ElderLink: Free Central Referral Launched for Jewish Seniors

What would you do if your elderly mother’s physician told you that she should not live alone any longer? How do you go about searching for an assisted living facility?  What if you lost your Medicare card but don’t know where to call for a replacement?

Whether a question facing Jewish older adults, their children or caregivers is complex or relatively simple, ElderLink St. Louis, a service of Jewish Federation of St. Louis and administered by Jewish Family & Children’s Service, has been launched to assist with referrals.  For a free personal and confidential consultation, simply call 314-812-9300.  Staff members are on hand to answer your questions Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., or Tuesday and Thursday evenings by appointment.  Or, visit www.elderlinkstlouis.org to search the online directory of resources for Jewish seniors.

This is an historic new program of the Senior Service Integration Commission of the Jewish Federation, a planning commission designed to examine ways to fulfill the unmet and under-met needs of the Jewish senior population in St. Louis.

The extensive service is a much-needed centralized resource providing free advice and referrals on all issues affecting Jewish seniors.  According to Lori Kabrun-Berry, director of Jewish Federation’s Commission on Senior Service Integration, “In our complicated world of health insurance, care facilities, financial issues and more, Jewish senior adults continually need advice on issues that specifically face them.  However, more often than not, they do not know who or where to contact.  ElderLink St. Louis will fill that much-needed void.”

She added, “ElderLink staff members, who hold masters degrees in social work and are experts in gerontology, put callers in contact with programs and resources available to Jewish seniors in the area.”  They connect callers with advice and information on everything from aging in place and caregiver resources to employment, end-of-life services, financial resources, housing, learning and recreation, physical and mental health, safety and legal issues, and much more.

ElderLink St. Louis is funded by a generous grant from the Lubin-Green Foundation, a supporting foundation of Jewish Federation, and BJC Health Care.