There is a bright spot amidst what can feel like the countless challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic: the smiling faces of Jewish Home residents able to connect with family and friends. Thanks to the Home's iPad donation program, our seniors can laugh, celebrate and catch up with loved ones—all while safely avoiding exposure to the harmful effects of COVID-19. The program was born out of necessity. The pandemic has had a profound impact on everyone, and the residents of the Jewish Home have not been immune to that disruption. Due both to the highly contagious nature of the disease and seniors' particular susceptibility to it, the Home took early and aggressive action to safeguard residents' lives. The Jewish Home's protective measures included temporarily halting visits, which meant finding alternative ways for residents to be in contact with the people they hold most dear. Generous donor contributions from all parts of the community enabled the Home to purchase iPads for use across both the Eisenberg Village and Grancell Village campuses. Residents are able to access the technology to reach out to connect with their family members. If they are unfamiliar with iPads and how they work, Jewish Home staff are available to help get them up and running on the equipment. The program, notes Corey Slavin, vice president of community engagement, has been a crucial lifeline for residents at an especially vulnerable time. "The iPads are a touchstone for residents and their families, allowing them to see one another, express their feelings, and catch up on what's been happening in each other's lives," she says. "Due to pandemic safety measures, there have been no visits from the public at the Home for months, and that includes holidays like Mother's Day. We recognize it's been hard on our residents and their families, and things like having ‘face-to-face' conversations can make such a difference." The Home is grateful to the supporters who have made the iPad donation program possible. When they first heard of the needs, Marilyn and Cal Gross immediately provided funding for the purchase of 30 iPads; Dr. Boris Ratiner bought iPads, as well, and the Oscar Litwak Foundation raised money to help buy even more. "Our donors are amazing, and they have once again stepped up at a critical juncture," Slavin says. "Their generosity, warmth, and compassion are helping our residents stay happy, healthy, and optimistic about the future."

What better way to bring joy and comfort to a senior's life than to write them a Note of Love? While recent months have required the Jewish Home to curtail visitation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, every effort is being made to keep the residents not only safe and healthy, but also engaged, active and entertained. One great way we can all take part is by sending Notes of Love to the residents. Notes of Love is a creative and simple way to say you care while making a tremendous difference in the day of a Senior. Whether or not you have a loved one or a friend at the Jewish Home, or have been looking to make a difference during this difficult time, sending a Note of Love is a way to say you care. There is no minimum age requirement to send in your "note" and you don't need to be an artist—adults and kids alike are encouraged to write a note, draw/paint a picture, or make a photo collage. Your Notes of Love will demonstrate to our Seniors that they are being thought of with love during this time. Once your "note" is received by the Jewish Home, we will distribute and post them throughout our campuses providing our residents with a virtual hug from the community. There is no need to put a specific date or name on the communication as we will share them broadly at our various sites over the coming weeks. To participate, simply send your creation to Stacy Orbach C/O Los Angeles Jewish Home, 7150 Tampa Avenue, Reseda, CA 91335 or send via email to [email protected]. And remember to share your act of kindness by tagging us @lajewishhome.

