Bright Side Now a Care Management Agency for JACC Program

The Bright Side Family, in keeping with its mission to help connect older adults to the resources they need to safely and comfortably age in place, has recently become a provider of care management services for a state-funded in-home care program.

Social Worker Nicole Torres, who divides her time between PALS clients in Westwood and our community-based programs, is newly trained as a care manager for Jersey Assistance for Community Caregiving (JACC), a program that helps older residents of modest means afford the care they need.

“JACC is important because it allows individuals to age in the comfort of their own homes while receiving the support they need to maintain their independence,” Torres said. “I think it's great that Bright Side has become one of the care management agencies for JACC because it allows us to help more people access the care they need to live safely & comfortably in their homes.”

The program provides a broad array of in-home and community-based services to New Jersey residents age 60 and older who are deemed clinically eligible for a nursing home placement, because they that need assistance with tasks such as bathing, dressing, toileting, or transferring.

To financially qualify, individuals must have monthly incomes of less than $4,760 and no more than $40,000 in assets. For married couples, incomes must be under $6,433 and assets under

$60,000.

The goal of the program is to allow eligible participants to remain in their own homes for as long as possible by strengthening their networks of informal caregivers and giving them the option to direct their own care, including hiring their own providers, if desired.

All JACC recipients are assigned a care manager to help them determine what services they need and what agencies or providers to choose from. The list of possible services includes home-care services, adult day programs, delivered meals, home modifications, transportation services, medical equipment and more.

The program has a long wait list, and The Bright Side Family is the first new JACC provider in Bergen County in nearly two decades.

“At The Bright Side Family, our mission has always been to ensure older adults have access to safe housing, supportive services, and the dignity of choice as they age,” said Alexandra Valdivia, Community Programs Manager for The Bright Side Family.  “With the addition of Nicole Torres to our social work team as Care Manager for JACC services, we are proud to further expand that mission in Bergen County.”

“Without programs like JACC, many of the older adults we serve would struggle to afford the in-home care they need and would be left without the support necessary to safely age in place,” Valdivia said. “Taking on the provision of these services felt like a natural progression for us.”

Click here for a flier about the JACC program.