- Seniors
Melissa, a New Yorker, became concerned when she learned that her only living relative, Aunt Millie, in Palo Alto, was a victim of a financial scam and was experiencing significant memory loss. “I can’t handle my aunt’s affairs long-distance, so I was grateful when a friend found JFCS’ Conservatorship program,” says Melissa. “It has given me peace of mind.”
Thanks to the program, all of Millie’s needs—whether they relate to housing, health, finances, or day-to-day affairs—are tended to by JFCS care managers.
“To be conserved, clients like Millie have to be shown to be lacking the capacity to make decisions on their own,” says attorney Bruce Feder, who specializes in elder law. “The courts, which must rule on whether a person can be conserved, take their task very seriously. Over the years, they have placed a great deal of trust in JFCS because the agency has established a lot of credibility in assisting clients without the wherewithal to manage their daily or long-range needs.”
“We oversee everything for Millie,” says Traci Dobronravova, MSW, Associate Director of Seniors At Home, who manages the program. “Our care manager found her a good place to live in an assisted living residence on the Peninsula, we make sure that she gets to her medical appointments, we handle her bills and taxes, and we visit with her at least once a month to make sure that she is happy and healthy.”
For Melissa, the knowledge that Millie’s needs are being attended to has brought great relief. “I work and have a family of my own, and there is no way I could shuttle between New York and the Bay Area and take care of everything for my aunt,” she says. “What JFCS does is both unique and exceptional.”
To learn more about it, call 415-449-3777 or email [email protected].