Dear friends,
This has been an unsettling week for many of our elders and staff as we watched the events in Washington on Wednesday. Many of our elders were glued to the news and there was a lot to discuss afterwards. We held discussion groups on both campuses on Thursday and at Jewish Home Assisted Living both Rabbi Korenblit and Professor Ian Drake provided insights, and led conversations, on Friday. We expect that there will be also be a lot of interest in the upcoming inauguration and will provide opportunities to share the experience as well as discuss it.
Our big event, within our organization, has been preparing for additional COVID vaccine administration. As you may know, all vaccine administration for senior living residents and staff is being done by either CVS/Omnicare or Walgreens. We were required to choose a pharmacy partner months ago and selected CVS. The first vaccine clinic for the Jewish Home Family was held on December 28 at the Jewish Home of Rockleigh and the second Rockleigh clinic is scheduled for January 18. At that time, staff and elders who received their first dose of vaccine in December will receive their second dose and other staff and residents will receive their first dose. Those who receive their first dose on the 18th will get their second at the third clinic, early in February. CVS will be at Jewish Home Assisted Living on Saturday, January 16 for the first vaccine clinic at that location. Elders and staff will receive their first dose on that date and there are dates already in place for the second and third clinics. We are working intently to make certain that all of our elders have the opportunity to be vaccinated and our goal is to have 100% of the staff receive the vaccine. While we know that goal for staff might be a stretch, we are going to push hard to try and reach it! Our staff know firsthand what COVID can do, they have lived through an extraordinarily difficult year and, as we continue to tell them, the vaccine is the only weapon we have to fight this virus. We hope that you, too, will have the chance to receive the vaccine soon.
The week at Jewish Home Assisted Living began on Sunday with a travelogue to Sydney, Australia and the afternoon opera was “Lucia di Lammermoor” followed by a discussion entitled “Annus Horribillis and It’s A Wonderful Life” led by Rabbi Korenblit. On Monday we enjoyed “Today in History” followed by a biography of Joe Namath and games on the In2L (It’s Never 2 Late system). Tuesday included a documentary of the “hidden secrets” of New York and a performance of Mahler’s Symphony no. 5 by the University of Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Later in the day we enjoyed some Yoga to keep our bodies moving. The “Magnificent Butterflies of Mexico” was a big hit to begin our day on Wednesday and there was also a fascinating documentary and discussion on P.T. Barnum. Keeping on the Barnum theme, the afternoon movie feature was “The Greatest Showman.” Beyond current events on Thursday we also had Zoom exercise with Patrick, a performance of “The Ten Tenors Live,” music and motion with Rafael and an ice cream social to round out the day. Friday’s highlights, in addition to programs with Rabbi Korenblit and Professor Ian Drake on the election and the events of this week, included a biography of Milton Hershey and a travelogue to Malawi Africa.
At the Jewish Home at Rockleigh we began on Sunday with live music followed by trivia, morning stretch, “Name that Tune,” and “Mind and Motion.” Our Sunday evening film was “A Little Romance.” On Monday we had many meaningful activities including book discussion, music trivia, brain teasers, Community Circle and Jewish traditions with Rabbi Feld. In recognition of the winter season we had a special art project on Tuesday, making colorful and sparkly snowflakes. Of course we’d all rather see paper snowflakes than the real ones hitting the ground! In the afternoon “Painting with a Twist” found us decorating jewelry boxes using tape, paint and glitter. The tape was applied first, then the paint and when the tape was removed it created some really interesting designs. We also held a meeting of the Russian Club for our Russian speaking elders on the Seiden unit. We celebrated the anniversary of the television program “Wheel of Fortune” on Wednesday and had fun playing that game throughout the building. We also brought the Concierge Care around, enjoyed “Music Around the World” as well as Tai Chi, Young at Art and Bingo Bonanza. In addition to our current events discussions on Thursday, we also had great musical programs including “Making the Band,” “Karaoke Fun,” and “Name that Tune.” Friday was Elvis Presley’s 86th birthday and we shared videos and memories about the “King of Rock and Roll.” It was also annual Argyle Day so we did a fun art project making argyle designs with paper. Other programs included Poetry Circle, music trivia and other small group programs.
This was a Times of Israel blog week for me and here is the link: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/looking-forward/ As always, your feedback is welcome.
Be well,
Carol Silver Elliott
President/CEO
The Jewish Home Family
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10 Link Drive Rockleigh, NJ 07647 | 685 Westwood Ave. River Vale, NJ 07675