Jewish Federations of North America’s Center on Aging, Trauma, and Holocaust Survivor Care (the Center) has announced grant award extensions to 34 Jewish and non-Jewish organizations to deliver social services to thousands of Holocaust survivors, other older adults with a history of trauma, and their family caregivers.  

 

Funds for the grants come from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Community Living (ACL) and generous philanthropists.  

 

“Holocaust survivors carry experiences that continue to shape our work and understanding,” said Shelley Rood Wernick, Associate Vice President of the Center and granddaughter of survivors. “With trauma affecting so many communities, demand for our innovative services continues to grow. Thanks to the support of generous philanthropists and strong government partnerships, we are able to deliver care that is deeply attuned to survivors’ lived experiences.” 

 

Experts estimate as many as 90% of older Americans have a history of trauma. Acknowledging the profound learnings from working with Holocaust survivors, the federal government has empowered Jewish Federations as the national resource center on aging and trauma.  

 

The federal government has also highlighted Jewish Federations’ person-centered, trauma-informed (PCTI) approach as a model for serving all older adults and family caregivers. The PCTI approach is a holistic model of care that promotes the health and well-being of individuals by accounting for the role of trauma throughout their lives, resisting retraumatization, and promoting the strength, agency, and dignity of people receiving care. 

 

Jewish Federations launched this initiative in 2015. Since then, Jewish Federations have supported approximately 50,095 Holocaust survivors; 25,536 older adults with a history of trauma; and trained 26,620 professional caregivers and 10,628 family caregivers.  

 

The latest round of allocations supports local Jewish Federations, human service agencies, universities, a nursing home, an area agency on aging, and national groups that scale PCTI care throughout their networks. Grantees support organizations that serve both Jewish and non-Jewish older adults and their family caregivers. In addition to direct services, Jewish Federations support intensive education and training for all grantees.  

 

Programming through these grants improves physical, cognitive, social, mental, and financial health, while also providing older adults and their families with access to critical services. For example, the grant to KAVOD provides emergency homecare for Holocaust survivors in need. Grants to local Jewish Federations support a wide array of community-based services. 

 

Jewish Federations’ life-saving work became apparent in South Florida, for example, when through this grant, Nova Southeastern University expanded the accessibility of services within their clinics for older adults in the community who could not previously access services due to the cost and burden of applying for subsidized treatment. One of these clinics has since doubled its enrollment of older adults, with another quadrupling it. Doctoral students in Clinical Psychology at the university serve patients using PCTI care, and one student shared that after treatment, her patient’s friends noticed he was “more interested in being part of this world.” 

 

To learn more about how Jewish Federations advances the PCTI approach for Holocaust survivors and other older adults, click here.  
 

Grantees: 

Expanded Critical Supports Program   

Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta   

Jewish Federation of Broward County   

Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago/Jewish United Fund 

Jewish Federation of Detroit   

Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles   

Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ   

Greater Miami Jewish Federation   

UJA-Federation of New York   

  

National Network Program   

KAVOD – Ensuring Dignity for Holocaust Survivors   

Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies   

  

Innovations Program   

Boro Park Y 

Chaldean Community Foundation   

CJE SeniorLife   

Colorado Health Network, Inc.   

Jewish Family & Children's Services of Northern New Jersey   

Jewish Family and Children's Service of Greater Philadelphia   

Jewish Family & Community Services East Bay   

Jewish Family Service of Seattle 

Jewish Family Service of Dallas   

Jewish Family Service of MetroWest NJ   

Jewish Family Service of the Cincinnati Area   

Jewish Family Services of Columbus   

Jewish Family Services of Richmond 

Jewish Family Services of Rochester   

KleinLife   

Minot State University   

MJHS Menorah Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing Care 

Nova Southeastern University   

NYU Grossman School of Medicine   

Pesach Tikvah Hope Development   

Project Lead 

SAGE 

Samost Jewish Family & Children's Service of Southern NJ   

Selfhelp Community Services 
 

This work is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $8,389,500 with 75% funded by ACL/HHS and $2,796,500 and 25% funded by non-government source(s). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the United States Government.