The Association of Jewish Aging Services (AJAS) was founded in 1960 as the North American Association of Jewish Homes and Housing for the Aging (NAJHHA). It was created and continues to function as the central coordinator for homes and

residential A residential area is a land used in which houses, housing predominates, as opposed to industrial district, industrial and Commercial Area, commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include ...

facilities for

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

elderly in North America. Dr. Herbert Shore was the driving force behind the establishment of AJAS and was the organization's first president and its founding executive vice president. AJAS members organizations administer to the needs of the aging through residential

health care Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

;

assisted living An assisted living residence or assisted living facility (ALF) is a housing facility for people with disabilities or for adults who cannot or who choose not to live independently. The term is popular in the United States. Still, the setting i ...

and group homes; independent and congregate housing; and living-at-home service programs. It promotes the unique role and mission of Jewish-sponsored

not-for-profit organizations A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. While not-for-profit organizations and non-profit organizations (NPO ...

serving the aging by arranging educational meetings for the mutual exchange of information and ideas, and promotes

advocacy Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...

for all elderly.

Overview

AJAS is a non-profit that promotes and supports elder services in the context of Jewish values through education, professional development, advocacy and community relationships. It is governed by a voluntary board of directors, representing Jewish aging services organizations throughout North America. Professional staff manage day-to-day operations at the

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, office.

Membership programs

The AJAS membership consists of over 125 organizations: Jewish-sponsored

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of older people, senior citizens, or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as care homes, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms ...

s, housing communities, and outreach programs throughout the United States, Canada and Australia. They help Jewish elderly stay in their homes and communities of choice and live with dignity and adequate support. Donations support regional and local Jewish centers for applied research, advocacy and resource development. Member organizations serve nearly 1.5 million elderly Jews.

Education and programs

In its continued effort to provide turn-key information to its membership, AJAS hosts a number of education events each year. These programs include: * AJAS Annual Conference – provides a forum for the exchange of information and ideas. It is also an opportunity to give recognition to small programs that can be replicated; annual awards are announced. * Regional Forums – AJAS Regional Forums are one-day gatherings hosted by member organizations that provide an opportunity for other members to come together with local colleagues to focus on hot industry topics. The Forums contain both structured presentations, plenty of time for networking and a site tour of the host facility. *

Webinar Web conferencing is used as an umbrella term for various types of online conference, conferencing and collaborative services including webinars (web seminars), webcasts, and web meetings. Sometimes it may be used also in the more narrow sense of ...

s – AJAS hosts several 1-hour web-conferences each year to give members from across the United States and Canada an interactive forum to share programs, best practices and innovations from their own organizations with a large audience.

Publications

* ''Journal on Jewish Aging'' - The goal of the ''Journal on Jewish Aging'' is to present AJAS and interested community members with practical and operational information unique to Jewish aging services. The subject matter includes, but is not limited to, the social, clinical or spiritual needs specific to the aging Jewish population and the management and governance of various types of Jewish senior service agencies. The Journal on Jewish Aging is a peer-reviewed publication. * ''The Scribe'' - ''The Scribe'' is a quarterly magazine, published by AJAS, which features articles on turn-key activities at AJAS member organizations; intriguing staff and fascinating residents; AJAS events and publications; and other information pertinent to the field of Jewish aging services. Each Winter, AJAS published a supplement about building projects planned or underway at AJAS member organizations.

Notable residents

Nat Holman Nat Holman (born Nathan Helmanowich; October 19, 1896 – February 12, 1995) was an American professional basketball player and college coach. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and is the only coach to lead his team ...

(1896–1995), Hall of Fame basketball player and coach

Controversy

They fired their president/

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

when, for medical reasons, she wanted to work from home for a number of months following a serious surgery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Association Of Jewish Aging Services Organizations established in 1960 Jewish medical organizations Jewish community organizations Nursing homes in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C. 1960 establishments in the United States