The Los Angeles Jewish Home has always taken its responsibility of being a good neighbor and giving back to the larger community in a significant way. This partnership has been present in the 108-year history of the Jewish Home. This is why we ourselves find it so gratifying to give back during this time of urgent need. For the past several weeks, the Jewish Home has been partnering with food banks and other community organizations in donating our surplus grocery items and meals. The process of donating surplus food, however, began well before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In January of this year, Jewish Home CEO-President Molly Forrest asked Cindy Cordon, Director of Dietary Services at the Home, to explore the logistics of donating our surplus food to local charities that are feeding the less fortunate in our community. Cordon explains that every two years the Home replenishes its emergency supplies. Often there are high-protein food items that are about to expire that need to be replaced with new items. Also, after a holiday there are holiday-specific items leftover. All of these items, Cordon discovered, could be distributed to food banks and other nonprofits in the community. The Jewish Home’s Board of Directors approved the initiative to donate the surplus food, which they viewed as aligning with the Home’s core values. Once she received the green light, Cordon began contacting local organizations she knew were in need of extra help. An additional benefit, she says is that "the process of donating surplus food has made all of us look at how we can reutilize our food, in both kitchens and for all meals." Occasionally Cordon finds herself with leftover meals, such as cold deli plates. "Sometimes we’ll have untouched plates because one of our residents chose an alternative meal, such as a tuna or egg salad," she says. Fortunately, she found a good match to receive those leftover meals, the Hollywood Food Coalition, which serves food and other services to those in need. But what about those leftover grocery items? Turns out, Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles SOVA food pantry was delighted to receive the food donations. Cordon herself delivered canned goods, granola bars, instant Quaker oatmeal and a myriad of grocery items. "So many households have lost their sources of income and find it impossible to meet all of their basic monthly expenses," says Fred Summers, Senior Director of Nutrition, Transportation, and SOVA programs at Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles. "Additional food supplies, like those from the Jewish Home, make a huge difference in our ability to meet the rising need." For Cordon, developing relationships with food banks such as SOVA is a profound experience she knows will continue once the COVID-19 pandemic ends. "It feels fantastic to be part of the solution!" Cordon says.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti conducted his daily COVID-19 media briefing for the community at the Los Angeles Jewish Home's Grancell Village campus on May 19. In his briefing, held on the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation Courtyard in front of the Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center, Mayor Garcetti highlighted the city's monthly COVID-19 testing requirement for skilled nursing facilities. In addition, he invited the Home's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Noah Marco to share the podium to emphasize the importance of testing. Garcetti described the Jewish Home as "one of the pillars of our community, which for so many years has brought health, hope and well-being into the lives of Angelenos." The Mayor detailed the immense challenges facing skilled nursing facilities during the pandemic. He outlined how the Home met these challenges by being the first to test its residents and staff, serving as a model for other institutions to follow. During his comments, Dr. Marco explained the importance of testing. "Our focus for these tests was to identify staff and residents who were not displaying symptoms of the disease," he said. "Like many others, we knew that the virus is brought into nursing homes by asymptomatic staff and spread by asymptomatic residents. The tests provided to us by Mayor Garcetti found 12 asymptomatic staff and four asymptomatic residents. Because of our testing efforts and our focus on infection prevention, we have had a total of only 19 confirmed infections in our 1200 residents." "Our experience proves that nursing homes do not have to be death pits," Dr. Marco continued. "We encourage all facilities to follow Mayor Garcetti's orders, and test their staff and residents. If test kits are available, not testing is medically unethical and just plain wrong." In late March, State Senator Henry Stern alerted Garcetti that Dr. Marco recommended testing be expanded to seniors living in congregant housing. Garcetti's office responded by asking the Home to pilot testing staff and residents of skilled nursing facilities. The Mayor's office provided the test kits and testing began on April 2. The program was later expanded to include Los Angeles Fire Department's Rapid Response Team and its mobile testing program. Further recognizing Dr. Marco's leadership and medical expertise -- Garcetti described how Dr. Marco partnered with city officials to help identify additional facilities in Los Angeles also in need of COVID-19 testing, and thanked him for his invaluable advice he has provided to his office. An emergency order from the mayor on April 24, required all skilled nursing homes in Los Angeles to conduct testing on a monthly basis. To schedule COVID-19 testing, visit https://lacovidprod.service-now.com/rrs Watch Mayor Garcetti's entire May 19 briefing here: https://youtu.be/3EHPjqYnQDQ?t=235

In light of the recent developments of COVID‐19 in the U.S., senior care facilities across the country are urging family members and loved ones to refrain from visiting residents. We realize that this is heart-wrenching news for those whose loved ones live here at the Jewish Home or in other senior communities. However, we need to prioritize the well-being of our residents and staff by limiting their exposure to the virus. To help navigate these challenging times, our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Noah Marco developed the following tips for family members of residents of senior communities: Talk with your loved ones regularly. Ideally, at the same time of the day or the same day of the week. Avoid early morning hours, sundown and bedtime. You may choose to contact them via telephone, email, text messaging or Skype.Reassure them that their family is doing fine. Share with them the joyful experiences that family are involved in.Communicate with the staff caring for your family regularly. It's best to pick one family spokesperson and have that person communicate to the other family members.Inform staff if you suspect a change in their condition (physical or mental) or if a loved one expresses concern that the staff can address.Thank the staff for the care that they are providing. We are grateful for your understanding and cooperation. Stay up-to-date with the latest coronavirus information.

