Giving up the keys doesn’t have to mean giving up your independence

By Annette Sandler • JFCS Aging Services Director After her doctor told her she can no longer drive because of declining vision and slowing reflexes, Sandy called JFCS Senior Services in distress. “Now I feel like a captive in my own home,” she said. “My daughter is amazing and helps so [...]

National Caregiver Month: When people aren’t even aware they are caregivers

By Annette Sandler • JFCS Aging Services Director Do you help your mom grocery shop? Do you help balance your dad’s checkbook? Then you are a family caregiver.  A caregiver is an adult who provides unpaid care for the physical and emotional needs of a family member or friend who is [...]

September is National Falls Prevention Month

Senior Services JFCS Senior Services can help mitigate risk of falling for you or a loved one   By Annette Sandler • Aging Services Director   Falls can drastically change a person’s ability to remain independent and can generate enormous economic and personal costs. A fall for an older adul[...]

Resources from The Conference for Caregivers

The Twin Cities Jewish Community Alzheimer's Task Force presented “Keeping the Spirit Alive”: The Conference for Caregivers and Those Supporting a Loved One with Dementia on April 7 at Beth El Synagogue.   The event featured a keynote speech from Dr. Vic Sandler, MD, as well as 10 bre[...]

Caregiver Conference: Q&A with keynote speaker Vic Sandler

One month after Dr. Vic Sandler’s mother died of lung cancer, his father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Sandler understood the disease; he had cared for hundreds of patients with dementia during his over 20 years of geriatric medical practice. But in caring for his beloved father, he en[...]

Introducing JFCS Community Conference Coordinator Sharon Goldetsky

Two of the largest conferences that JFCS co-sponsors are the Mental Health Education Conference (held each fall) and Conference for Caregivers (held in spring every other year). Sharon Goldetsky, who was recently hired as the JFCS Community Conference Coordinator, is in charge of organizing both the[...]

New Year’s resolutions that lead to aging successfully

By Annette Sandler • Aging Services Director   Welcome to 2019 – the time of year when many people are making New Year’s resolutions, and doing their best to keep them. I researched the most common resolutions for seniors and they are as you would anticipate – eat healthy, exercis[...]