As we age, the path to happiness may be exactly that: a path. Perhaps one in a park or garden, with some sunshine added in for good measure. In recent years, scientific research has confirmed what we know intuitively: nature lifts our spirits. For seniors, it offers a simple, effective way to improve their outlook on life. If that sounds like an invitation to storm the wilderness with a backpack and compass, you don't have to go that far—your local park or a neighborhood garden will do nicely. It turns out that even a modest amount of contact with nature goes a long way, making it particularly accessible for seniors. For example, natural scents or sounds can reduce stress and improve mood. Studies have shown that exposure to birds singing or the smell of flowers has a measurable, positive impact on wellbeing. Dr. Jason Strauss, director of geriatric psychiatry at Harvard-affiliated Cambridge Health Alliance, notes that interacting with nature is one of the best self-improvement tools for seniors. "Focus on places you find the most pleasing," he advises. "The goal is to get away from stimulating settings and experience a natural environment." Not surprisingly, nature's psychological benefits have given rise to a new healthcare discipline. "Ecotherapy" is tapping into the growing body of scientific knowledge about our kinship with the world around us. Increasingly, seniors are participating in nature-based activities like horticultural therapy, joining groups of their peers to work with plants or in gardens as a way to combat social isolation. The trend, says Noah Marco, MD, the Jewish Home's chief medical officer, offers a refreshingly affordable, low-tech way to stay healthy. "In our modern age, we have a tendency to think that effective remedies will probably be complex and costly," he observes. "Nature is precisely the opposite: It offers a simple, free, and effective way to improve one's outlook on life." Nature plays an important role at the Jewish Home's multiple campuses, where seniors stroll along walking paths and gardens. The Home's beautifully landscaped grounds encourage them to socialize and to enjoy the lovely California sunshine. Of course, long before there was hard data on the value of communing with the natural world, scientists were already endorsing it as a way for people to stay healthy, happy, and feeling young. "Look deep into nature," Albert Einstein counseled, "and you will understand everything better."

Volunteer Phil Moser is pulling best-selling books off the shelves in the Maxine Dunitz Family Learning Center, located on the ground floor of the Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center (JEKMC), and putting them onto a rolling cart. He's only been volunteering at the Home for a month, but already knows large-print books are in demand. He also knows fiction is more popular with the residents than non-fiction. Once his cart is loaded, he begins his rounds, offering books to residents in the common areas, tidying up the smaller libraries on each floor, and visiting with residents in their rooms. Phil retired from his career in the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services 15 years ago, then began volunteering in downtown's Central Library. "When you retire, you want to volunteer at places you want to be." His wife Aylene Kovary, whose mother lived in the Home for 12 years, has been volunteering here for about 15 years. Aylene reads to residents and operates the Boutique on the Eisenberg Village campus. When she heard the Home needed help with the library, she knew it would be a natural fit for Phil and told him about it. In addition to housing books for residents, the Maxine Dunitz Family Learning Center serves as the medical library for the staff in JEKMC. Residents also use the center to access computers and Dakim cognitive fitness learning machines. Phil has begun friendships with many book lovers in JEKMC. On the second floor, he chats with resident Bernice Edelman, who enjoys browsing through the books on the cart and selects several each Monday. When asked about Phil's help, she declares, "I love it!" Bernice also buys her own books and donates them to the Dunitz Center when she's finished for others to enjoy. Her roommate Charlotte requests a Danielle Steel paperback. If Phil can't find it in the collection, he'll pass the request along to the donors of the library, who make book purchases regularly. Phil stops in to visit Bayla Fineman and her husband, Sam. Bayla reads a book a day. "I start in the morning and finish at night," she says. Sam points to his head and adds with a smile, "It keeps her sharp!" Phil knows to keep an eye out for fiction by Michael Crichton and Lee Child for Bayla. As he pushes his cart down the hall to continue his rounds, he says of his new position, "It's a good gig."