At the Los Angeles Jewish Home, we nurture the minds, bodies, souls and spirits of our residents. And, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, we are developing fresh—yet familiar—ways to engage with the seniors who are in our care and currently sheltering in place. Members of our activities teams have partnered with our culinary, physical therapy and spiritual life teams to come up with mental- and physical health-enhancing activities that our residents can enjoy even while socially distancing. Annette Weinberg, Lifestyle and Enrichment Director for the residential care community at Eisenberg Village (EV), hosts internationally themed "Nosh & Nibbles" events, featuring treats and music from a different country on a weekly basis. For resident birthdays, she is making sure no one feels forgotten. She is delivering sweet treats and a birthday card, posting a birthday sign, as well as singing and dancing outside their doors.Weinberg is also collaborating with the Physical Therapy department to offer a Fitness Challenge three times a week. Residents – limited to three at a time for social distancing purposes—take part in a series of fitness activities such as bean bag toss, wall pushups, tai chi, golf (putting skills), and water bottle bowling. "Three of us work with the residents, so each gets one-on-one attention," she says. Responsive to Requests At the Goldenberg•Ziman Special Care Center and Max Factor Family Foundation Nursing Buildings, Activities Team Leader Sandra Valdovinos, hosts activities geared toward residents with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia. To help keep residents' minds alert, Valdovinos organizes sing-a-longs (their favorite song is "For Me and My Gal"), word games, craft projects and – of course — Bingo, all while keeping everyone a safe six-feet apart. While the activities—such as Bingo and the crafts, for instance—were once communal, Valdovinos has adapted them so individual residents can partake. She is also responding to resident requests for additional activities. "They tell us what they want," Valdovinos explains. Some of the new activities including distributing more challenging word games and crossword puzzles for residents who are up for more intellectual stimulation.The Sunshine Group Josie Mata, activities leader at the Home's Mark Taper Skilled Nursing Building, and her team have also adapted their activities, including what they call the "Sunshine Group." "We take residents out into the courtyard and they listen to music played through a speaker. While outside, they enjoy some fresh air and do some exercises, all staying six-feet apart from each other in small groups," she says. "Our residents especially love this activity these days because they get to have a break from being in their rooms and breathe fresh air—all while singing and dancing along to their favorite songs." To keep residents in touch with family members and loved ones, Mata and her team have started to do video calls via Facetime and Zoom. "That's something we have never done before," she says. "It's great because the calls benefit both the families and the residents. We use iPad tablets, which were donated to the Home. We disinfect them before and after each resident uses them." "Being able to see each other's faces and talk to their families means a lot to our residents," she says. Lifeline Recently, while watching the nightly news, Fountainview at Eisenberg Village resident Joy Picus, a former Los Angeles city councilmember, noticed a high number of female doctors were being interviewed as medical experts. She reflected on how, when she was in college, it was rare for women to attend medical school and actually shocking if a woman practiced medicine. The world had changed, she thought, for the better. Picus realized that this was a positive takeaway during the COVID-19 crisis and wondered if anyone else had noticed