Elderlink information and referral service

Sparta - To help community members answer important questions and more, Karen Brand, LCSW of Sparta has been named Coordinator of a new program called Elderlink sponsored by Jewish Family Service of MetroWest (JFS). Elderlink will provide telephone and web-based information and referral services to community members on a broad range of eldercare issues and concerns. Older adults and their families can call Elderlink and receive information from an experienced social worker on topics including: Medicare, Social Security, housing, nutrition programs, counseling, case management, and support groups, senior centers, and other supports for older adults. Brand, LCSW of Sparta is the new Coordinator of Elderlink. Brand comes to JFS having served in a wide range of social work positions providing comprehensive counseling and case management services for the elderly, families and children. She has had responsibility for program development in settings that include home health agencies, schools, JCCs and the NJ Y Camps. She has also been an active community volunteer in Morris and Sussex counties for over 20 years. “I am excited to be coordinating this new project to insure older adults and their families receive appropriate information, resources and referrals in a timely professional manner. In today’s technological world, people can get frustrated with the lack of personal contact. My hope is that Elderlink will be a personal, individualized one stop connection to the vast array of services the Metrowest Jewish community and beyond provides,” Brand said. The program is sponsored under the auspices of the MetroWest CARES committee of United Jewish Committee of MetroWest? a coalition of eight community agencies and is being made possible by the generous funding support of the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey and the Wallerstein Fund for Geriatric Life Improvement. To reach Elderlink, call Karen Brand, Elderlink Coordinator at 973-467-3300, ext. 511. JFS is a comprehensive social service agency which offers a range of counseling and support services to families and individuals in Sussex, Essex, Morris, and parts of Hudson and Union counties on a non-discriminatory basis. Agency services span the life cycle from adoption to elder care management. The Agency mission is to sustain families and individuals through all life’s changes and challenges, and build strong and healthy communities. JFS has offices located in Florham Park, Livingston, Springfield, West Orange, and Jersey City. For more information, call 973-765-9050.