Spring 2009

In Spring 2009, the Grotta Advisory Council approved the following grants. We encourage our grantees and others interested in learning about these projects to contact the individuals listed below.

• Hope House Power of Peers Energize Your Environment (POPEYE) Program — This program will support collaborative evidence-based chronic disease management programs to be held in congregate housing in Morris County.
• JCC of MetroWest — Move Today will bring an evidence based non-aerobic exercise classes to various senior groups targeting a minimum of 100 seniors including 40 Russian speaking elderly.
• JFS of Central NJ Congestive Heart Failure Program — 30 homebound seniors living with Congestive Heart Failure in Union County will receive assistive technology and additional oversight in the home.
• JFS of Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties Coordinated Care Management Program — 24 frail homebound seniors living in the Somerset County area will receive assessments and care coordination plan including a mental health treatment plan, involving the senior, caregivers and health service providers.
• NJ Foundation for the Blind: Essential Vision Project — Funding will subsidize the fees of 36 adults/elderly from Essex and Union County with severe vision loss to receive training in orientation and mobility; activities of daily living; assistive technologies; individual and family support, and self-advocacy.
• SAGE Eldercare Planning and Guidance Program —This program will provide an innovative form of case management for 100 frail seniors and their caregivers from Summit-area towns as well as Millburn, Mountainside, Westfield, Springfield, Union, Vauxhall, Maplewood, Watchung and Gillette.
• Trinitas Health Foundation Enhanced Geriatric Outreach and Counseling Program — This program will increase access to immediate mental health assistance and treatment for 50 homebound seniors; increase medication monitoring for seniors with a chronic mental illness; expand education of caregivers and/or family members; and, form a peer-to-peer volunteer reading program for homebound seniors.

Fall 2009

In Fall 2009, Grotta approved seven grants that aim to improve the care of seniors with challenging behaviors and enhance caregiving training. If interested in learning more about these programs, please feel free to contact the agency or the Grotta Fund for Senior Care.

• ACAP is initiating Step by Step: Training Caregivers of the Elderly Mentally Impaired to improve in-home care of mentally impaired elderly by family training caregivers, social workers, rehabilitation staff nurses and nurse aides. To improve medical treatment compliance and improve quality of life and to help rehabilitation personnel in senior care facilities better transition discharged patients to independent living. The training will be provided to non-profit agencies including SAGE, ACAP and Township of Livingston. If interested in learning more about these programs, please contact Dr. Vicki Semel at ACAP.
• Arts Unbound, Inc. was awarded funds to establish Therapeutic Intervention in the Visual Arts for Seniors with Behavioral and Emotional Disturbances and their Caregivers. This is a pilot program in therapeutic classes in the visual arts using certified art therapists who will engage senior citizens with behavioral and emotional disturbances and their caregivers, to improve their functioning along a continuum of outcomes. They will work with senior agencies (residential and day programs) with prior experience working with Arts Unbound in cooperation with the NJ Association of Art Therapists and Caldwell College
• Center for Building Knowledge, NJ Institute of Technology is using their grant, The Physical Environment and Challenging Dementia Behaviors: A Training Program, to sensitive caregivers about the importance of the physical home environment in dementia care and develop a DVD to educate/train caregivers about home modifications and assistive technologies to eliminate or reduce specific challenging behaviors that accompany dementia. They will work with Greater NJ Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association and Hope House in preparation of the DVD and assess the effectiveness of this training tool. Please contact NJIT, Richard Olsen if interested.
• Congregation AABJ&D received funds to continue support of their Congregational Nurse as Healthcare and Mental Health professional to aging seniors on a 2 days/month basis. To enhance awareness of community services, they will invite speakers from JCC Senior Adult Dept, MetroWest Cares, Essex County Mental Health Association, JFS and medial professionals within congregation.
• Family Service of Morris County — The Senior Collaboration and Intensive Geriatric Case Management Program is a collaboration of Family Service of Morris Cty, Morris Cty Human Services, Div. of Behavioral Health & Youth Services, Div. of Aging, Disabilities and Veterans and the Office of Temp. Assistance. Mental Health Assoc. of Morris Cty, St. Claire's Behavior Health, New Bridge Services, Hope House, NJ Battered Women's Service, United Way of Morris Cty, Morristown Mem. Hosp and Homeless Solutions. The program will use this newly formed collaboration and support the salary of a Geriatric Case Manager: (1) to enhance and expand community services (2) to provide services, cross trainings and oversight (3) to identify additional gaps. Secondary goals include: (1) screening caregivers of seniors for depression and referring to appropriate services and (2) educating caregivers on ways to deal with challenging behaviors.
• Hope House — This Special Needs Home Adaptation program will complete customized home adaptations for 16 seniors with dementia living in the community and who have special safety needs due to memory impairment and other behavior changes. The agency will be working with NJ Institute of Technology.
• Zufall Health Center — This program titled, Holistic Health Care Program for Elderly Hispanics, will develop a positive and collaborative relationship between Hispanic seniors, their family members, and health professionals, by the addition of a case manager/navigator. These efforts will: (1) Ease the burden on both seniors and their caregivers through culturally sensitive eldercare training; (2) Lead to greater participation in on-going medical and behavioral health care; and (3) Improve the overall quality of life for Hispanic seniors in Morris County. The agency will be working with Morris County Organization for Hispanic Affairs (MCOHA).