Caregiving

The New Year rang in a new commitment to family caregivers in New Jersey. As a result of the hard work of AARP staff and volunteers, coalition partners and the leadership of Assemblywomen Lampitt, Mosquera, and Vainieri Huttle as well as Senators Vitale and Greenstein and the Governor, a bill to create a New Jersey Caregiver Task Force (A3514/S959) was signed into law December 28, 2018. Soon after, a bill to significantly expand our state’s Paid Family Leave Insurance Program (A3975/S2528) passed the Legislature under the leadership of Senate President Sweeney and Senators Diegnan and Ruiz and Assemblywomen Quijano, Downey and Assemblyman Giblin on January 31, 2019 – and was signed into law by Governor Murphy on February 19, 2019.

Tell Your Lawmakers: Family Caregivers Need Financial Relief Now!

It’s been a decade since the passage of the Family Leave Insurance program, which allows New Jerseyans to take paid leave to bond with a new child or care for an ill family member.

Get Your Questions Answered at AARP’s Free Webinar for Family Caregivers

Monday, December 17th was a great day in Trenton for the 1.1 million family caregivers in the Garden State. AARP New Jersey applauds the passage of Assembly Bill 3514 which establishes a New Jersey Caregiver Task Force that will help determine how to best support family caregivers. With New Jersey’s 65+ population expected to double by 2050, it’s critical that our state has the services and systems in place to support the army of family caregivers who will become even more vital to our health care system as a whole.

Se expande el programa de seguro de licencia familiar en Nueva Jersey

Across New Jersey more than 1.1 million family caregivers help their parents, spouses and other loved ones so they can remain at home – where they want to be. Family caregiving is a labor of love, but it is also complex, costly, demanding, and stressful. The majority of family caregivers also juggle full or part-time jobs while caregiving.

Get Helpful Guidance at Our Online Q&A Webinar

By Christina Hernandez Sherwood

AARP NJ was happy to host over 150 participants at our bilingual event for family caregivers in North Bergen, NJ on Friday, May 11th. We highlighted our advocacy work and recent legislation passed to provide relief and support for caregivers in our state, and also had invited speakers discuss local and county programs and services, as well as tips on stress management and self-care. Invited organizations and presenters included Hudson County Dept. of Health & Human Services, Bergen county Division of Senior Services, ACT NOW Foundation, MY CPR CARD NOW, NAMI en Español, United Way of Northern NJ, and Senior Medicare Patrol. As a treat, we also engaged our participants in a Zumba session and Spanish radio Amor 93.1 entertained our guests with music and give-aways.