In the Feb. 5, 1982, edition of the Baltimore Jewish Times, the paper published a story about an eight-week workshop held by Jewish Family and Children’s Services aimed at folks whose parents were aging and needed to learn how to care for them. That class provided a crucial resource for Baltimore Jews who wanted to learn about how to navigate a relationship with someone who is getting older, and today, Jewish Community Services, an agency of The Associated, continues that legacy with similar offerings.

Just this week, JCS offered an edition of its class “Living with Parkinson’s Disease,” which helps folks with the disease gain strength from and support each other. JCS has classes on teen dating violence, living with poor vision, classes for those whose loved ones have dementia and more.

The class in 1982 used a variety of techniques to help teach adult children who had aging parents, just like the classes do today.

“Utilizing role playing techniques, mini-lectures and home exercises, participants will be taught to find ways of being helpful to their aged parents, to resolve issues that may arise in three generational households and to cope with their feelings if the need for residential care should also arise.”

Today, the JCS class on dementia is a similar offering. It meets on the first and third Monday of each month, providing the community with ample opportunities to learn from experts and each other.

There is also another frequently-held event called the JCS Memory Cafe, which welcomes those who have memory impairment and their care partners to join JCS each month for a stress-free environment with refreshments, support and sensory-stimulating activities that help keep the brain strong.

For those who need community support to deal with life’s obstacles, JCS is there, just as JFCS was in the early 1980s.

aguckes@midatlanticmedia.com