similar bright spots standing out from the bleak news of the day. Problem was, being shut in her room, how would she learn what was on the minds of other residents? She reached out to Activities Coordinator Lauri Kamiel and Lifestyle & Enrichment Director Carolyn Clark. They happily organized "Joy's Takeaway," a Thursday afternoon conference call that Fountainview at Eisenberg Village residents could join. More than 20 residents hopped on the call, contributing their own takeaways. Some shared how they were reminding themselves to be patient, to take every day as it comes. Others wanted to share some good news, such as a granddaughter graduating medical school; another graduating high school, and one continuing her education to business school. "Mazel tov!" a chorus of residents gleefully shouted. "This has been a lifeline," one resident said as the call was ending. "It really helps." Personal Pastoral Touch At Eisenberg Village, Rabbi Ron Goldberg, says his pastoral role has increased with the new sheltering in place rules. With EV residents limited from group activities and visits from family and friends, Rabbi Goldberg is on the lookout for those who may be feeling more isolated than others. "If I don't see a resident for two days, I go to find them and knock on their door," he says. "I want to just to be certain everything is well. And as I travel the campus, residents want to reach out to me, to talk, to share, to voice their fears and concerns. They are not looking for me to solve the world's problems, but what is of real value to them is my ‘actively listening' to their words and thoughts." For Rabbi Karen Bender, the Home's Skirball Director of Spiritual Life and the campus rabbi for Grancell Village, the personal dose of pastoral care is manifesting in myriad ways. Rabbi Bender has helped wrap tefillin on a resident who needed help; brought a yahrtzeit candle to a resident who wanted to say Kaddish and delivered a personalized tallit to a resident on her 90th birthday (which was also the day she was supposed to have her adult Bat Mitzvah.) Technology to the Rescue As the shelter-in-place rules have restricted gathering together for Shabbat, Rabbi Bender began to implement new technologies such as Zoom, as well as more traditional ones such as television and telephone conference calls (organized by the activities teams at Grancell and Eisenberg Villages), to reach the full spectrum of Jewish Home residents. Each Friday offers an opportunity for Rabbi Bender to stream the Shabbat experience right into the residents' own rooms. She has even enlisted her two children to join her as she sings songs and offers inspiring messages. "I'm streaming from my home to theirs - this allows for a more hamish, less technical feeling," she says. Teaming up with Rabbi Goldberg, the two rabbis were able to conduct holiday services for residents at both Grancell and Eisenberg Villages. Together they have broadcast Passover and a Yizkor (memorial) service. Because they usually led services simultaneously at the separate campus, they had never co-led a service before. "For our residents a chance to see both rabbis at the same time was special," says Rabbi Goldberg. "In our five years of working together, we had not co-officiated a service. We received some grateful feedback from the residents at EV for the Yizkor service." Rabbi Bender has also featured residents themselves in her videos. To celebrate Yom Haatzmaut, Rabbis Bender and Goldberg recorded residents from both campuses wishing a "Happy Birthday" to Israel. The short video was then broadcast throughout both campuses. Yet, with all of the revamped activities, there are some that remain reassuringly familiar. "Our residents always like their extra cup of coffee in the morning," says Valdovinos. "That hasn't changed. I see that as a blessing, that they can start their days with what they love, a cup of coffee."

