about us
Connections at Home assists low income, homebound seniors experiencing social isolation. Our support team connects them to their communities through easy-to-use technology.
Our Mission
Launched in 2014, Connections at Home is currently providing 120 homebound seniors with a free computer or tablet, specially programmed to meet their needs, as well as social service help. Our clients are age 65 to 100.
HOW IT STARTED
Our History
"The HomeCare Division of Vanguard Medical makes house calls to patients who are homebound and alone. The HomeCare staff found many of these patients hadn't had a hot meal in weeks, lived in cluttered and unsafe housing, and had no one checking in on them. The medical team would end up making scrambled eggs for patients just so that they could have a hot meal.
This sparked the idea for Connections at Home - how to serve the non-medical needs of this elderly population, whose isolation results in mental and physical ailments that require more than medicine to address. Social workers, technology, and regular check-ins make a huge difference for these seniors.”
Our team
Dr. Thomas McCarrick
Medical Director, Vanguard Medical Group
Founder, Connections at Home
Get to know our team!
Alex Kent
Executive Director
alex.kent@cahnj.org
Ilana Mazur
Social Worker
ilana.mazur@cahnj.org
Lynn Kuran
Lead Social Worker
Ann Koenig
Social Worker
ann.koenig@cahnj.org
Elizabeth Hughes
Social Worker
Ms. Hughes conducts weekly phone calls and video chats with clients who use a GrandPad tablet or Telikin computer, and also assists them with social service needs. Elizabeth has a BS degree in Mathematics from Syracuse University and a MS degree in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and in her previous career she worked as an engineer in the field of signal processing. She has been a member of the CAH team for more than four years, working initially as a client liaison while she earned her Master of Social Work degree from Rutgers University.
elizabeth.hughes@cahnj.org
Coleen Walter
Client Liaison
Ms. Walter is responsible for weekly phone calls and zoom visits with clients utilizing the Telikin computer and Grandpad tablet. She assists with simple social service needs as necessary and refers clients to social workers for major issues as they arise. Coleen has over 4 years’ experience working with individuals first as a volunteer and now as a member of the CAH team. She holds a BS in Psychology and Sociology from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Coleen.walter@cahnj.org
