By Renie Carniol, Manager, Funder Services

At 80, Anna lives with her husband and son in Elizabeth. She suffers from atrial fibrillation (A-fib), diabetes, hypertension, and coronary artery disease.

Following her third re-hospitalization in three months at Trinitas Medical Center, it was discovered that Anna wasn’t taking her pills properly.  Anna confided that her son had made mistakes with her medications, so she became afraid to take them. She was also afraid of taking double-dosages, so she avoided pills that looked alike.  She had limited access to healthy food, and didn’t understand why, with her current state of health, she needed to eat more fresh vegetables and whole grains.  Situations like that of Anna’s family are common.   Without understanding medications and how to take them, having access to healthy food and proper follow-up medical care, seniors like Anna will be repeatedly re-hospitalized.

The Grotta Fund for Senior Care (Grotta), an advisory council at the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Metro West (JCF), is committed to improving care for seniors like Anna.  Grotta Fund President Shelley Levine said, “While Grotta began as a convalescent home almost 100 years ago, today we are grant makers focusing on helping seniors  age ‘in place’ in their homes and communities with dignity and independence.”

In 2011, Grotta began Care Transitions, which has awarded more than $1 million in grants to underwrite collaborations between hospitals and community organizations to reach people like Anna.  “So far more than 800 seniors in Essex, Union, Morris, Sussex and eastern Somerset counties have benefited from Grotta’s Care Transitions program,” said Levine.   For Anna, this resulted in home visits from Louise, a nurse who cared for her at Trinitas Medical Center.

When Anna went home, Louise arranged to have a visiting pharmacy service deliver pre-filled boxes of medications to Anna each month, which gave her the confidence she needed to take her medicine.  She taught Anna to record her weight and blood pressure daily and share the results to her doctor at follow-up visits, which Louise scheduled.  Louise empowered Anna to manage her health and avoid a re-hospitalization.

The program also created partnerships with Elizabeth Ground Works to give needy seniors fresh vegetables, Holy Redeemer Home Care to make home care visits, and  Jewish Family Service of Central NJ and the Community Food Bank of NJ, which are working together to deliver milk and pre-packaged, frozen, healthy meals to needy seniors.

Through this program and more, the Grotta Fund is continuing the legacy and the inspiration of Theresa Grotta and her friends, who in 1916 created the Theresa Grotta Aid Society for the Convalescent.   

The Grotta Fund is just one advisory council working with JCF professionals and community members to care for people, build a stronger community, and help secure these blessings for generations to come.   If you would like to become more involved with your philanthropy, call a JCF professional at (973) 929-3113 or visit us online at www.jcfmetrowest.org.