For the first time, the nation will celebrate and recognize the work of Programs of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE®) by establishing September as National PACE Month. PACE coordinates and provides all needed preventive, primary, acute, and long-term care services to older adults allowing them to live at home in their communities. In recognition of the first National PACE Month and National Fall Prevention Awareness Day (September 22), the Jewish Home's Brandman Centers for Senior Care (BCSC) will celebrate with weeklong interactive fall prevention activities.; From September 18th through September 22nd, BCSC participants and staff will engage in fun and educative fall prevention workshops, activities, demos, and raffles. The PACE model of care is a fully integrated, provider-based model that revolves around an interdisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, therapists, social workers, dietitians, drivers, and others who provide direct care and services to meet program participant needs. Despite serving a very frail nursing home-eligible senior population, only five percent of participants are living in nursing homes at any given time. More than 90 percent of PACE participants say they are very satisfied with PACE and would refer PACE to a close friend. Nationally, 122 PACE programs in 31 states serve more than 40,000 PACE enrollees. Currently, PACE organizations in California serve more than 7,000 participants at 37 PACE Centers and Alternative Care Sites in 12 counties, including Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, and Santa Clara. CalPACE also provides tremendous fiscal benefits to the state of California in savings of up to $19 million per year. For more information about Brandman Centers for Senior Care and PACE, please visit our website at www.brandmanseniorcare.org or call (818) 774-8444.

September is Healthy Aging Month. Here are 6 things you can do to maintain your health as you age. 1. Keep movingWant to maintain a healthy body and mind? Exercise! Doctors recommend you get at least two and a half hours of exercise a week. Belong to a gym? Go! How about a daily brisk walk with a friend or family—or the family pet—which bolsters both your heart and lungs? Practice yoga or tai chi to improve balance and help prevent falls. Dance or do yardwork. The point is, keep moving. 2. Eat rightRemember what your parents told you: eat lots of fruits and veggies. Beans and other high-fiber foods are excellent for digestive and heart health. Feeling lethargic? Eat iron-rich foods such as spinach, beans, dried fruit, and meats. Want a snack? Stay away from processed sugar foods. Try nuts, dried fruit or trail mix. And remember, September is still harvest season, so check out your local farmers market. 3. Get your sleepLike they say, sleep is the best medicine. If you have trouble sleeping, talk to a sleep specialist. And take cat naps. Healthy Aging® magazine reports people who take naps are 37% less likely to die from heart disease. 4. Be socialThere's a link between having active social ties and living a longer life. Spend time with family. See old friends and make new ones. Surround yourself with positive people who make you happy. Continue your old hobbies and find new ones you can do with your friends or alone. 5. Keep learningIt's never too late to learn something new! Learn how to paint, sculpt, or play a musical instrument. Take history or computer classes. Study archeology or architecture. Learn whatever interests you. Remember, when you learn, you grow. 6. Spend wiselyCreate a budget. It's important to know where your money is going. And reducing your expenses can help reduce stress in your life. Plus, the money you save can go toward activities you enjoy: traveling, hobbies, sports…whatever makes you happy and keeps you moving. Celebrate Healthy Aging Month this month… and every month!

As we prepare for the High Holy Days, we reflect on the past and look toward the future. At the Los Angeles Jewish Home, we use the strong foundation of our history to build a bright future for our residents and their families. This year has brought about big changes for the Home, particularly at our Grancell Village campus. In August, we completed demolition of approximately half of our Grancell campus. This is the first step to expanding our capacity to serve seniors in need of housing with assisted living, memory care, a community clinic and more. While the change will ultimately result in an expansion of programs and services, it means the Home is unable to accommodate family members for High Holy Days services and meals at Grancell Village. We are very sorry for this inconvenience and the interruption in what is a long-standing tradition at the Home. At Eisenberg Village, family members and guests are welcome to join their loved ones for services and meals throughout the High Holy Days. Services will be led by Rabbi Ron Goldberg and Cantor Joel Stern in the Ziman Family Synagogue. Please contact Allison Tepper at (818) 774-3386 or [email protected] for more information. Tickets must be purchased by September 13th. At Grancell Village, residents and rehab patients will have the option of attending our mainstream services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur or a liturgical musical High Holy Days experience. All will be under the direction of Rabbi Karen Bender, director of spiritual life for the Jewish Home. On behalf of the Los Angeles Jewish Home and our residents, we wish you a healthy and happy New Year! L'Shana Tova!

