Photo Credit: nesdis.noaa.gov Today, New Jersey Governor Murphy and Colonel Callahan today advised New Jersey residents to plan for the potential impact of Hurricane Florence on the state. The Office of Emergency Management will continue to monitor the conditions of the hurricane and are working with counties to address any storm related needs, he says. Colonel Patrick Callahan, State Police Superintendent and the state’s Director of Emergency Management, ice, announced the deployment of 80 members of New Jersey Task Force 1 to assist with the search and rescue operations, including swift-water rescure, as Hurricane Florence moves…
Photo Credit: AARP New Jersey policy makers will benefit from the newly released AARP report, Across the States 2018: Profiles of Long-Term Services and Supports, by Ari Houser, Wendy Fox-Grage, Kathleen Ujvari, of AARP’s Public Policy Institute. Just released last month, the 84-page report provides comparable state-level data pulled from a large number of research studies and data sources, some of the data coming from original sources. Each state profile is a four-page, user-friendly, print-ready document that provides each state’s data and rankings. The Washington, DC-based AARP considers Across the States to be “the flagship publication”…
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Ranking Member Bob Casey (D-PA) This month, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Ranking Member Bob Casey (D-PA) secured the Senate’s approval for $300,000 to establish an advisory council, created by the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act (S. 1091), which would help grandparents raising grandchildren find resources they need. This funding was passed by the Senate as part of H.R. 6157 (see Hearthstone Estates July 16 blog article). According to the Senate Aging panel, approximately 2.6 million children are being raised by their grandparents or other relatives and experts expect this number to increase as…
New Jersey Assemblyman Roy Freiman (D-Dist. 16) According to David John and Gary Keonig, authors of the 2015 AARP Public Policy Institute Study, “Workplace Retirement Plans Will Help Workers Build Economic Security,” over half of New Jersey workers – 1. 7 million people – do not have access to a retirement savings plan through their employer. The study’s authors warn that Social Security is critical to retirement security of Older Americans but does not provide enough for an individual to depend on during their retirement. They note that the average Social Security benefit for age 65…
On July 18, the, D.C.-based AARP announced the awardees for its 2018 AARP Community Challenge program. A total of $1.3 million will be distributed to fund 129 “quick action” projects across the nation (two in New Jersey), helping communities make immediate improvements and jumpstart long-term progress to support residents of all ages. “AARP has teams on the ground in communities across the country who hear from mayors, community leaders and local residents about the value of getting quick wins to create long-term change. We developed the Community Challenge Grant Program to answer that call and help build momentum for more…
To emphasize the continued need for vaccines throughout adulthood, New Jersey Department of Health (NJDoH) designated August as New Jersey’s Adult Vaccine-Preventable Disease Awareness and Improvement Month. Many New Jerseyans are not getting vaccinated to protect against vaccine-preventable diseases. It is a vitally important time to start vaccinating the whole family—especially older adults. This vulnerable population is most at risk of contracting preventable communicable illnesses and accounts for the rmajority of diagnoses and deaths. During National Immunization Awareness Month, NJDoH is encouraging residents of Hearthstone Estates Assisted Living and New Jersey to make sure they are up-to-date with their immunizations to protect…