Jewish Family & Community Services Receives Grants

Jewish Family & Community Services recently received two grants for its programs.

A $10,000 grant from Direction Home of Eastern Ohio will be used to continue the JFCS tech pilot program. Nicole Balog-Bickerstaff, a Youngstown State University student who helped launch the program, will stay on board for another three to five months.

“We’ll continue to work with the 70 or more older adults, 60 and over,” said Ken Bielecki, JFCS executive director.

The Alexa Together Program, which is funded through a $92,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Aging, provides participants with an Amazon Echo Show, a touchscreen tablet that can be used for video calling, watching TV, and listening to music, among other things, and Alexa Together, a subscription service which includes 24/7 urgent response and a “circle of support” which allows loved ones to have access to their family member’s Echo Show to have contact with them. The goal of the program is to provide about 70 participants with the Echo Show and Alexa Together and see if it affects certain health outcomes that the Ohio Department of Aging wants to study.

JFCS also received $20,000 from Trumbull County Mental Health & Recovery Board recently for the Senior Outreach program, and an additional $10,000 for the JFCS guardianship program.

“This is the third year we received funds from TCMHRB, and we are appreciative,” Bielecki said.