JESPY receives grant to support older adults with disabilities
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JESPY receives grant to support older adults with disabilities

JESPY HOUSE — a nonprofit organization that works to enable adults with learning and developmental disabilities to lead independent lives — has received a grant for its Aging in Place initiative from the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey (HFNJ). 

The $193,388 grant is intended to expand and integrate services for older adults with disabilities to allow them to age in place within the JESPY House setting, in South Orange. 

Resources provided by the grant will support JESPY’s efforts to help clients by:

  • increasing their awareness of age-related health issues;
  • encouraging increased physical activity, social interaction, and community engagement;
  • improving the responsiveness of interventions, especially for those with dual diagnoses;
  • reducing the frequency of crises and minimizing hospital visits.

JESPY also aims to reach new clients who require increased support as they age or when caregivers die or become incapacitated. 

HFNJ executive director/CEO Marsha I. Atkind said, “The good news is that people with developmental and physical challenges are living longer and healthier lives…. That presents challenges, and JESPY is at the forefront in training its staff to meet those challenges.” 

The grant, said JESPY House executive director Audrey Winkler, “will allow JESPY House to put in place the professionals, systems, and services that will enable our older clients to remain in the community they love and have lived in for decades.” The partnership with HFNJ, she said, “will position JESPY House as a leader in this specialized field.”

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