PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SOUTH BRUNSWICK SENIOR CENTER

New Jersey Foundation for Aging to host free webinar series about aging during COVID-19

The New Jersey Foundation for Aging (NJFA) is hosting a free webinar series on “Learning from COVID-19: Lessons from Experts in the Field of Aging.”
The webinars, sponsored by Archer Law Office and AARP New Jersey, will take place from 10 a.m. to noon on Fridays, June 5, 12 and 26. Melissa Chalker, executive director of the NJFA, will moderate.
Topics covered are “Impact on Long-Term Care and Medical Decision-Making” on June 5, “Impact on Age-Friendly Communities and Immigrant Families” on June 12 and “Scams and Benefit Updates” on June 26. For more information and to register, visit www.njfoundationforaging.org or call 609-421-0206.
Registration is now open for Session One on June 5, “Impact on Long-Term Care and Medical Decision-Making.” Speaking will be Dr. David Barile, founder and chief medical officer of Goals of Care Coalition of NJ (GOCCNJ); Laurie Facciarossa Brewer, NJ’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman; and Gwen Orlowski, executive director, Disability Rights NJ.
Barile will discuss the NJ Practitioner Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form and its importance for at-risk people. A NJ POLST form can be downloaded at goalsofcare.org.
Brewer and Orlowski will address the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis on long-term care residents and their families, providing details on how their respective organizations and other advocacy groups have responded. They will also be highlighting innovative practices and collaborations, as well as outlining broader policy changes needed to avert future crises.