News & Impact

Do you share your life with a friendly well-trained dog? JFCS’ Canine Corps help seniors live safer, healthier, more independent lives in their own homes. By working with seniors, volunteers have the opportunity to help them remain independent, while building meaningful relationships. Pets often bring out the best in people. This program provides an opportunity for seniors to experience the benefits of human-animal interaction. Here’s how to become a JFCS Canine Corps volunteer: To get started first fill out the online JFCS Volunteer Application and check the “Canine Companions” interest box. A JFCS Volunteer Coordinator will reach out to answer… Read More

Who can help isolated seniors with dementia or cognitive impairments to make decisions about their care? What are the complicated ethical issues that doctors face in aiding their patients to die? When it comes to medical treatment what does “do no harm” mean? These are just some of the thorny questions that have been raised by the San Francisco city-wide Bioethics Forum convened by JFCS. As a leader in the field, JFCS brings local experts together to discuss the tough ethical issues that arise in senior and palliative care. JFCS’ Seniors At Home is known for providing the most innovative… Read More

Today in the United States over 52 million family members are caring for a spouse or loved one (sometimes around the clock). For the family caregiver the rewards can be great – providing care in the safety and comfort of home brings ease, independence and connection. It may also mean keeping a frail or disabled family member out of a nursing home, or care facility, and the financial burden or loss of autonomy and family connection that may come along with such a choice. However, it can also be a great challenge for family caregivers. Family caregivers usually value their… Read More

For family caregivers looking after an aging parent or loved one, reaching out to a senior care organization like Seniors At Home can feel like a betrayal of trust. Their loved one’s physical and mental condition is an increasing worry, yet they may keep insisting, “I’m fine and I don’t need help!” When Jonah called about his 86-year-old mother, he had finally realized that she needed more than his check-in calls and cross-country quarterly visits. “I was alarmed that she’d been slowed by arthritis and depression.” He knew approaching his mother about getting help would be a delicate proposition. Jonah… Read More

Question: My mother has just been diagnosed in the early stages of Alzheimer’s at age 69. Right now it seems like she is coping better than I am. How can I find resources about clinical trials? Answer: A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is never easy. Know that you are not alone; there are many others struggling to get the support, answers, and care needed for their loved one, and themselves! You mentioned that you feel that you aren’t doing so well. You may be scared for your mom and her declining mental health, knowing that your roles will be changing over… Read More

Looking at Helen, you’d think 92 is the new 75. Spry, quick-witted, and intellectually curious, she believed, until recently, she could do it all. But when a pulled muscle in her leg turned out to be severe arthritis in her hip, she acknowledged, “Now I know that I can’t do everything on my own.” That’s when she turned to Seniors At Home, JFCS’ senior care program that had served her late husband so well while in the final stages of Parkinson’s disease. “My laundry was piling up because I couldn’t get up and down the stairs so easily any longer,”… Read More