May I invite you to consider Adam’s point of view. Remember Adam? The very first human being, born into the Garden of Eden on the sixth day of creation. Adam loved the sun. He enjoyed its light and its warmth upon his skin. So you can imagine what happened when he experienced his first sunset. At first it must have been breathtaking for him—the variant colors in the sky as the day came to a close. But according to midrashic commentary on the Torah, once the sunset was complete Adam burst into tears. Where did that beloved ball of warmth and light go? Did I do something to cause it to leave? No human being had ever experienced a sunset before, so Adam assumed that it was gone forever. Imagine how thrilled Adam was the next morning when he saw the sun rise for the first time. He sang and danced and rejoiced! Adam marveled at the magnificence of the sun. What if we felt that way each morning? What if we woke up in awe of the magical sun as if the sun’s very existence were a genuine miracle? If you happened to be here at the Grancell Village Campus of the Los Angeles Jewish Home on August 21st around 10:00 a.m., then you witnessed that type of enthusiasm. The family of one of our residents was kind and thoughtful enough to bring multiple pairs of viewing glasses for our residents and staff. One by one people shared the glasses and gazed into the sky with wonderment and awe. News agencies reported that this went on all over the country. Millions of Americans stopped to watch. I’m no scientist but I have got to say: what is the likelihood that the sun would be 400 times the size of the moon and also 400 times further away from the earth than the moon, so that this perfect encounter could occur? It’s amazing. And from a Jewish point of view, a solar eclipse can only take place on the eve of Rosh Chodesh, the Jewish holiday celebrating the new moon, the first of the month. With the events that took place last week in Charlottesville, Virginia, many Americans felt a sense of hopelessness and even fear that we are sliding backwards in time, as if there has been an eclipse of the hearts of many of our people. But then so many came out of the woodwork during the week and on the weekend following, demonstrating against bigotry, against racism, against neo-nazism. There has been an eclipse of the sun but not a “total eclipse of the heart.” Perhaps if we can all remember that we are all citizens of the earth, inhabitants of the same universe, all descendants from Adam and Eve, we will remember, as Jewish tradition teaches, that no one can say, “my lineage is better than yours.” We are all one, warmed by the same sun.Rabbi Karen BenderSkirball Director of Spiritual [email protected]

When most of us hear the words "vaccination" or "immunization" we automatically think: oh, that's for kids. It's true: young children receive several vaccinations as they grow up and prepare to attend school, including measles, mumps, chickenpox, polio, tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis, or whooping cough. Influenza, or flu, shots are administered yearly beginning as young as six months. The bad news is…getting older doesn't mean you no longer need those shots! Throughout our lives we can be susceptible to catching many diseases just by coming into physical contact with someone who is ill or breathing air that is carrying germs from a sneeze or cough. We all know the importance of sneezing into a tissue or the crook of our arm when we have a cold and washing our hands frequently — all the time. These simple actions can help prevent transmission of illness from person to person. For some diseases, however, an immunization is necessary to help keep you healthy. As we get older, our age, job, lifestyle, travel, or health conditions can put us at risk for acquiring vaccine-preventable diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), here are the immunizations adults should receive to help prevent them from getting and spreading serious diseases that could result in poor health, missed work, medical bills, and not being able to care for family: seasonal flu (influenza) — All adults need this vaccine every year. It's especially important for people with chronic health conditions, pregnant women, and older adults.pneumococcal — There are two types of vaccines that are necessary to help fight pneumonia and its complications in seniors. The first is Pneumovax, which is given once. The second is Prevnar 13, which is also a one-time vaccine and should be given one year after receiving Pneumovax or vice versa. Tdap (whooping cough) and Td (tetanus and diphtheria) — Every adult should get a Tdap shot once if they did not receive it as an adolescent. All adults need a Td booster shot every 10 years. Herpes zoster — Zostavax is a one-time vaccination; however, since it contains a live Virus, some people should not take it. Be sure to check with your doctor to see if you are up to date on your immunizations and make a plan to follow up yearly. Regular visits can help insure you and your doctor are doing your most to protect your health…and you can improve your chances of living a healthy life at any age.

