Los Angeles Jewish Home

Jewish Home resident David Glicker, 82, is hilarious! Check out the video we posted on YouTube last week of a joke he shared with us. A bit of English humour to brighten your day. :)

Labels: Around the Home, David Glicker, Englishman, Funny, Guillotine, Humor, Humour, Irishman, Jewish Home Residents, Jokes, Scotsman, Staff, YouTube

Far too often, seniors in need of care confine themselves to their homes—too frail to venture out, and too proud to ask for assistance. Often, finding reliable resources on services for seniors can be difficult. And, while senior care communities have become vibrant places of health and activity, decades-old images of what senior homes used to be make some seniors and their adult children reticent to seek the help they need. Luckily, newspapers are beginning to communicate that, when it comes to senior care, there are a variety of choices. And each option balances the individual’s level of independence and medical needs.

On Monday, the Los Angeles Times’ Bob Young published a story detailing care options for seniors, featuring expert advice and insight from the Jewish Home’s very own Molly Forrest.

From better healthcare access to increased activity and social interaction, seniors who take advantage of the care options best suited to their needs tend to live longer, happier, healthier lives. And, with variety of services ranging from in-home assistance to skilled nursing (and everything in between), seniors often attain an increased level of independence and higher quality of life.

Read the full LA Times article here. And if you know a senior who could benefit from senior care services, check out our community education resources.

Labels: Adult Children, Aging, Bob Young, Cross Post, Healthy Aging, Los Angeles Times, Molly Forrest, Resources, Senior Care, Senior Resources, Seniors, Staff

Throughout the entire lifespan, most people crave human contact — whether it’s comforting hugs from a close relative, or private intimate moments with a spouse or significant other. It’s a need that never diminishes or goes away, regardless of our age.

Sometimes, though, we make the mistake of ignoring those desires in our elder community. The fact is, though, seniors make up one of the most social, active, and — if they’re healthy enough — sexually active age groups.

This is where Katherine Forsythe comes into the picture. Holding an MSW from the University of Cincinnati, she is one of the foremost authorities on sexuality and aging. Forsythe works with individuals and senior care communities across the country, educating people of all ages on issues revolving around intimacy and relationships.

Katherine’s unique area of expertise makes her a go-to person for health media. She has been quoted in WebMD, 50Fabulous, Active Over 50, and other publications. And her websites, www.getasecondwind.com and www.katherineforsythe.com, attract wide audiences.

On Wednesday, October 26th, 2011, the Jewish Home will be welcoming Katherine Forsythe to our 14th annual Sarnat Symposium. Her presentation, Honoring the Whole Person Throughout the Lifetime: Senior Sexuality Sensitivity Training for Professionals, promises to be enlightening and informative. If you’re interested in hearing Forsythe in person, visit our Sarnat Symposium webpage and register for the event today!

Labels: Aging, Get A Second Wind, GetASecondWind.com, Intimacy, Katherine Forsythe, MSW, Relationships, Sarnat Symposium, Seniors, Sexuality, Staff

by Shelly Ryan

Ok! So many of you can relate to your alarm clock going off and wanting to hit the snooze button a few times! Although I'm not a morning person, I got to work earlier than usual, not knowing what I would face! As luck would have it, I went to JEK 4 to speak to an employee and got off the elevator to find an amazing sight! One of our sweet CNAs was talking to a resident about the resident's son, and this was how the conversation went!

"My son doesn't get to visit me that often because he's always working". The response from our CNA was "That's what's fun about my job, because when I'm working I get to see you"!

The resident welled up with tears and said, "But with your job you HAVE to see me."

And our CNA responded, "That's the beauty of my job! I don't HAVE to see you, I GET to see you!"

The resident then hugged our CNA and said, "You're like my daughter."

The CNA said "You're like my Grandmother—sorry, but I'm younger than your daughter," and they both laughed! And then hugged!

These are the kind of sweet moments I get to see every day! The interaction between our staff and our residents is why I've been here for almost 30 years. Our staff treat our precious residents like family. And the feeling is mutual! Our residents feel the love and care from our staff and it's a bond that is hard to break. At the Home, our staff go beyond "work" and care for our residents as they would a member of their own family. It's truly remarkable! Every consultant and surveyor that comes here, whose job it is to find what we're doing "wrong" versus what we're doing "right", ends up remarking about the relationship between our staff and our residents! To say we're a Jewish Home family is not just "words" here.

There is a strong bond that will forever be imprinted on the hearts of both our staff and residents. If you want to experience the love, come and visit us at any of our buildings. We truly have a unique environment where our staff and residents are equally supportive and protective of each other. It's a heart-warming experience—one I would encourage all of you to experience. Are we perfect? No! But our hearts are in the right place!! There is truly no place like "HOME" and I'm blessed to see it day after day!!

I often joke that we're "chosen", and when I walk the floors I believe it's true!! Each staff member has been "chosen" to care for their residents in a unique and amazing way. When I've had an especially challenging day all I have to do is walk the floors and see what the Home has created. We are truly blessed, and I don't want to take it for granted!!