On July 23, the Los Angeles Jewish Home's Annenberg School of Nursing (ASN) hosted a very special and unique "drive-thru" commencement ceremony. The event—always joyful—held particular resonance this year, as 23 new vocational nurses, ASN's largest class ever, celebrated the determination and drive that kept them going even in the midst of the worst global pandemic in a century. Social distancing and safety protocols made a more typical ceremony impossible but that did not stop the celebration. ASN developed a drive-thru version of the "procession" enabling the graduates' family members and close friends to be present for the occasion. Also on hand were Jewish Home CEO-President Molly Forrest, ASN Board President Shelly Steier, Director of ASN Amandeep Kaur and David Cooper, an instructor in the program. As class president and valedictorian of the 2019 class, Kimberly Daley was one of the beneficiaries of ASN's cutting-edge curriculum. The remarks she prepared for the ceremony captured the sentiment shared by her fellow graduates. "I was given so many opportunities this past year thanks to being a student at ASN," she said. "The Jewish Home nurses, certified nursing assistants and other employees all taught me more than I could have learned anywhere else." In addition to earning the title of valedictorian, Daley also distinguished herself as receiving the highest score on the rigorous ATI exam, which assesses a student's preparedness in entering health science fields. Other students receiving special honors included Denise McDonald, who graduated magna cum laude, Kyra Azalbarian, who graduated cum laude and Juan Garcia, who received the Florence Nightingale Award. After handing the graduates their pins and diplomas, Kaur, Cooper, Steier and Forrest bumped elbows with the graduates as a congratulatory gesture—a coronavirus-friendly alternative to handshaking. For Forrest, participating in the students' remarkable milestone was a highlight of the summer. "The Jewish Home has long prided itself on its commitment to career advancement for its employees by promoting education through our training and educational programs," she commented. "The Annenberg School of Nursing also provides a career ladder for those from the public looking to pursue and further their nursing opportunities, whether here at the Jewish Home or elsewhere. We are so proud of the school's leadership and the students' accomplishments, especially during these very unusual circumstances." Since ASN's inception, approximately 50 percent of all graduates have gone on to work for the Jewish Home. It is a result, according to Kaur, ASN's director, of the respect students develop for the Home during their course of study. "Our students build bonds of trust with the Home that last well beyond graduation," she says. "It's wonderful that so many of them come to work here after completing their degrees; it reinforces the feeling that, at the Home, we are all part of one extended family."

The Los Angeles Jewish Home has always been able to count on its friends, supporters, and caring individuals and companies throughout the community who will step forward to provide support to its residents and staff. Never has this generosity been more apparent than during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Home launched its "Helping Hands" campaign. More than 100 community leaders, members of the Home's board of directors, volunteers and community supporters have come together to provide the Home with both monetary and in-kind donations. Items donated included Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including surgical and N95 masks, gloves and surgical gowns. The Home also received iPads allowing residents to visit with their families and other loved ones during this difficult time of required social distancing. As community members reached out with their support, staff also took action volunteering to lend a helping hand. Director of Transportation Elisa Sosa stepped forward early in March, when it became apparent staff were in need of additional masks. She volunteered to spend her free time making cloth face coverings. Her initiative and hard work started a movement. Once members of the community learned that the Home was in serious need of additional face coverings, they called, offering to donate or create the cotton masks. Elisa, who has worked at the Home since 2001 consistently does whatever she can to help the Home's staff and residents. "I want to help the community. I have learned a lot from the Home, and I want everyone here to be safe," she said. In her career at the Home, she has worked as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) as well as in the medical records area and at the Home's Levy-Kime Geriatric Community Clinic, before assuming her current role as Transportation Supervisor for Brandman Centers for Senior Care (BCSC). She went on to share, "The Home is a big family, and I want to help out however I can, as I want to take care of my family here – the residents and the staff." Masks are not the only thing Elisa creates. She became aware that the Home was also in need of additional hospital gowns, as part of its "Helping Hands" campaign, an initiative to sew long sleeves on hospital gowns to help prolong the use of the gown while saving costs. She happily volunteered, sewing sleeves on hospital gowns to help aid the Home's residents. Joining with Elisa, the Home now has a group of dedicated volunteers who are continuing to sew sleeves on to gowns. More than 30 women from various sewing groups across Los Angeles have sewn sleeves onto more than 3,000 gowns. Remarkable people helping a remarkable organization. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge throughout Los Angeles, the state and the country, the Home continues to battle the virus and protect its residents. The need for PPE continues to grow. If you are interested in becoming part of the Home's "Helping Hands" campaign, please contact Stacy Orbach, Director of Volunteer Services at 818.774.3116 or [email protected] If you would like to donate new PPE to the Home or make a financial contribution, please contact Corey Slavin, Vice President of Community Engagement at 818.774.3031 or [email protected]

