K'VOD connect
What We Do: Reach Out to Older Adults
K'vod Connect is a Jewish Family Service program dedicated to helping isolated seniors and family caregivers flourish. And we are meeting an immense need: since our start in 2022, we already have exceeded all expectations, with over 850 participants. We meet our participants where they are; addressing their emotional, spiritual, and social needs, and connecting them with the broader Jewish community—and each other.
In March of 2025 K’vod Connect was honored to receive the Association for Professionals in Aging’s Outstanding Project in the Field of Aging Award.
Our Approach: Proactive
Unlike many programs that wait for individuals to seek help, K'vod Connect proactively reaches out to older adults. We meet participants where they are at, in the way they want to be engaged. We partner with congregations, agencies, and medical professionals to identify individuals who would benefit from more social engagement. We also partner with local residential facilities in the Cincinnati area. We currently work with Cedar Village, The Seasons, The Summit of Blue Ash, The Kenwood, and Marjorie P. Lee, and are open to more.
Our “Why”: Connection
According to AARP, isolation is a major risk factor for heart disease, high blood pressure, and early onset dementia in older adults. The health impact is as severe as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. We made this program because we know how important connection is.
Our Basic Services
We know that many seniors prefer to remain in familiar surroundings, so we see older adults where they live. We offer:
home visits
Thoughtful, regular visits from trained K’vod Connect staff and volunteers, who we call our Shalom Corps. (To learn more about being a volunteer, see below.) We offer companionship, conversation, emotional support, and spiritual presence. These visits are often the highlight of our participants’ week.
Social Work Services
Our rabbis and chaplains provide compassionate, individualized spiritual support—whether through prayer, conversation, or simply being a calming presence. We help older adults and their families connect to Jewish life, celebrate tradition, and find meaning in every stage of life.
Spiritual Care
Our experienced social workers help older adults navigate complex systems and access vital services such as food delivery, healthcare, transportation, and housing support. Volunteers often assist with coordination and follow-up, expanding our impact.
Our Group Services
While our go-to service is individual home visits, group-based programming has been a natural next step. We ensure older adults don’t have to choose between independence and community life. In independent K’vod groups, and in our partner facilities, we create robust spiritual, social, and educational programs that build community and connection.
Jewish Life for Groups
We bring vibrant, accessible Jewish life into the heart of local neighborhoods all around Cincinnati. Our programs offer joyful, meaningful ways to gather, learn, and celebrate Jewish life together.
Social Life for Groups
Join the fun for our lunch & learns, movie nights, coffee dates, field trips, guest speakers, and Jewish learning and other educational classes.
Spiritual Life in Our Partner Facilities
We offer holiday and Shabbat services and more for groups at our partner facilities.
Join the Shalom Corps Volunteer Program
Our work would not be possible without our Shalom Corps Volunteer Program. This unique initiative pairs active volunteers of any age with seniors who are more isolated, homebound, or limited to staying in a facility. or homebound. Volunteers receive thoughtful training in areas such as active listening, aging, spiritual sensitivity, and Jewish values. With oversight and continued support from our staff, volunteers make home visits, phone calls, and participate in group programming.
These connections don’t just improve well-being—they build community, friendship, and dignity.
Our Partnerships
K’vod Connect works with AgeWell Cincinnati, a central resource connecting older adults to more than sixty services available through its three partner organizations: the Mayerson JCC, the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, and JVS Careers. As a part of Jewish Family Service, we of course work with the whole organization, especially JFS’s Center for Holocaust Survivors, the Russian Jewish Cultural Center, Adult Day Services, and the Counseling and Care Management programs.
KNOW SOMEONE WHO NEEDS HELP?
For more information or to help us help others, please contact Rabbi Yair Walton at (513)
766-3333 or ywalton@jfscinti.org.
To learn more about volunteering, contact Bethany Putnam, Support Services Manager for K'vod Connect, at XXX-XXXX or bputnam@jfscinti.org.