Each year on August 11th, sons and daughters across the country celebrate National Sons and Daughters Day. It's an important day for us here at the Los Angeles Jewish Home. That's because, first, every resident of the Home, every patient we care for, and every member of our staff is, of course, a son or daughter. Often, there are people in our lives we may regard as our "son" or "daughter." This could be a family member, children of close friends, or a "little brother and sister" from a community organization. Today is a day for all of us to show our appreciation for the sons and daughters in our lives. Here are 6 ways you can celebrate this special day: Cook a favorite meal togetherWatch a favorite movie or go to the theaterGo to a museumDine out for lunch or dinnerLook at old photographs and reminisceEnjoy an ice cream together If a son or daughter has moved away, call, Facetime, or Skype them and have a nice, long chat. Celebrate this special day with your children or anyone else who's like a son or daughter to you.

The residents of Eisenberg Village recently received a very unusual and thought-provoking gift from Dan Rosenfeld — a Jewish encyclopedia. Written in the 1970s, the encyclopedia consists of 20 volumes in pristine condition. The Jewish encyclopedia was given to Dan by his grandfather, Karl Frey, and he is now passing it on to the Home's Eisenberg Village seniors. "As a kid, every family had to have an encyclopedia," said Dan. "It was necessary — part of raising a family and part of being Jewish." Dan sees learning as a lifelong challenge. "Today, because of the accelerating pace of research and knowledge, it's more important than ever for seniors to keep current and keep the brain active," he explained. Even with new technology and communication tools, such as computers, the internet, and social media, physical books still have a special meaning. "There's something to holding a book, the physical aspect of turning a page. It is part of our childhood, a communal memory," said Dan. Joy Picus, a former Los Angeles City Councilwoman and current resident of Fountainview at Eisenberg Village, is a community leader who Dan has admired for many years, both professionally and as a personal friend. They stayed in touch over the years. When Dan mentioned he and his wife were downsizing and had this encyclopedia, Joy suggested it would be beneficial and interesting to the residents at the Jewish Home and suggested a visit. "I was deeply moved by my visit to the Home — at the quality of services and facilities — and even the food! It is a very impressive operation," Dan noted. Sitting and talking with the seniors at the Home reminded him of a visit 50 years ago to the senior home in Portland. To become an Eagle Scout he had to do a community service project. Dan chose to visit the senior home and interview the residents. He collected their stories and published a newsletter — printed on a mimeograph machine! Even then, at the age of 14, he was fascinated and interested in seniors and their stories. And now, thanks to Dan's generosity, the seniors at Eisenberg Village will be able to research and learn, and perhaps tell their stories, using their newly donated Jewish encyclopedia.

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On Friday, July 28th, the participants and staff of the Brandman Centers for Senior Care (BCSC) had a special visit from the Girl Scouts-Granada Hills Troop 4006. As part of their summer community service program, troop members Cassie, Kaitlyn, Sophia and Gracie collected cans, bottles, and recyclables to raise funds to provide custom made blankets to BCSC participants. As they presented the blankets, the Scouts spoke about their project, which took a few weeks to complete, and got to know the seniors. BCSC participants and staff enjoyed the special visit by the Girl Scouts-Granada Hills Troop 4006 and greatly appreciate the thoughtful gifts they provided. A program of the Los Angeles Jewish Home, the Brandman Centers for Senior Care provide quality medical care that promotes independence for seniors through the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). The PACE program enables frail seniors with multiple health conditions to live safely at home. The innovative program coordinates all services so qualified seniors are able to have their healthcare needs taken care of in one place. Among the program's many services are adult day healthcare, primary, and specialty medical care, vision and dental care, medications, physical, occupational, and speech therapy, transportation, acute care, home health care, and caregiving. The program serves patients age 55 and over who live in the Jewish Home's service area.For more information about the Brandman Centers for Senior Care, please click here to visit the BCSC website or call 818.774.8444.