoing case management services if it is requested, or can be opted for separately. Payment of bills, banking reconciliation, and preparation and filing of insurance claims can be done by a JFS caseworker.
Personal Care Assistance

For the client who lives independently but requires occasional, limited assistance with carrying out his/her life activities (ie: escort to doctor appointments, running errands). This category of service cannot accommodate a client who requires more extensive and ongoing services, it is meant as an occasional service and must be within the time frame that the caseworker can accommodate the request. This is part of our ongoing case management services if it is requested, or can be opted for separately, but the same conditions exist that it is an occasional service.
Resource Finding