New Prescriptions

Aging

In the Jewish tradition, every human life, no matter how frail, has infinite value. The Jewish Healthcare Foundation measures its own value by anticipating the needs of the frail and vulnerable. The Foundation helps seniors age with dignity, security and loving care by funding and creating new engagement options for the most active, appropriate geriatric care for all, including a broader range of housing, human service and end-of-life options for the frailest.

Pittsburgh Elderhostel

Based on a larger national program of the same name, Elderhostel gives seniors opportunities for learning, social and cultural engagement, and community involvement. A network of community organizations, including the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, ensures the success of this program by adapting current cultural, social, and civic institutions to suit the needs and perspectives of active seniors.

Medicare Centralized Information and Coordination Project

As government institutions transitioned into providing the new Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan, it was important that residents who previously relied on Medicare and Medicaid would continue to receive the benefits to which they were entitled. This program offered a transitional safety net, providing individuals in Allegheny County with all the information necessary to help them choose the prescription plans that were right for them, and to ensure that this information was distributed in a timely manner.

End-of-Life Care Initiatives

Experience and studies show that one of the major inadequacies in end-of-life care is the lack of honest and meaningful discussions among patients, their families, and their caregivers. When such communication is lacking, it can lead to dissatisfaction and stress for the patient and family, as well as costly care that may neither be wanted nor warranted. The Jewish Healthcare Foundation has made numerous grants intended to advance end-of-life care, including a one-year, $60,000 grant to the University of Pittsburgh Center for Biomedical Ethics to fund a targeted, widespread, year-long education and research program.