Thank you to our incredible staff, our families, our volunteers and our supporters for letting the Home be the special place that it is!!:)

Labels: Around the Home, CNA, Family, Grandmother, Mother, Residents, Shelly Ryan, Staff, Sweet Moments, Visiting

The day after Yom Kippur I was up on my ladder putting in place the palm branches which make up the roof covering of my sukkah, and a couple of days later I was up there again, this time to hang dried corn-cobs and gourds as decoration. Here at the Jewish Home, each campus has its own large sukkah, also beautifully decorated.

So what is this festival of Sukkot all about? A clue is given by its additional, descriptive, name. Pesach is known as the Season of our Freedom, and Shavuot is the Season of the Giving of our Torah. But Sukkot marks no such weighty event; it is simply Z’man Simchateinu, the Season of our Joy.

Rabbi Anthony Elman serves as Rabbi of the Jewish Home's Grancell Village Campus. His professional background is multifaceted, encompassing the fields of law, social work, and psychotherapy. Rabbi Elman has been with the Home since his ordination and graduation from the Academy for Jewish Religion-California in May 2007

Labels: Chag Sameach, Corn, Elman, Etrog, For the Spirit, Gourds, Lulav, myrtle, palm, Season of Joy, Sukkah, Sukkot, willow, Z'man Simchateinu

Gambling addiction among seniors is a growing problem. The cocktail of loneliness, cognitive decline, too much free time, and the perception of money to spare have the potential to create a perfect storm that could lead to a serious mental condition and a financial mess.

Enter Dr. Timothy Fong, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program. His life work is dedicated to finding the root causes of — and solutions to — gambling addiction.

After receiving his Medical Doctorate from Northwestern University, Dr. Fong did his residency and served in a fellowship position at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital. He is considered a leading figure in addiction pathologies. Watch the video below for a brief introduction into Dr. Fong’s expertise.

On Wednesday, October 26, 2011, the Jewish Home will be welcoming Dr. Fong as one of our guest speakers at the 14th annual Sarnat Symposium. His discussion, Pathological Gambling: Addressing the Hidden Addiction, will delve into the underlying issues behind senior gambling addiction and the ways to help victims of this debilitating condition.

If you would like to hear Dr. Timothy Fong speak at the Los Angeles Jewish Home’s 14th annual Sarnat Symposium, visit the Sarnat Symposium webpage and register today.

Labels: Addiction, Elderly, Gambling, Neuroscience, Pathology, Psychiatry, Sarnat Symposium, Seniors, Staff, Timothy Fong, UCLA

There’s no doubt that if you’ve watched television, turned on the radio, browsed the internet, or read a newspaper, you’ve seen something about changes in funding for aging services—both in California and nationwide. If you’re unclear about what those changes are, look no further.

At the Los Angeles Jewish Home’s 14th annual Sarnat Symposium, Aging Services of California president and CEO Joanne Handy, one of the leading experts on senior care advocacy, will be discussing all of the possible changes to senior care funding in her lecture, Impact of Federal Healthcare Reform on Aging Services.

Handy has been at the forefront of senior healthcare for decades. In the past, she worked for organizations like the Visiting Nurse Association of Boston, the Institute of Aging in San Francisco, and UCSF – Mount Zion Medical Center. She also was a national board member of AARP.

Today, as head of the premier senior care advocacy organization in the state, Handy raises awareness and develops strategies to improve care for aging Californians. For those who don’t know, Aging Services of California is the state affiliate of LeadingAge, formerly known as AAHSA.

If you would like to hear Joanne Handy speak at the Los Angeles Jewish Home’s 14th annual Sarnat Symposium on Wednesday, October 26, 2011, visit the Sarnat Symposium webpage and register today.

Labels: AAHSA, Aging Services of California, Federal, Funding, Government, Healthcare, Jewish Home for the Aging, Joanne Handy, LeadingAge, Los Angeles Jewish Home, Sarnat Symposium, Senior Care

Have you been to one of the Jewish Home’s annual Sarnat Symposia? Over the last 13 years, the Jewish Home has amassed an impressive list of speakers on a vast array of topics. The 14th annual Sarnat Symposium is proving to be no exception.

One of our guest speakers in this year’s lineup is a USC professor named Victor Regnier. A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Regnier holds a dual bachelor’s degree in engineering and architecture, as well as a master’s degree in the latter specialty.

Over the last few decades, Professor Regnier has become one of the foremost experts behind housing for seniors. He is the only person to hold a dual appointment to a school of architecture and a school of gerontology.

At this year’s Sarnat Symposium, Regnier will be giving his talk entitled Innovative Ideas for the Design of Housing for the Elderly from Asia, the US and Northern Europe. For those interested in the future of senior living, this is a rare opportunity for a sneak peak at the newest developments from one of the most respected minds in that field.

If you would like to hear Professor Victor Regnier speak at the Los Angeles Jewish Home’s 14th annual Sarnat Symposium on Wednesday, October 26, 2011, visit the Sarnat Symposium webpage and register today.

Labels: Architecture, Elderly, Gerontology, Innovation, Professor, Sarnat Symposium, Seniors, Speaker, USC, Victor Regnier