Dear friends,
Did you know that today was National Employee Appreciation Day? Not sure who invented this day but, as they say, “it’s a thing.” We’ve made the most of it at the Jewish Home Family! We are very well aware that it is our staff that make the Jewish Home what it is, who provide the care, compassion and commitment that are key to our quality and our success. And, as we always tell them, we can’t say thank you often enough. We take every opportunity that presents itself to make sure we take the time to let each and every one of them know how much they are appreciated and today was one of those days. We had a lot of fun with residents putting together small gift bags for the staff. Each bag holds some Hershey kisses and is tied with festive ribbons and a card that says “Here’s just a little ‘kiss’ to tell you how much we appreciate all that you do.” Between residents at the Jewish Home at Rockleigh and Jewish Home Assisted Living and participants in the Gallen Day Center, they put together the full 525 bags that we needed! And the afternoon was highlighted by ice cream socials in each location, just a little something to bring a smile and give us a chance to thank them in person. It was lively fun for all!
In the Gallen Day Center, we had some other great events this week. We began Monday with a fun program called “Unfreeze your Brain” and had an afternoon of entertainment with “the king of keys” Peter Lieberman. On Tuesday participants loved “cooking with Nina.” This week they enjoyed making (and eating!) Rice Krispie treats. We had our women’s group on Wednesday, Opening Minds through Art and moving with the music on Thursday. We also continued our great specialized Parkinson’s program with boxing, Delay the Disease and so much more.
Jewish Home Assisted Living residents enjoyed watching the Academy awards together on Sunday night. They were especially interested in seeing which film won the Oscar for Best Picture and were delighted that it was “Green Book,” a film they’ve recently seen and enjoyed. On Monday, our Memory Lane residents enjoyed a presentation by one of our long term employees. Agnes shared a slide show and stories from her home country of Ghana. She even brought in special items from home that represent her country. Residents had many questions and there was lots of conversation. We also had volunteer Carol Skarimbas join all of us with cabaret singing on Monday afternoon, always a huge hit. Tuesday, by resident request, we showed “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Our residents are hooked on this show and it is fun for all. Wednesday’s book club featured a discussion of “Once We Were Brothers” by Ronald Balson and we also had a great afternoon outing to Chico’s. All the ladies came back with packages and big smiles and one announced “I am ready for spring!” On Thursday we had another meeting of the New Acitivity Committee. Residents and staff are working together to plan new programs and they had great feedback on both the Presidential and Black History month programs that were held in February. Our upcoming series features famous Jewish woman and there’s a lot of excitement about that!
Jewish Home at Rockleigh residents began the week with our Sunday Afternoon of Music, this week featuring the Valley group which brings together students from local schools. On Monday we had both the monthly Resident Council meeting and a rehearsal for our annual musical! Tuesday included Brain Busters with Florence Poris, which is always a hit. On Wednesday and Thursday, residents helped create gifts for the staff for Employee Appreciation Day and they loved taking part in that. And on Thursday afternoon we had an absolutely packed house for our “Through the Decades” party. This month was the 1970’s and DJ Mayo provided great music. The room was decorated, some of the staff were in 70’s costumes and residents loved it. Folks were moving to the music and singing along. On Friday we baked challahs and talked about Shabbat Across America. We also had Jewish Home University. This session’s topic was “An American Story” focused on immigration to the United States. Some of our residents told their own stories or stories of their families.
Save the date for our Opening Minds through Art show opening. It’s Sunday March 24, 10:30 am at the Jewish Home at Rockleigh and 2 pm at Jewish Home Assisted Living. It is always such a joy to see our artists and their families and our OMA volunteers together, celebrating their extraordinary achievements in this program.
All the best,
Carol Silver Elliott
President/CEO
The Jewish Home Family
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Volunteer Opportunity of the Week
The coaching staff of our Rock Steady Boxing program at the Jewish Home Assisted Living in River Vale is looking for a few enthusiastic volunteers who can make a weekly commitment on either:
· Mondays and/or Fridays at 2:00 – 3:00 PM
· Tuesdays and/or Thursdays at 10:00 – 11:00 AM or 11:30 – 12:30 PM
No boxing experience is necessary. This cutting edge exercise program is designed to help those individuals with Parkinson’s Disease. Volunteers will be assisting with taking boxing gloves on and off the participants, as well as providing assistance and encouragement with the various exercises.
For more info or to sign up, contact Director of Volunteers Stacey Orden at sorden@jewishhomefamily.org or 201-518-1175
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10 Link Drive Rockleigh, NJ 07647 | 685 Westwood Ave. River Vale, NJ 07675