We had the good fortune of connecting with Marlene Salomon Ceragno and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Marlene, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Technically, the Adult Care Brief Bank is not a business, it’s a grassroots project that grew out of a need for an elderly family member who had outlived her money. I think many non-profits, movements, businesses come out of an unmet need and people thinking ‘if not me who’, will help fix the problem. The Adult Care Brief Bank exists to raise awareness, reduce the stigma, and to help provide adult absorbent products to seniors in need in Bergen County, NJ. My dream is for others to duplicate the idea in their towns, states, etc. so that older adults do not have to choose between purchasing food, medications and/or absorbent items.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As I mentioned, I found the love of older adults later in life, but I think because of wisdom that comes with age and passion to get things done, I devoured schooling and learning about aging. While it was not easy to do with college aged children, a husband and job, it gave me a new interest and purpose in life. Aside from being the founder of the Adult Care Brief Bank aka, the Brief Babe, I am the Director of Caregiver Services and Outreach of the senior department of the Kaplen JCC. This is the other passion of mine, helping care-partners of those living with cognitive decline. I facilitate caregiver support groups for spouses and adult children, giving them a safe space to vent, share, cry, laugh, and learn about resources in the area. I love to share tips and tricks that may make their journey a little easier. It’s important to connect care-partners with local resources, doing the footwork for them, whether it’s recommending a home health care agency, an elder care attorney, or long-term care facility. They say aging is not for sissies, and they are right. But with the right support, advocating to reduce the stigma associated with aging, and educating individuals on topics such as the need for adult absorbent products at a free or affordable price, aging gracefully is attainable.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I couldn’t have accomplished this without the support of my family and friends, but my place of employment and colleagues gave me the opportunity to start my Adult Care Brief Bank. While working in the Early Childhood department of the Kaplen JCC, an opportunity opened up in the Senior department. I was able to make the transition thanks to my colleagues. I fell in love with older adults and in my 50s went back to school, starting by finishing my Associate’s degree at Bergen Community College, Bachelor’s at Thomas Edison University and Master’s at UMass Boston. While getting ready to do my capstone project and finding my aunt in need of social services, that luckily I learned about on the job and in school, I found that there was a very expensive resource that we could not get help for, adult absorbent products. There are diaper banks all over the country, but there are no agencies that collect and distribute adult products. I asked my professor if I could start an adult care brief bank for my capstone, and while she felt it was a very unsexy topic, let me try non-the-less. The stigma is great, so finding help was difficult. But with the support of the JCC, letting me host my first drive, and the local food bank, the Center for Food Action, who was the first agency who would agree to distribute the items, the bank was born. I am now 12 years running with hundreds of thousands of items collected and distributed to our county’s low-income seniors. It takes a village, so between my colleagues, agencies who have hosted events and collections, and the agencies that distribute, it is truly a team effort.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adultcarebrief
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoqXA5ZRjSM
Other: https://www.jccotp.org/programs/caregiver-services/