Office on Aging director named in East Brunswick Office provides activities for 6,000 township residents

Staff Writer

By nicole c. vaccaro

Office on Aging director named in East Brunswick
Office provides
activities for 6,000
township residents


JERRY WOLKOWITZ Rachel Steinberg has been appointed as East Brunswick’s new director of the Office on Aging. She began her duties on Dec. 4 and will be working with the township’s 6,000 active seniors. JERRY WOLKOWITZ Rachel Steinberg has been appointed as East Brunswick’s new director of the Office on Aging. She began her duties on Dec. 4 and will be working with the township’s 6,000 active seniors.

EAST BRUNSWICK — Rachel Steinberg has been appointed full-time director to the township’s busy Office on Aging.

Steinberg, of Ocean Township in Monmouth County, was appointed by Mayor Bill Neary in November. She began work Dec. 4, and is working hard to get to know the community’s active seniors.

In fact, one of Steinberg’s first orders of business was to meet with seniors and listen to their suggestions for making the program better.

"It is very humbling to be here. It’s almost as if I’m going from my senior year in high school to my freshman year in college all over again," said Steinberg.

"This program has so much to offer already and I want to maintain that, but I also want to make it grow, if that’s possible," said Steinberg.

To date, there are approximately 6,000 active seniors registered with the Office on Aging. Of those, anywhere from 200-250 visit the center daily and at least 4,092 are regular program participants.

"Last year alone, this office transported 2,155 people to 358 different activities," said Steinberg. "The program strives to maintain a holistic approach to making sure East Brunswick’s seniors have a fulfilling quality of life."

The Office on Aging provides seniors with a variety of services and activities daily, such as day trips, luncheons, arts and crafts, discussions groups, health services, haircuts, manicures and massages.

"The program creates a multi-faceted opportunity for networking seniors into the community," said Steinberg." And I believe I was chosen because of my extensive background in not only clinical, but managerial, interaction with the geriatric population," said Steinberg.

Prior to being appointed in East Brunswick, Steinberg worked as the director of geriatric services at the Jewish Family Services of Southern Monmouth County.

Before that, she worked at Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, for 23 years.

Steinberg completed her undergraduate work at Monmouth University, West Long Branch, and obtained a master’s degree in social work from Catholic University, Washington D.C., and another in public administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison.

During her college years, Steinberg worked primarily in the mental health field, which she says she enjoyed; however, her true calling seems to be toward seniors.

"The entire later part of my career has been spent working with the elderly," said Steinberg. "Senior citizens have so much to give back to us more than we could ever give them.

"We have so much to learn from them and they have so much to teach. I’m exactly where I am supposed to be and am looking forward to the next four years."

Steinberg lives in Monmouth County with her husband, an attorney, and their 15-year-old daughter, Lisa, who is a sophomore in high school. They have another daughter, Amye, who is a second-year law student.