Resources

Resources of interest to our senior community have been gathered on this page.

If you don’t see what you need, please call or email the Senior HelpLine at [email protected] for answers and assistance:

• Maryland and D.C.: 240-290-3311
• Virginia: 703-652-1515
• TDD: 301-881-5263

Food Resources

• Food Assistance Resource Map in Montgomery County, MD
• Manna Food Center (Montgomery County, MD)
• Nourish Now: Ending Hunger Through Food Recovery in Montgomery County, MD and Greater Washington, DC
• Food resource map for Fairfax County

Technology

Marylanders Online: Empowering Marylanders’ lives by improving digital accessibility

Maryland Accessible Telecommunications (MAT) Program: provides Maryland residents with an opportunity to apply for free telecommunications equipment to independently make or receive calls.​

Memory Loss

• JCA’s Kensington Clubs for Early Stage Memory Loss
• Alzheimer’s Association

Health

• Senior Resource Guide: Preparing for Winter’s Cold Blast.
• Staying Active in Your Golden Years from Pacific Medical Training
• Counseling and Education for Montgomery County, MD enrollees: JCA’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)
• Senior Resource Guide: Vaccinated But Not Quite Yet Ready to Step Out?
• Senior Resource Guide: Medicare: There Is a Right Plan for You
• Senior Resource Guide: Forging a Doctor-Patient Partnership
• Senior Resource Guide: Stay Sharp: Tips for Brain Health

Social Isolation

• Institute on Aging – The Friendship Line
  1-800-971-0016 (24 hour toll-free hotline/warmline for older and disabled adults)
• Social Isolation and Loneliness, Impacts on Health and Approaches to Prevention for the Fairfax Community (December 2021)
• Strengthening Social Connection in Older Adults, National Center for Equitable Care for Elders, July 2022
• Understanding Loneliness and Social Isolation: How to Stay Connected, National Institute on Aging
• Foundation for Social Connection, Washington, DC
• Coalition to End Social Isolation and Loneliness
• engAGED – The National Resource Center for Engaging Older Adults

Lifestyle

• Senior Resource Guide: Financial Planning for Retirement
• Senior Resource Guide: Vacations 2.0
• Senior Resource Guide: Apt to Be Happier When You Use Apps

Housing

• Senior Resource Guide: A tip of the iceberg
• Senior Resource Guide: Aging in Place: It’s on the Upswing
• Calling itself “Virginia’s resource for health and aging,” the Senior Navigator website provides information on housing, legal and financial issues as well as listings of organizations that help older Virginians and the providers of eldercare services.
• In print and on the Internet, The Guide offers a large database of senior housing options, home health care services, and professional services in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and elsewhere in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Visit the Guide to Retirement Living website
• Senior Resource Guide: Downsizing

Employment

• Senior Resource Guide: Older Workers Are Here to Stay.
• JCA Career Gateway
• JCA SCSEP
• 50+ Employment Expos
• WorkSource Montgomery provides a comprehensive directory of 50+ employment resources and service providers in and around Montgomery County, Md
• Senior Resource Guide: A New Gig for Senior Adults

Transportation

• Connect-A-Ride Montgomery County and Connect-A-Ride Northern VA are free information services that identify transportation options.
• Escorted Transportation serves eligible residents of Montgomery County who are unable to travel alone.
• VillageRides partners with villages and community organizations in Montgomery County and Prince George‘s County that provide volunteer transportation.
• Rent one of our handicap-accessible Elder Buses for your group.
• NV Rides is a network of service providers aiming to enhance and improve volunteer-assisted transportation throughout Northern Virginia. This community-wide initiative aims to serve more non-driving older adults so they can get where they need to go at no cost.

Jewish Resources

• The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington: The Jewish Federation cares for those in need, deepens engagement in Jewish life, and strengthens the bonds among Jews in the Washington area, in Israel, and around the world. Federation has supported the Jewish Council for the Aging since our founding in 1973. Visit the Federation website, where you can also make a secure online donation.
• Jconnect: This is the place to find information on everything Jewish in the Greater Washington community — events, careers, learning opportunities, and more, including the senior services of Charles E. Smith Life Communities, the region’s three Jewish Community Centers, the Jewish Social Service Agency, the Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse and JCA. By registering with Jconnect, you can request free emailed notices tailored to your particular interests and needs. Visit the Jconnect website.
• Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington: The JCRC endeavors to foster a society based on freedom, justice, and democratic pluralism through government relations, Israel advocacy, inter-group relations, and social justice programs. More than 100 constituent agencies, organizations, and synagogues in the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia, and suburban Maryland belong to the JCRC, and JCA is proud to be among them. Visit the JCRC website.
• Washington Jewish Week: Washington Jewish Week, which has been serving the Greater Washington Jewish Community since 1930, is not only a print newspaper but also a website and blog. JCA collaborates with WJW on the publication of quarterly Senior Resource Guides on topics that include local transportation options, employment, caregiving, and brain health. Visit the Washington Jewish Week website.

Elder Abuse and Exploitation

• Senior Resource Guide: Elder abuse: What older adults and their loved ones must know to stay safe.
• Established by Charles E. Smith Life Communities, the ElderSAFE Center in Rockville, Maryland provides safe, temporary shelter; coordinates and provides community referrals; and increases public awareness about elder abuse. JCA is a partner of the Center because elder abuse is such a serious and growing problem. As many as one in 10 older adults living on their own is a victim of elder abuse, and experts estimate that for every one case reported, 23 are not.

Estate Planning

• Create a will at no cost using this tool from FreeWill
• Leave your heirs the gift of organization with Buried in Work’s™ Estate Preparation Package. Use the discount code JCA20 for a 20% discount.
• Download the JCA Executor’s Guide for estate planning and management

Death and Dying

• Senior Resource Guide: Funeral Planning
• Senior Resource Guide: Surviving Grief
• The Kaddish is a prayer that has become an important part of Jewish mourning rituals. In The Meaning of Kaddish by Aish.com, Charlie Haray explains how this prayer can help those remember their “mission in this world.”
• Practices concerning death and dying from the Jewish Funeral Practices Committee of Greater Washington
• Traditional and immediate steps for primary mourners and close community members from Kavod v’Nichum (Honor and Comfort)
• Services offered by Chesed Shel Emes for families with financial hardships
• Arrangements and decisions that can be made ahead of time from Kavod v’Nichum