News

Every year you are asked the same question, so we came up with a few suggestions:

Donate in honor of your Mom, Dad, Grandmother or Grandfather: Give in their name to JFS and support our programs and services.

Useful daily living aids that can help you in your home: reaching tools, doorknob grips, faucet turning aids, or clocks and phones with large numbers.

Handrails and grab bars: not just in the bathroom but along a hallway or in the kitchen.

Non-skid strips and decals: try stairways, foyers, kitchen floors, and of course, bathrooms.

New fixtures: changing out a light switches with ones that are easier to reach, grasp, and use. Install high intensity, high lumen lights and bulbs. 

Home deliveries: groceries, medications from your favorite supermarket or pharmacy

Medical Alert Systems

Gym Memberships: Silver Sneakers, YMCA, or JCC

Come out for another NNORC Night at the JCC (340 Whitehall Rd, Albany) on Wednesday, December 4 at 4:45 p.m.  The JCC will be serving up a delicious dinner of baked salmon, along with good conversation and fun! NNORC night is always a good time to catch up with friends and make new ones. 

     Please call Louisa Soleau at the JCC Senior Center at 518-438-6651 to make your reservation by 9:30 a.m. on December 4. The suggested donation is $3. We look forward to seeing you there!

Celebrate the holiday season with your NNORC neighbors! Please join us on Thursday, December 12, at 1:30 p.m. at B’Nai Sholom Reform Congregation (420 Whitehall Rd., Albany).

    There will be conversation, crafts, light snacks and fun! In the spirit of the holidays, if you enjoy baking, we invite you to bring some of your favorite cookies (along with the recipe). You don’t have to bring sweets to attend. 

     We will also have a NNORC Year in Review—what has worked and what hasn’t.  Let’s start planning for 2020! Please RSVP to NNORC at
518-514-2023. We look forward to seeing you there!

     For people who are blind or have vision loss, the Voiceover feature lets you hear a description of what’s happening on your screen. In this class we will navigate shortcuts and discover how to adjust speaking and pitch rate. For those who have complete or severe hearing loss, iOS offers amazing assistive technologies to help communicate and enjoy more content. We’ll introduce you to iPad and iPhone settings including Software TTY (where available), voicemail transcription, and Phone Noise Cancellation. We’ll show you how to access features like FaceTime, LED Flash for Alerts, and vibrating alerts that you can use every day. This program will be held on Wednesday, December 4 at 10:00 a.m.

     Please call NNORC at 518-514-2023 to sign up. The class will be held at The Apple Store, which is located at Crossgates Mall on Level 1.  Park and enter near Burlington Coat Factory.  If you are interested in attending, but need a ride, NNORC staff will try their best to arrange one for you.

We welcome back Mary Brummagyn from the Albany County Department of Health for our December Breakfast Club. As the weather turns colder, we start to worry about the flu and pneumonia. Ms. Brummagyn will update us on the latest immunizations. She will also discuss how to stay healthy during the cold and flu season including staying hydrated and protecting yourself in cold weather.  The program will be held on Wednesday, December 11 at 9:30 a.m. at the Albany JCC (340 Whitehall Rd, Albany). Please call NNORC to RSVP at 518-514-2023.
     Save the date for the first Breakfast Club of 2020!  We will welcome Lynda Shrager, OTR, MSW, CAPS, on Wednesday, January 15 to talk about how to modify, organize and declutter your home. Lynda was interviewed about her book in Jane Brody’s Personal Health column in the New York Times last year.

In this month’s Busy Hands craft group we’ll be painting terracotta clay pots. Using a variety of acrylic paint colors, we’ll transform a basic clay pot into a unique piece to showcase in your homes. Once painted, we’ll apply a glossy clear coat so your work of art will last!

Join NNORC’s Judi England and APL’s Bach Branch librarian Jen Ward in this painted pot art project on Thursday, November 14, from 1:30–3:00 p.m. at APL’s Bach Branch community room (455 New Scotland Ave, Albany). All supplies will be provided. 

Registration is required as there is limited seating.  Please call NNORC to RSVP at 518-514-2023. There is no fee for this program.

Healthy Living for Your Brain and Body: Tips from the Latest Research

     At any age, there are lifestyle habits we can adopt to help maintain and even potentially improve our health. These habits may also help to keep our brains healthy as we age and possibly delay the onset of cognitive decline. In this Breakfast Club, Shannon Lawler, Director of Programs and Services at the Northeastern NY Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association® will present four areas of lifestyle habits that are associated with healthy aging: cognitive activity; physical health and exercise; diet and nutrition; and social engagement. In each area, we will discuss what we know, drawing on current research, as well as what we can do—steps to take now to improve or maintain overall health in each area. Come and get the latest information on ways to age as well as possible. The program will be held on Wednesday, November 13 at 9:30 a.m. at the Albany JCC (340 Whitehall Rd, Albany). Please call NNORC to RSVP at 518-514-2023.

     Please save the date for the last Breakfast Club of 2019.  Mary Brummagyn, Clinical Services and Immunization Coordinator at the Albany County Department of Health, will be joining us on December 11 to talk about winter health updates.

Jewish Family Services of NENY (JFS) received a generous gift from Donald Bray to help support students with college expenses.  The David and Rose Udelson Bray Scholarship Fund provides a one-time, $2,000 scholarship to one undergraduate student. 

If you know someone interested in applying, please share this announcement and have them complete our short online application. We ask for individual and family information, school attending*, and one to three paragraphs reflecting on the importance of Tikkun Olam and the work of JFS.

The deadline has been extended to Friday, October 25, 2019.

The Bray family wishes to award the scholarship to a Jewish student. The recipient will be selected from submissions and will be awarded his or her scholarship in mid-November. Please note we may choose to use the winning entry in our agency publicity and marketing communications.
*Application is for the 2019-2020 academic year. Student must provide proof of enrollment/admission prior to scholarship being issued.

APPLY ONLINE HERE

Thursday, June 25 at 1 p.m.  

We’re taking a virtual tour of the Albany Institute of History and Art!  There is a great online exhibit called New York’s Capital Region in 50 Objects.  We’ll look at the slideshow that the museum has curated and debate their choices.  Is there anything that you think should have been included?

The next Let’s Talk About Albany will be Thursday, July 30 at 1 p.m.  Topic to be announced in the July NNORC News.

Contact NNORC to sign up (518-514-2023 or nnorc@jfsneny.org). We will then email you a link to the program meeting or give you a phone number to call in. We are using a platform called Zoom. For video conferencing, you can use it from your computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone. If you need help getting familiar with Zoom, just call NNORC and we will help you get started.

On the Basis of Sex is a 2018 movie about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, her struggles for equal rights, and the early cases of a historic career that lead to her nomination and confirmation as U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice.

Join us on Thursday, November 7 at 12:00 p.m. at Congregation Beth Emeth (100 Academy Rd, Albany) for lunch by Cardona’s followed by the movie. Please choose chicken parmesan or eggplant parmesan. The cost is $13 for members and $15 for non-members and includes salad, pasta and dessert.

Please make your reservation with NNORC by Tuesday, November 5 at 518-514-2023.