Throughout the years, the Jewish Home has benefitted from wonderful partnerships with companies in our community. During this time of COVID-19, the need has never been greater, and in addition to monetary donations, companies such as the Ford Motor Company and Harbor Freight have stepped up with in-kind donations of masks, gloves and face shields. All of this personal protective equipment (PPE) remains in high demand by the Home care teams. The PPE provided by these companies, and so many others, has played a major role in enabling the Jewish Home to keep our residents safe and healthy during this time. This outpouring of support exemplifies the essence of the Jewish Home's Corporate Partnership Program. Companies across the region and country have stepped forward to demonstrate their support of the Jewish Home and the quality of care we are providing to nearly 4,000 people annually. Everyone at the Home is grateful for this outstanding support from the corporate community. Contributions from our Corporate Partners support the Jewish Home's ability to provide a broad spectrum of elderly care services to meet the growing needs of our senior population. Corporate partners giving levels range from $10,000 to $100,000 annually. One of our most steadfast corporate sponsors is Torrey Pines Bank. "As our communities continue to face extraordinary health and economic challenges due to COVID-19, Torrey Pines Bank is steadfastly committed to standing by nonprofits, particularly those that are helping the most vulnerable and underserved populations in our communities," shares Monika Suarez, managing director of public, nonprofit and affordable housing finance at Torrey Pines Bank. "We are proud to contribute to Los Angeles Jewish Home as they continue their longstanding mission of providing seniors with access to the vital care and resources that they need, especially during these challenging times." Torrey Pines Bank is among numerous Corporate Partners who provide annual financial support to the Home. They join with many corporations from around the city and the country who have stepped up to partner with the Los Angeles Jewish Home during these challenging times. For more information on how you can become a corporate sponsor with a monetary or in-kind donation, please contact Lesley Plachta, Director of Development of the L.A. Jewish Home Foundation, at [email protected] or 818.774.3282.

Jeanette Crane is a fighter. At age 100, she beat the odds and fully recovered from COVID-19. "She's tough," says her son Jeff. "Day-by-day she just keeps getting better!" Jeff Crane attributes Jeanette's recovery to her overall resilience and also to the doctors and nurses who care for her at the Jewish Home's Max Factor Family Foundation Nursing Building on the Eisenberg Village campus. "They all love my mother," Jeff says. "They were with her throughout her recovery." He specifically credits Dr. Hangnga Vu with getting his mother to "slowly come back" from the virus. "Dr. Vu is my mother's best friend," Jeff says. "That's true!" Dr. Vu says with a laugh. "But all of the nurses are her friends too. Everyone loves her." Vu, who is a geriatrician, says that she got to know Jeanette when Jeanette was living in residential care at Eisenberg Village. Jeanette moved to the Jewish Home at age 93, when son Jeff says his mother began to feel unsafe living on her own. "We became friends," Vu recalls. "We used to talk about her childhood. She always told me how much she loved life." "One day I learned that Jeanette had generalized weakness and lost her sense of taste," says Vu. "Then she tested positive for COVID-19." Jeanette was moved into a room where she was isolated from the other residents. "I wanted to cry when I saw her," Dr. Vu recalls. "We thought we were going to lose her. She wasn't eating. At age 100, to get COVID, can be a death sentence." But Dr. Vu and the nursing staff didn't give up on Jeanette. "My gut told me that she wanted to live," says Dr. Vu. Through their layers of PPE, Dr. Vu and her team sang to Jeanette to get her to eat and drink. "She recognized us despite all of the PPE! I visited her every day," Dr. Vu says. "We took turns offering her food and drink, even throughout the night. When we got her to take a teaspoon of food or a drop of juice, it felt like a triumph." Slowly, Dr. Vu and the nurses began to notice that Jeanette's eyes were open wider. Then, one day Jeanette had the strength to blow a kiss to Dr. Vu. "She beat the odds," says Dr. Vu. "After a month in isolation, we graduated her so she could receive physical and occupational therapy." "She was almost gone," says son Jeff. "But now she's able to call us via Zoom and talk to us." In fact, on a recent Zoom call with both of her sons and their spouses, Jeanette was asked if she had any good Jewish Home gossip to share. "There's always something!" she replied with a sly smile. "One day at a time, she's getting better," Jeff says. "We're so grateful she's doing so well." "Jeanette was our first victory!" says Dr. Vu. "We were so happy that Jeanette recovered, that we threw her a party!" To ensure that everyone on the team is recognized for helping Jeanette Crane recover, Dr. Vu requested that their names be listed: Luisa Lacson, Olivia Matusalem, Editha Andrada, Daisy Estrada, Johanna Duncan, Elsy Rivas, Lupita Cedillo, Marife Bautista, Ingrid Lemus, Kusum Kapoor, Sydelle Aquino.

