Dear friends,
A number of us have spent time this week in a very special program. We were delighted to receive a grant from the Parkinson’s Foundation to bring LaughActive training to the Jewish Home Family. LaughActive is a dedicated strength, balance, endurance and flexibility exercise program enhanced by intentional laughter. Our intent is to both hold dedicated LaughActive classes for our residents as well as to incorporate these techniques into existing programs. We learned that the body cannot differentiate between spontaneous and intentional laughter and that laughter of any sort has a positive impact on both our physical and emotional wellbeing. The program is a “train the trainer” model and spans two full days, giving lots of tools for us to use and to also share. We are very grateful to the Parkinson’s Foundation for their generosity and support.
In the Gallen Day Center, we began the week with an amazing program. We had a visit from Cupid, who is a therapy pony. Yes, you read that correctly. Cupid is a Shetland pony who has been specially trained. His owner has a passion for therapy animals and she began working with therapy ponies a number of years ago. Cupid is small, just the right height to walk around and rest his head on someone’s lap while seated. He delighted all of the Gallen Center participants with his gentle affection and then he visited residents in the nursing home as well. (Click for photos)
Tuesday included music by Mark Wright, featuring patriotic songs in keeping with Memorial Day. We also had a workout session, Brain Busters led by some new teen volunteers and, of course, our specialty Parkinson’s program. Wednesday included a lunch outing to the Lotus Café in Hackensack, which was a huge hit. We also had word games in the morning and a fun “grab bag” program in the afternoon, where participants pull items out of a bag of random things and talk about the item that they grabbed. Thursday included music and a session of Delay the Disease, an exercise program focused on individuals with Parkinson’s disease. We wrapped up the week with a visit from the Gerrard Berman Music Choir which everyone thoroughly enjoyed.
At the Jewish Home at Rockleigh on Sunday, we held an encore performance of this year’s play “The Great American Songbook.” (Photos here, video here) As with the performance last week, it was a huge hit and played to a standing room only crowd. On Tuesday we had a cast party for the performers (“the Rockleigh Chorus”) and everyone loved watching the video and throwing out suggestions for next year’s production. Monday included a session of Opening Minds through Art, a program that brings so much to our elders living with dementia. Later in the day our friend Florence Poris led another program of “Brain Busters.” She does a lot of research to come up with questions that offer mental stimulation and the programs are lively and thought provoking. We also enjoyed a special Classical Ballet performance featuring students aged 8 to 16. They were beautifully costumed and performed wonderful numbers including the Sleeping Beauty waltz, Fan Dance, Pas de Deux and more. The favorite of the residents was the finale with all of the girls in different color pastel tutus. On Tuesday we had our Resident Council meeting which is always very interactive and lively. Wednesday included “Your Favorite Tunes” on the Rubin unit which involved both guessing familiar tunes and a sing-a-long. You may not have known that Wednesday was also National Vanilla Pudding Day but we knew it! The residents made parfaits with vanilla pudding, fresh fruit, vanilla wafers and whipped cream. It was both tasty and fun. We also had our annual Coney Island Day on Wednesday, enjoying a variety of games facilitated by our friends from NCJW. Thursday included another round of our Spelling Bee and a Lag B’Omer discussion. Director of Maintenance Omar Anderson presented this week’s Jewish Home University and educated all of us on fire safety.
On Sunday May 19, Rabbi Korenblit kicked off the week for Jewish Home Assisted Living residents with a program called “Passover II—Yes, Passover Does Ring Twice!” Sunday afternoon also marked a first on Memory Lane, our very own Spelling Bee. On Monday the Spelling Bee continued at Assisted Living and Julie Cochrane, Director of Activities, read excerpts from Judith Viorst’s book “Nearing 90 and Other Comedies of Late Life,” which resulted in lots of conversation and laughter. There was also a shopping trip to Trader Joe’s. Tuesday included a program on Doris Day and a screening of the film “Pillow Talk.” Memory Lane residents talked about the 92nd anniversary of Lindberg’s trans-Atlantic flight and mapped out the route he followed from New York to Paris. On Wednesday, another travel log by popular request! This time Rick Steves took us on a tour of England. We also took a field trip to the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades where elders from both Memory Lane and Assisted Living enjoyed the annual Yiddish concert. On Thursday Rabbi Korenblit held both a Yiddish class and a discussion on Lag B’Omer and Memory Lane residents enjoyed a visit and sing-a-long from Margie. We wrapped up the week with another session of a favorite, our Kindness Rocks program. It’s both a fun project to do and a great time for staff and elders to socialize and chat.
This was a blog week for me and here is the link: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/counting-them-out As always, your feedback is welcome.
We wish you a safe and happy holiday weekend!
All the best,
Carol Silver Elliott
President/CEO
The Jewish Home Family
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Jewish Home Executives Interviewed for LeadingAge Podcast
In this podcast, “Serving Older Adults Living With Parkinson’s,” [LeadingAge] talks to 3 guests: Carol Silver Elliott, CEO/president of The Jewish Home Family, Rockleigh, NJ, and chair-elect of LeadingAge; Sunni Herman, executive vice president, Jewish Home at Rockleigh; and Melissa Ward, vice president of clinical and regulatory affairs for Functional Pathways, based in Knoxville, TN. This interview was recorded in October 2018 at the LeadingAge Annual Meeting & EXPO in Philadelphia, PA.
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Volunteer Opportunity of the Week
Come join the fun with the Jewish Home at Rockleigh’s “Summer Teen Program”. We are looking for enthusiastic teens, age 14 or older, who can give a minimum of a 2-week commitment. Most teens select 4 or 6 weeks to participate. Tasks include assisting the recreation staff with activities with the residents. Free lunch included. The fun begins on Monday, July 8th. The hours are 9:30 – 4:00. Don’t miss out, as we have limited spaces!
Please contact Stacey Orden, Director of Volunteer Services at sorden@jewishhomefamily.org or 201-518-1175 with questions or to sign up.
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Our Golf Outing is Around the Corner!
Click the images below for more information!
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10 Link Drive Rockleigh, NJ 07647 | 685 Westwood Ave. River Vale, NJ 07675