From our efforts to keep our residents engaged during mandated isolation, to how we're handling the personal protective equipment shortage, the Los Angeles Jewish Home has been featured in both national and local media stories. These stories help to emphasize the leadership role the Jewish Home is taking during the COVID 19 pandemic. Some recent examples include: Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti conducted his daily COVID-19 media briefing for the community at the Los Angeles Jewish Home's Grancell Village campus on May 19. In his briefing, held on the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation Courtyard he invited the Home's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Noah Marco to share the podium to emphasize the importance of testing.In Capital & Main, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Noah Marco and Eisenberg Village Medical Director Dr. Michael Wasserman discuss the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s preparation for an uptick of COVID-19 cases. They also note the ongoing concern of COVID-19 testing deficiencies in nursing homes.The Jewish Home's CEO-President Molly Forrest was quoted in Forbes about the innovative solutions Los Angeles Jewish Health staff have developed to combat the rampant price gouging and scarcity of personal protective equipment (PPE). She highlighted how Kathleen Glass, executive director of Eisenberg Village, came up with a pragmatic plan to attach longer sleeves to reusable patient gowns. Forrest also appeared twice on the "Up to the Minute News Podcast - COVID-19" with Ken Jeffries. She discussed ways members of the community can improve the daily lives of our Home's residents by donating supplies and funds. Listen here and here. KFI AM 640 featured how Jewish Home residents at Eisenberg Village are treated to weekly internationally themed treats and activities. "Since they can't get out of their units, we bring it to them—to exchange a little bit of joy," said Larissa Stepanians, the Jewish Home's chief operating officer. Stepanians said. "Everyone's spirits are so high. We're finding joy in the tough times." During last week's Italian Day event, the activities team played Three Tenors sang Puccini in the background and three types of bruschetta were offered. A day celebrating England featured homemade scones with butter and jam. Eisenberg Village Medical Director Dr. Michael Wasserman has appeared twice on "The Rachel Maddow Show." On April 24, he discussed with Maddow how—for the overall health of the nation—senior facilities should have access to COVID-19 tests and personal protective equipment. In an appearance on May 11, Wasserman discussed the importance of testing nursing home staff and residents for COVID-19.

Dear Jewish Home Family,We recently concluded our Passover celebration, a holiday when we reflect on our struggles and celebrate our victories. This year, more than any other in recent times, the Passover message was particularly relevant.Seniors at the Jewish Home and throughout our community are especially vulnerable to COVID-19. They have to take unprecedented precautions to preserve their health and well-being. These are challenging times for them and for all of us. We are facing them together—and, together, we will get through them.From the earliest days of the pandemic, the Jewish Home has aggressively implemented procedures and policies to ensure we protect our seniors’ safety and that of our staff. Our efforts have yielded results: We currently have no cases of COVID-19 at the Home. We are committed to doing everything we can to keep it that way.As we take steps to safeguard the Home, we also encourage families to stay in touch with their loved ones. Utilizing state-of-the-art technology, we have connected in ways that were not previously possible. Through phone, text messaging, email, FaceTime, Skype, and Zoom, we can send our loved ones messages of care and support. We can show them we are here for them.Many of our seniors used this technology to share Passover Seders with family and friends. As a personal touch for our residents, we distributed 1,000 individual Seder plates for everyone to participate in the Seder. Each plate had sprigs of bitter herbs, dabs of haroset, parsley, saltwater, and—of course— matzo. Our goal was to guarantee that, despite the necessity of physical distancing, no one at the Home would be without the feeling—and support of—community.At its heart, Passover is about freedom. I look forward to celebrating our own freedom from the threat of COVID-19 in the near future. All of us at the Jewish Home are grateful to you for your interest, support and collaboration as we wander through the desert, looking for the Promised Land.Always, Molly ForrestCEO-President

In the latest edition of Jewish Home Connections, the Home’s Chief Medical Officer Noah Marco shares how Los Angeles Jewish Home is implementing technological innovations to benefit our residents. This issue also includes an interview with Richard Ziman, the chair of the Jewish Home Foundation. Please enjoy reading more about the Jewish Home! Click Here to Read