Ingenuity during a crisis can yield innovative results. That's what Rabbi Karen Bender, Skirball Director of Spiritual Life and the residents of the Los Angeles Jewish Home have discovered as they maintain social distancing during the COVID-19 lockdown. As Rabbi Bender began to consider how to convey her weekly in-person Shabbat services, she realized the most formidable challenge was how to lead the service without interacting with residents. Bender serves as the rabbi for the Home's Grancell Village (GV) campus, which includes the Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center and Mark Taper Skilled Nursing Building. "If I'm just sitting in front of a camera praying at residents, I'm going to lose their interest," she says. To effectively engage Jewish Home residents, Bender recalls asking herself, "What if I tried to convey the essence of Shabbat, Shabbat's spirit?" Earlier in the year, she had successfully led the annual Seder service via video broadcast on closed circuit television from her office. "The fact that the Seder went fine, led me to see the possibilities of how to provide our services during lockdown," she says. "If we can do this, what else can we do?" "For Shabbat evenings, I decided to show the residents something different and record the videos from my house and outside in my yard with my kids," she says. "I'm bringing the residents into my home so they feel like they are in my living room or baking challah in my kitchen. The hope is to trigger memories for them." Before she knew it, Bender had become a director-writer-editor-producer—a big leap for someone who lacks professional video production experience. In addition, she also serves as the on-camera host, with staff, her children Holden and Shoshie, and dog Minnie as occasional featured guests. She records her Shabbat messages via her iPhone on Wednesday afternoon, often editing them late into the evening. Bender says she's learning as she goes, coming up with solutions as each new challenge emerges. For instance, how to get the residents to feel that they are part of the services? "No one is gathering now," Bender says. "No one receives a compliment on how they read a prayer. No one gets to hold the Torah. They see me, but I can't see them while I record." Bender notes that while she still meets with individual residents in-person, wearing PPE and remaining at a safe distance, the communal experience had disappeared. One remedy was to create the "Spirit of Shabbat" videos, with the goal to reach everyone at the same time. To generate a feeling of inclusiveness, Bender has opened up the process and recorded videos of individual residents saying, "Shabbat shalom." Another resident offered to sing the Jewish hymn, "Heenay Ma Tov" and Bender recorded her six feet apart in her room at JEK. She merges these videos into her Friday "Spirit of Shabbat" episodes. In future videos, she hopes to include staff and residents more frequently to help "create community." Bender also plans to record a tour of the GV kitchen and even prepare chicken soup "with the residents." "I'm able to include more voices and experiences now," she says. "But overall, I'm trying to encourage a feeling of closeness. I'm seeking closeness when we can't be close, we can't hold prayer services or share a hug. The residents need joy so badly right now. We are observing and celebrating Shabbat every week because I want them to smile." Watch Rabbi Bender's "Spirit of Shabbat" episodes.

