Jewish Family Service tells commissioners $33,000 county grant supported 1,830 services for older adults

Jewish Family Service of Colorado told the Arapahoe County Board of County Commissioners that a $33,000 midyear grant for its Aging Care & Connections work helped deliver 1,830 services across care management, homemaker support, nutrition and counseling programs.

The county-funded award came as the nonprofit described a sharp rise in requests for help among older adults and growing pressure on program budgets. "It's a ever changing funding landscape right now for nonprofits and for older adult services," Rachel Rotach, director of Aging Care & Connections at Jewish Family Service of Colorado, said during the presentation.

Rotach said the group provides care management, homemaker services, a kosher-style community lunch, kosher Meals on Wheels, pantry deliveries and counseling tailored to older adults. Care managers, she said, assess needs and help clients navigate housing, medical bills, short-term rehab and insurance issues; homemakers visit homes to clean and spot risks; and volunteers provide social visits. "A lot of the people in our community, they wanna stay in their homes," Rotach said. "They don't know what services are out there, and they need…