May is Older Americans Month: Bergen County Celebrates the Strength of the Community

Hackensack, N.J. – Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco and the Bergen County Board of Commissioners join with the Bergen County Division of Senior Services in observing May as Older Americans Month.

The theme for 2021 is “Communities of Strength”— Older adults have built resilience and strength over their lives through successes, joys and challenges.  This May, the more than 228,000 Bergen County Older Adults age 60 and above are celebrated with special emphasis on the power of connection and engagement.

The Bergen County Community of Older Adults is vibrant, strong and growing.  Nearly 1 in 4 County residents are age 60+, and 10,000 people reach that age in Bergen every year.

Bergen County has one of the longest life expectancies in the nation, and that long life means that these older  residents need a range of services: those that help them age in place and remain in the community that is their home; those that link them to a broad range of activities that keep them engaged in the community and avoid social isolation; and those that help them stretch their budgets and may save them money so they can enjoy a better quality of life.

As the lead agency for the Bergen County’s Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC), the Division of Senior Services provides a Senior Help Line (201-336-7400), and an email (seniors@co.bergen.nj.us), where seniors, disabled adults, their caregivers and professionals can connect to trained staff who can assist in finding benefits and services:

• Nutrition programs such as Meals on Wheels, congregate lunches or food stamps;
• Benefits screens to determine eligibility and level of service for Medicare, Medicaid or short and long term care options;
• Transportation;
• Help in the home, such as repair services and food shopping;
• Support for caregivers;
• Social and volunteer connections;
• Emergency Assistance;
• Advocacy and legal rights; and
• Housing resources.

In addition to the Senior Help Line and email, residents can visit the Division of Senior Services’ website at   www.co.bergen.nj.us/division-of-senior-services, where they can download informational documents such as the Key Services Guide for Older Adults and Caregivers, Quick Guide to Federal, State, and County Programs for Older Adults, and Housing Navigator Notes, a listing of affordable and subsidized housing in Bergen County currently accepting applications for wait lists.

The Bergen County Division of Senior Services was established in 1966 under Federal Legislation of the Older Americans Act and was the first county-level Area  Agency on Aging in the country. The Division of Senior Services is the primary planning, coordinating and funding agency for senior programs and services, promoting the well-being, health and independence of Bergen County’s more than 228,000 older adults and their caregivers. Senior Services funds 45 programs that support older residents at 30 diverse agencies across Bergen County. The Division targets those who are vulnerable and in greatest social and economic need.