My name is Bertha Bernstein. I'm 92 years old and a resident of the Jewish Home. I grew up in L.A., married Max Bernstein, and had three wonderful sons, Steven, Jeffrey, and Michael. Sadly, Jeffrey passed away when he was 39. For many years, I worked at a local Jewish newspaper, the Heritage Jewish Press, from which I retired at age 70. Just a year ago, my sons Michael and Steven were terribly worried about me, and wanted me to move out of my home and into assisted living. Circulation issues were affecting my balance, and I took several falls. I wanted to stay in my home, so I kept all of this from my sons. But my oldest son, Michael, knew I was suffering from heart failure and shortness of breath from lung cancer. Still, I fought my sons every step of the way! For many of us in our 80s and 90s, giving up our independence is the hardest decision we ever have to make. Now, every time Michael or Steven comes to visit me at the Jewish Home, I thank them for making me see the light. I was such a mess after my heart valve operation. Matthew and Michelle, my physical therapists at the Home, would try to get me to walk, and I would tell them, "I can't." But they said, "You can do it! You've got this!" And they were right every time. They really saved my life! Thanks to the Home, my symptoms are under control, and I have the energy to take part in all kinds of activities like yoga, movie nights, bingo, and current events classes. I can honestly say, getting into the Home when I did was the best decision we ever made.

Graduate students enrolled in USC's Leonard Davis School of Gerontology recently visited the Jewish Home to learn what it was like to run a non-profit retirement and residential care community. The visit was part of their class, Cases in Leadership and Change Management, taught by Dr. Edward Schneider who is a member of the Jewish Home's Board of Directors. CEO-President Molly Forrest spoke to the students about strategic planning, decision making, and caring for seniors. She explained, "We share what we do with others in the hope seniors get better care overall." The students also received an in-depth tour of the Los Angeles Jewish Home. "Each year I bring my students out to the Jewish Home because I want them to get an example of excellence in senior living and long-term care," said Dr. Schneider. He polled the students on the worthwhile nature of their visit. One hundred per cent of them found the visit rewarding. "Students have told me over the years that their vision of nursing care was totally changed after their visit to the Jewish Home."

The Los Angeles Jewish Home recently celebrated its resident volunteers and community volunteers with festive luncheons. Tables were decorated with flowers and fans donated by Gerrie Wormser and John N. Levi, Jr. Entertainment included singing, fiddle playing, and piano playing. Certificates of appreciation were given to all of the volunteers. Stacy Orbach, Director of Volunteer Services, thanked everyone for their 22,000 hours of service this past year. Volunteers donate their time on a weekly basis across 29 departments at the Home including the bank, library, cyber café, and arts and crafts. "You build community. You improve the world," said Molly Forrest, the Jewish Home's CEO and President. Andrew Berman, Chair of the Board of Directors, spoke about his time as a volunteer at the Home. "The greatest gift is to give of yourself. It's the ultimate mitzvah. You are people we trust and value immensely." Community volunteer Beth Horwitz was presented with the Howard Kayton Memorial Volunteer of the Year Service Award. She has been volunteering at the Home for 10 years. Beth shared the award with her greyhound Nona who engages in pet therapy with the residents every week. "It's a really incredible honor," she told us. "I'm sharing this award with Nona, my dog. We love coming to the Jewish Home to do our volunteer work." For information about volunteering at the Jewish Home, please contact Stacy Orbach at 818.774.3116 or [email protected]

Here at the Jewish Home, we have been hearing the shofar (ram's horn) blown almost every day, at lunch time or breakfast, in each of our 17 dining halls at Grancell Village, since the Jewish month of Elul began. The goal is to hear it every day except Shabbat for the month preceding Rosh Hashanah, the holiday that marks the New Jewish Year. Many people have stopped me to ask, "Is that a real horn of an animal?" It certainly is. In fact, appropriately, a shofar usually comes from an elderly ram. The older the animal, the longer the horn. Seniors are revered by our tradition even among shofar-producing animals! The shofar has many levels of meaning. First of all, it is one of the oldest, if not the very oldest, instrument in recorded history. We know that the shofar is at least 3500 years old, because the Torah is that old and refers to the shofar repeatedly. There is something so primal, so natural and so ancient about the sound of the shofar. It connects us to our past, as we know that the shofar was used as a tool for calling the community together. Long before television and computers, telephones, radios and smartphones was the simple horn of a male goat that announced it was time to gather. The shofar has also served for over 3500 years as the horn that announces the Jewish New Year. Ironically, in our secular American culture, people often toot horns at midnight after counting down the last seconds of December 31st. "Happy New Year!" we often shout, as we blow plastic and paper horns that announce a new year has come. But the most profound meaning of the shofar was articulated by Maimonides, a medieval Rabbi who was incredibly brilliant and learned. He suggested that the shofar is like a spiritual alarm clock, saying, "Awake you sleepers from your sleep. Arouse you slumberers from your slumber and ponder your deeds; remember your Creator and return toward G-d in repentance… Look well to your souls and consider your deeds; turn away from wrong ways" (Hilkhot Teshuvah 3:4). Like Maimonides, I believe we can spiritually "fall asleep." With all the pressures of life, with all of our struggles, concerns and worries, with our deficit sometimes of actual sleep, we sometimes start to simply try to make it through the day or week. We sometimes forget we are here for a greater purpose. We sometimes forget we are here to be good and kind and to help others. Sometimes we forget to wake up our souls and do the hard work of becoming our best selves. The shofar is a great reminder to wake up and constantly try to improve and grow. Happy New Year! A sweet and joyful and healthy year to come!Rabbi Karen BenderSkirball Director of Spiritual [email protected]

