Sid Jacobson JCC launched its latest initiative to care for individuals with neurodegenerative conditions, Family Care Connect, with a community event called Radio Bingo on Friday, Feb. 21.
Family Care Connect will continue the East Hills-based facility’s efforts to provide support and counseling for people with conditions like Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Parkinson’s Disease alongside their care providers.
The National Mah Jongg League is partnering with the Family Care Connect initiative to provide further resources and staffing.
“The rate of neurodegenerative disease is on the rise nationally, and the need for added support has never been greater,” said Taylor Graf, associate executive director of social services. “We look forward to furthering our program offerings and expanding access to a suite of services to meet the needs of families throughout their journeys.”
Graf said the Radio Bingo they hosted to commemorate Family Care Connect’s launch brought together the families of those with neurodegenerative conditions through rounds of bingo to songs from the ’50s to ’70s. Some care providers even reached out to Graf afterward to personally thank her and the Sid Jacobson team for their support, she said.
“The event gave off positivity,” Graf said.
Leading the Family Care Connect is the director of adult day programs Lindsay Pernick, who said the team will be looking to foster new partnerships with agencies to provide services like education workshops in the future.
National Mah Jongg League President Larry Unger, said he wanted to collaborate with Sid Jacobson to provide Family Care Connect since his wife was a member of the center’s adult-day programs.
“Being a care partner has shown me just how vital resources like this are,” Unger said. This journey comes with many challenges but having a compassionate and dedicated team to lean on provides comfort and strength. I’m forever grateful to Sid Jacobson JCC for their
guidance.”
Over the past few years, Sid Jacobson has grown its support networks for individuals with neurodegenerative conditions and their families and now serves around 125 families, Graf said.
Some of the services Sid Jacobson provides for people with neurodegenerative conditions include educational workshops and care consultations where licensed social workers assist care partners looking for guidance. Sid Jacobson also offers adult day programs for those over 70 who are memory impaired or who are in their 40s, 50s, and 60s and have young-onset dementia.
A new initiative that launched alongside Family Care Connect is Get Moving Fridays, which provides exercise classes like dancing, drumming and boxing for people with conditions like Parkinson’s Disease. Pernick said. She said physical activity sometimes gets overlooked when caring for those with neurodegenerative conditions and that the new program would fill that gap.
Other adult day programs the center offers for those with conditions like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s include social adult day programs where individuals can play sports like basketball and practice memory-strengthening exercises.
One of the next events Family Care Connect will host is The Lawrence Rosenbloom Care Day Symposium on April 6, where care partners and social workers can take advantage of educational and community resources for those with neurodegenerative conditions. Licensed social workers and mental health professionals can also earn three continuing education credits at the event.
For questions about Family Care Connect and offerings at Sid Jacobson JCC, visit www.sjjcc.org/familycareconnect or contact Lindsay Pernick at lpernick@sjjcc.org.