For frontline healthcare workers, wearing a protective gown and masks is vital to preventing the spread of COVID-19. A few weeks ago, staff at the Los Angeles Jewish Home began to realize that there was a shortage of disposable gowns. And, prices were skyrocketing. "We cannot pay sixteen, eighteen dollars for a disposable gown that before COVID cost 34 cents each," Molly Forrest, the Home's CEO and president recently explained to Forbes. Kathleen Glass, executive director of the Home's Eisenberg Village campus, came up with a solution. Inspired by her husband's suggestion, Glass and her colleagues began sewing long sleeves onto traditional hospital gowns. In one day, they were able to sew 40 gowns in the Arts and Crafts room at Eisenberg Village. Now we're asking our friends and community members to join our "Helping Hands" campaign to create long-sleeve gowns. In addition, we still have a need for face masks. To help with gowns, please contact our Volunteer Services Director Stacy Orbach at 818-774-3116, or [email protected]. Orbach will coordinate the gown distribution, as the gowns will need to be picked up from her by volunteers who are sewing on sleeves. Masks can be delivered to Jeff Gall, Los Angeles Jewish Home, 7150 Tampa Ave., Reseda, CA 91335. How to Sew Sleeves onto a Gown Watch this YouTube video, with Glass narrating the instructions. And here are the step-by-step instructions: Assemble Sleeves First: Align the long and short ends of the sleeve piece and pin into place.Sew long edge together to create a sleeve, inside out.Create a casing (tunnel) for the elastic around the wrist end by folding the material around the wrist 1/4 inch, fold again to create an approximately 1/2 inch channel for the elastic, pin in place.Sew along the top edge of the folded channel. Leave a 1/4 inch opening to insert the elastic band.Insert the elastic band, use a safety pin or other implement to push into the channelSew the ends of the elastic band together and sew the 1/4 opening closed.Now that the sleeve is put together, the last step is to sew the upper arm portion onto the opening of the gown short sleeve end.Turn sleeve right side outTurn gown inside outInsert sewn sleeve inside of inside out gown sleeve until the edges to connect align-pin togetherSew edges togetherPull sleeve right side out and the job is done! Waist Tie Extensions Align the long, thin piece of material with the already existing gown ties.Sew along the edges to create a gown tie extension. (2 waist tie extensions per gown) Tip: Assembling/sewing the sleeves all at once may be helpful, then moving on to sewing them onto the short sleeves of the gown. If you need guidance or trouble shooting, please call Sandra Hess at 619-972-8188.

Ma Nishtana ha-Pesach hazeh? How is this Passover different? Coronavirus! What was unimaginable even a month ago seems clear now: Most people are not going to gather in person for Passover Seders. Many will use laptops and phones for virtual Seders, which could conjoin more people than usual. Perhaps families from across the country and even the world will unite virtually. Of course we worry about elders who are alone and may not have technological know-how. One of the great aspects of being a resident at the Los Angeles Jewish Home is that, even in a world of social distancing practices, no one is forgotten or alone here. What lessons can Passover teach us about navigating through the world we are living in today with the coronavirus on the verge of surging in our country: Washing hands is an ethical, Jewish act. Hand washing exists as a daily Jewish ritual that precedes saying the motzi blessing to start a meal. The blessing culminates with, "al netilat yadaim," which means "lift up the hands." We elevate ourselves before we eat, by symbolically lifting our hands up. But the Passover Seder is the one meal of the year when we wash our hands twice, once with and once without a blessing. Why? Water is life, and the water sanctifies our hands for mitzvot. You can have a heart of gold but it is the action you take with your hands that makes all the difference in the world. One person uses their hands to hoard paper goods. Another uses their hands to call a lonely person. We are living in a period when hand washing can slow down the viral spread and ultimately save lives. The more you wash, the better for everyone. And the more you use your hands for good and not greed, the prouder you will be of yourself when all of this is over.Memory, imagination and optimism are core to Jewish survival. The foundation of a Passover Seder is to imagine ourselves as if we were slaves in Egypt, so that we will remember the pain of the enslaved and be compassionate toward and activistic on behalf of anyone who is oppressed. But the Seder is a journey. At the beginning of the Seder we are slaves, but at the end we are free. As psychiatrist Victor Frankl points out in Man's Search for Meaning, people who thrive most during frightening and difficult times are those who can both remember sweet moments of the past and imagine a future of joy, purpose and meaning. We should already begin picturing life after Coronavirus. Write about it, talk about it, paint about it. Envision. Dream.We are one. After Egypt, the Jewish People could have concluded that the world is unkind and we should look out for ourselves. Instead what emerges is a Torah that instructs 36 times to love the stranger because we were strangers in the land of Egypt. In the era of Covid-19 there is no such thing as a stranger. We can draw borders and build walls. We can name our cities, states and countries. We can imagine those who look different from us or who speak a different language are separate from us. But the virus does not care about your language or accent, your skin color or your ethnicity. It does not see borders nor recognize your political orientation. The virus reminds us that we are one humanity and we are in this together. When the bread couldn't rise we baked matzah. When the world was cruel to us we re-established the state of Israel. When there has been darkness in any form we have brought light, humor and hope. May your Passover be filled with elevation of hands and heart, with memory, imagination, connection, celebration, generosity, health, hope and love!