On October 16th the Jewish Home will present the 21st annual Rhoda G. and Bernard G. Sarnat Symposium for Geriatric care. An endowment from the Sarnats (of blessed memory) helps the Home educate the public and senior-care professionals about the unique aspects of geriatric care, advancements in the field, and policy changes affecting its future. This year Harry Nelson, founder and managing partner of Nelson Hardiman healthcare specialty law firm, will tell us what's ahead for Medicare and health policy for seniors. Dr. Murali Nair of USC's Roybal Institute of Aging will teach about mindfulness and its effects on longevity. Jennifer Schlesinger of Alzheimer's Los Angeles will focus on how diverse communities view dementia and how this impacts disease-identification, diagnosis, and care. Dr. Connie Corley and Marilyn McLaughlin will lead a hands-on workshop involving drumming and movement. They will explain how rhythm-based activities can enhance engagement, socialization, focus, and self-expression in seniors. If you are interested in attending the Sarnat Symposium, you may download a brochure and register online at http://www.lajh.org/resources/sarnat-symposium. The price of $100 includes a continental breakfast, lunch, four presentation workshops, handouts, and six CEU credits. The Sarnat Symposium takes place at Valley Beth Shalom at 15739 Ventura Boulevard in Encino.

August 21st is National Senior Citizens Day as declared by Ronald Reagan during his presidency. It’s a good reminder to set aside some time on that day to celebrate the seniors in your life. The day is also the perfect time to reflect on the ways we can help seniors thrive. Consider volunteering at a senior center or a residential care community. You may be surprised at how fulfilling and enjoyable it is to share your time and your heart with those who are older and wiser. You don’t need any special talents to be a volunteer, although entertainment is always appreciated. You can simply show up and ask to be put to use. You might find yourself showing movies, reading books aloud, driving people where they need to go, or even calling bingo. You will definitely find yourself having fun and enjoying the personalities of your new friends. To explore volunteering opportunities at the Jewish Home, contact Stacy Orbach at 818-757-4442 or [email protected]

Susan Strick, Deputy City Attorney and Director of Elder Abuse for Los Angeles, visited the Los Angeles Jewish Home to speak to residents about online scams and financial fraud. She provided detailed information to help seniors protect themselves. Here are some of her tips. Do Be careful about whom you designate as your power of attorney. Make sure it's someone you trust and have known a long time, if possible.Read your bank statements carefully. Check for suspicious transactions.Understand the documents you sign.When browsing online, clear your cookies and search histories periodically. Scammers can use this information to learn about your interests.Be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls. Many current scams include calls from the IRS or US Marshall's office demanding money, ransom calls about your grandchildren or other family members, calls about missed jury duty or traffic violations asking you to pay a fine, and/or calls offering to fix your computer by logging into your system remotely. Hang up on suspicious callers and delete suspicious emails.Shred important documents you no longer need.Report suspected scams or abuse to authorities and/or family members.Share stories of fraud attempts with friends. They are more likely to spot a scam if they know about it. Don't Give out your social security number unless it's absolutely necessary.Save your credit card number in your account when shopping online.Friend people on Facebook you don't actually know.Post vacation plans on Facebook. It makes your home vulnerable to break-ins.Fall for work-at-home schemes or investment opportunity frauds. These unsolicited offers are often fraudulent. So are sweepstakes and lottery wins for contests you never entered.Buy medical equipment you don't need, even if Medicare is paying for it. This might be Medicare fraud. There are many resources available if you have been a victim of a fraud or suspect someone is trying to exploit you. Consumer Fraud: California Dept. of Consumer Affairs, www.dca.ca.gov, 800-952-5210Internet Fraud: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, www.ic3.govInvestment Fraud: Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, www.finra.org/complaint, 800-289-9999Mail Fraud: United States Postal Inspector, 877-876-2455Telephone Fraud: Federal Trade Commission, www.identitytheft.gov, 877-382-4357Medicare/Medical Fraud: California Attorney General Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud & Elder Abuse, www.ag.ca.gov/bmfea, 800-722-0432