If you're on Facebook, you've likely seen your friends raising money for their favorite charities on their personal pages. Jacques Soriano recently set up a fundraiser that benefited the Jewish Home so that his Facebook friends could donate to the Home. "My maternal grandfather spent his last years there and loved living at the Home," says Soriano, who is a past president of The Executives, one of the Home's major support groups. "I've been involved with fundraising efforts for the Home. It is near and dear to my heart." He knew that a Facebook fundraiser would be easy and effective. "One of the benefits to sharing my fundraiser on Facebook was that my friends who don't know much about the Home could see how the Home helps to enrich the lives of the residents," he says. Within two weeks, he had exceeded his goal, raising nearly $1100. Would he do it again? "Absolutely!" Soriano says. Soriano's not the only one to use Facebook as a fundraiser. Since 2015, more than $5 billion has been raised on the social media platform—$1 billion in birthday fundraisers alone! Now the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the strain on the Home's resources. To provide for the most vulnerable seniors in our care, we need to meet heightened costs for staffing, special supplies and equipment, materials, as well as digital technology so our residents can stay in touch with friends and family. Which means our fundraising efforts are more critical than ever. Here is how to create your own fundraiser for the Jewish Home: Tips: Invite your friends to participate.Make the post public and tag the Jewish Home.Donate to your own fundraiser. Other people are more likely to donate when they see someone they know has already contributed. Plus, it demonstrates your commitment to the Jewish Home.Increase your goal if you achieve it before your fundraiser deadline has passed.Thank your friends when they donate. Benefits to starting a Facebook fundraiser: It's free. No fees are charged, which means every dollar goes directly to support the residents at the Home.It's easy. Your friends don't even have to leave Facebook in order to donate.It's shareable. By clicking "Share" your Facebook friends can also spread the news about your fundraiser.It's safe. Donations are encrypted and Facebook has strict security measures in place. Create your own Facebook fundraiser.

When Judy Fenton heard about the shortage of protective gear for healthcare personnel, she knew she could contribute, but did not know where to start. "I was trying to figure out how to get involved," says Fenton, who lives at Fountainview at Gonda Healthy Aging Westside Campus. Then she learned that there was a need right in her own backyard when Charlette Ofrecio, executive director at Gonda, told her that Jewish Home staff lacked protective masks. Fenton eagerly jumped in to help. "The Jewish Home has been so good to me and I appreciate the staff so much," she says. Adept at sewing, Fenton borrowed a friend's sewing machine and got to work. "I always sewed for fun," she says. "I used to make my daughters' clothes for fancy occasions such as weddings and proms." Now she sews protective gear, estimating that she has produced 40-50 cloth masks. Toward the end of March, staff at the Home began to realize that there was a shortage of disposable gowns. Prices were skyrocketing. Kathleen Glass, executive director of the Home's Eisenberg Village campus, came up with a solution: Sew long sleeves onto traditional hospital gowns. Soon, staff and their friends and family were sewing gowns. And the Helping Hands campaign was born. Ofrecio told Fenton about the Home's "Helping Hands" campaign, which distributes medical gown sewing kits throughout the community, Fenton quickly and enthusiastically volunteered to help. Volunteer Services Director Stacy Orbach posted the Home's need for gowns onto various online sewing groups. Over thirty local women answered the call, and so far have created 1,000 gowns. "The community really stepped up," Orbach says, adding that completed gowns are still flowing into the Home on a weekly basis. Orbach reports that one volunteer has committed to keep sewing gowns until the Home reaches its 3,000-gown goal. Fenton has also joined the cause, firing up her sewing machine to sew the sleeves, which she then attaches to the gowns. She spends a few hours a day sewing, listening to music as she sews. "It's something to do as we shelter in place," Fenton says. "I feel like I'm contributing as I can't volunteer anywhere right now. Sewing makes me feel like I'm doing something to help the community." Public service runs in her family. Her grandson in Minneapolis used his Bar Mitzvah money to purchase a 3D printer and is making face shields for a Jewish senior facility near his home. In addition, her granddaughter in New York launched "Eats and Beats" for healthcare workers. A DJ performs over Zoom while they feast on donated meals. "I'm proud of my family," Fenton says. And it's also gratifying to see Jewish Home caregivers wearing the items she sewed. "The Jewish Home has been so good to me and I appreciate the staff so much," she says. "When I recognize them wearing something I made, it makes me feel so happy!" To join the Helping Hands campaign or to help out in other ways, please contact our Director of Volunteer Services Stacy Orbach at 818-774-3116, or [email protected]. Orbach will coordinate the gown distribution.