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Interfaith Caregivers of Greater Mercer County Will Continue to Provide Free Caregiving Services in 2013

By Diane Blaszka
Hamilton, NJ – February 4, 2013 —  Thanks to strong community support, volunteers working with nonprofit Interfaith Caregivers of Greater Mercer County (ICGMC) will continue providing free services to the area’s homebound elderly and people with disabilities throughout 2013. Recently released statistics indicate that ICGMC’s interdenominational volunteers spent 11,821 hours helping 319 care receivers in every corner of the County in 2012 — providing services that included transportation to doctors’ offices, shopping, friendly visiting, light housekeeping and maintenance, telephone reassurance and occasional meal preparation.
According to ICGMC Acting Executive Director Jane Latini, “Such basic services very often enable care receivers to avoid institutionalization and remain in their homes independently, safely and with dignity.”
“A 2010 survey by the American Association of Retired Persons indicated that 73 percent of respondents strongly agreed that they’d like to stay in their current residences as long as they possibly could,” says Latini. “The work that Interfaith Caregivers’ volunteers so cheerfully and generously do – days, nights and weekends — help Mercer County seniors do exactly that.”
In 2012 alone, ICGMC added 117 new volunteers. The organization is preparing itself to meet predictions that the number of older people (aged 65+) in 2030 is expected to be twice as large as it was in 2000 — growing from 35 million to 72 million and representing nearly 20 percent of the US population. In New Jersey, the number of people aged 65+ increased 13.5 percent between 2000 and 2010. Census data from 2010 showed 22 percent of Mercer County’s 131,500 households already included someone 65 years or older, with 10.1 percent (more than 13,000) aged 65+ and living alone.
“Many in this age group live alone with no identifiable caregiver, which puts them at greater risk for injury and depression,” explains Latini. “We understand how those who provide care for elderly and/or disabled family members are often highly stressed and in need of assistance, and we can help.”
To request services, volunteer and/or donate to Interfaith Caregivers of Greater Mercer County, visit www.icgmc.org and/or call 609-393-9922. The nonprofit organization is funded by individual, congregation, corporate, foundation and government support. In 2012, it received grants from the County of Mercer Office on Aging; the Office of Faith Based Initiatives (OFBI), a Division of Programs in the Department of State; the United Way of Greater Mercer; Concordia Foundation; F.I.S.H. Foundation, Inc.; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Danellie Foundation; Curtis W. McGraw Foundation; Karma Foundation; Roma Bank Community Foundation; Nicholson Foundation; Piper Sutton Foundation; the Mary G. Roebling Foundation; Fred C. Rummel Foundation; Lawrence Township Community Foundation; Lillian Pitkin Schenck Fund; the Wallerstein Foundation and the Harold Wetterberg Foundation.