Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey’s Maria Iavarone becomes Executive Director of Lutheran Senior LIFE at Jersey City.

Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey (LSMNJ), a faith-based nonprofit organization based in Burlington, New Jersey, recently announced the promotion of Maria Iavarone to the position of Executive Director of Lutheran Senior LIFE at Jersey City. Formerly Center Director at Lutheran Senior LIFE since 2017, Iavarone became Executive Director in November 2021.

Lutheran Senior LIFE (LIFE) is a program delivering all healthcare services to seniors with chronic care needs. In addition, the program ensures participants can live independently in their home for as long as possible. When LIFE opened in the fall of 2010, it introduced Hudson County seniors to an innovative approach to healthcare known as “PACE” (the federally recognized Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly).  

Iavarone has been licensed in nursing home administration since 2005 and has been a member of the Lutheran Senior LIFE team since 2016, first as a Quality Coordinator, then as Center Director. As Executive Director, Iavarone oversees all aspects of the LIFE program. She works with community partners and serves as a liaison to spread the word about LIFE and the services the program provides, including coordinated care and health coverage for senior citizens who desire to age in place. “PACE is the best model of care out there for seniors,” Iavarone shares. “As Executive Director, I know that at the end of the day, I’m making a difference in people’s lives by helping provide the services that keep them in their homes.” 

The new year brings new excitement and new challenges, as Lutheran Senior LIFE will soon begin allowing participants to return to the LIFE center and experience the social fellowship that many seniors have missed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Iavarone looks forward to interacting even more with the community she serves. Though all LIFE services have continued in-home during the pandemic, “people often feel better if they can get up, get dressed, and get out, and that’s what we aim to provide at the center: a fun-filled day.” Lutheran Senior LIFE and LSMNJ are ready to build on past excellence with Executive Director Maria Iavarone at the helm.

About LSMNJ

Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey (LSMNJ) is a grace-filled, faith-based, statewide, not-for-profit provider of compassionate, quality senior care services, hospice and home care, affordable housing for seniors and families, and immigration legal services, as well as community-based programs and services. For more information about LSMNJ, we invite you to tour our website at www.lsmnj.org.