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From the outset of the pandemic, the Los Angeles Jewish Home pursued a proactive approach to COVID-19 management, taking critical steps to ensure the health and safety of all residents in our care and staff who work at the Home. Recently, these efforts were recognized with a certificate of achievement from the Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG), a Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The award, part of HSAG's Full Speed Ahead! program, honors nursing homes that reach and maintain high vaccination levels in California and Arizona. Recipients of this prestigious distinction were the Jewish Home's Eisenberg Village campus and its highly regarded Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center (JEKMC). In both places, the Home exceeded a 90 percent staff vaccination rate against COVID-19 for four consecutive weeks during the fourth quarter of 2021. It's a remarkable success, particularly when measured against the 74 percent of Californians who are fully vaccinated (78 percent in LA County), and it reflects a real commitment on the part of the Jewish Home to enhance the well-being of people throughout our community. Noah Marco, MD, the Home's chief medical officer, notes that the organization's accomplishment stems from the commitment of diverse stakeholders to nurturing an environment defined by mutual support. "Given the massive amount of misinformation there was at times regarding the vaccine, and the early challenges in obtaining sufficient doses, our staff's vaccination and booster rates are truly reflective of the relationships and trust that Jewish Home leadership has with its staff," Dr. Marco says. As special as HSAG's acknowledgement of specific areas of the Home is, it is actually reflective of low total numbers of infections in our facilities—not just in Eisenberg Village and at JEKMC, but across all of our campuses. "In this most recent wave, we have not had one serious case of COVID-19 among any of our residents," Dr. Marco points out. "The few residents who did get sick had very minimal symptoms, at most. Due in no small part to staff efforts, our residents have been able to continue enjoying the benefits of living at the Jewish Home and being part of the lives of those they love."

COVID-19, a strain of the Coronavirus, has recently been in the news. The Los Angeles Jewish Home (LAJH) and all of its programs have no identified threat at this time. Currently, there are only a handful of cases in our city, but that is likely to change. Our leadership team is staying abreast of the situation and monitoring communications from the government programs that advise health care institutions. On March 4, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced “Actions to Address Spread of Coronavirus.” CMS announced several actions aimed at limiting the spread of the Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). Specifically, CMS issued a call to action to health care providers across the country to ensure they are implementing their infection control procedures. The LAJH has answered that call. We are maintaining and supplementing our infection control procedures. Our priority remains the protection from harm of the most vulnerable members of our community. In that regard, we are implementing several actions: We suspended sending our residents out into the community for social activities.We are cancelling group activities of our residents where they interact with people from the outside community.We are asking visitors to minimize coming to see our residents and educating them not to come if they are not well.We have assessed our inventory of protective equipment (gowns, gloves, masks) and determined we currently have an adequate supply (but we ordered more).We will screen all new admissions if they have any of the known risk factors to transmit this virus.We have been educating and training our staff on how to follow the published guidelines on how to minimize spreading of this illness.Additional cleaning of our environment will occur using products that we have been told kill this virus.We will minimize our staff gathering in one room for routine discussions and use other forms of communication when appropriate.We will continue to stay in direct communication with state and local public health agencies.We will begin a process to screen visitors if they have any of the known risk factors to transmit this virus (as instructed by CMS). The CDC has made recommendations on how to prevent the spread of the virus. Like the flu, thorough handwashing is the best technique to prevent the virus. Below are other recommendations: Stay Home. Do not leave your residence if you feel ill. Call your doctor to report your illness. Refrain from going into public places.Separate yourself from other people in your home. If you live with others, it’s best to separate yourself to another room, and if possible to use a separate bathroom.Cover coughs and sneezes. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue, and dispose of it into a trash can. If a tissue is not available, cough or sneeze into your elbow. Wash your hands after.Avoid sharing household items. Avoid sharing drinking glasses, dishware, and towels. These items should be washed thoroughly with soap and warm water after use.Keep your hands clean. Wash your hands often and thoroughly with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds, with friction. Use alcohol based hand sanitizer. Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands. Good hand washing is the best way to prevent the spread. Please help keep our residents safe. Please do not come onto our campus for routine visits. If you feel ill or have come in contact with someone who is suspected of having COVID-19, DO NOT VISIT. It is unlikely that we will be able to provide a visitor screening process 24 hours per day. Therefore, visiting hours will be restricted to the times when we have clinicians available. You will not be allowed to enter our facilities if it is determined you pose a risk to those we serve. It is our commitment to you to inform you of any changes of our plans or instructions we get from public health agencies. Thank you for your partnership. Noah Marco, M.D.Chief Medical OfficerLos Angeles Jewish Home

For people who can get around independently but still require assistance in some of their activities of daily living (ADLs), assisted living may be an excellent choice for seniors. Facilities that offer assisted living can help in a variety of important ways. Doing housework and laundry Housework and laundry are hard work. As we age, they become even more difficult. Assisted living will assume these responsibilities for you. Preparing meals Do you find it more and more difficult to make meals on your own at home? Do you sometimes forget altogether? Assisted living can prepare your meals for you. Arranging transportation Assisted living facilities can provide transportation services if you no longer drive. Remembering appointments As we age, we may become more forgetful. If you are missing appointments or having a hard time remembering where you placed certain items, assisted living will help keep you on track and on time. Preventing falls Have you fallen at home? It’s scary and can cause serious problems. Assisted living facilities offer grab bars to help prevent falling. They also provide emergency call systems so if you do fall, you can get help right away. Dealing with depression or loneliness You may face issues of depression and loneliness, often because of the loss of a spouse. Assisted living communities give you the chance to live with and meet new people and develop friendships. They also provide organized social and community events. Every assisted living facility is different, and all offer different levels of assistance. If you are interested in assisted living for yourself or a loved one, please contact the Los Angeles Jewish Home. We provide a full range of assisted living services to enhance the quality of life for seniors.

As Fashion Week 2021 Arrives in New York, We Celebrate a Designer Who Spent Decades in the Fashion Industry and Who Is Still Inspiring and Setting Trends as a Resident of the Jewish Home. Marilyne Holm, at 92 years of age, personifies the spirit of the Los Angeles Jewish Home. From the moment she greets you in the Taper facility on the Grancell Village campus, her warmth and smile make you feel like you've known her for years. Born Marilyne Levy, she grew up with her parents and one brother in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Marilyne describes it as "not necessarily a great place at the time for a Jewish kid to grow up." Marilyne was one of only four Jewish students at her high school. Her love for sketching started well before her high school years. She actually recalls sketching at the age of three, though throughout her childhood, she was only able to indulge her passion once she had accomplished her many chores. She married young, to a florist. Soon, she was pregnant with their son Christopher. As a child, Christopher asked his mother why she chose "Christopher" for a Jewish boy's name. She explained what a beautiful name she thought it was when hearing the childhood classic, Winnie-the-Pooh (Pooh's childhood best friend is the loving boy Christopher Robin). When it came time for Christopher to pick his own name at his Bar Mitzvah, he selected the more traditional "Baruch." Christopher's parents eventually divorced, making Marilyne a single mom working full time, but she always made time for him, even volunteering for his Cub Scout troop. She never remarried. However, when asked if she ever fell in love again, she gets a twinkle in her eye, and without missing a beat says, "Several times … but when you are a mother, that is the most important thing." She was protective of her son and the potential impact a new man might have on him. Throughout all of life's changes, Marilyne's love of sketching never wavered. She studied at an art school in Chicago while also working at upscale department stores such as Marshall Fields and JW Robinson. It was in art school that she experienced discrimination: One teacher told her she really didn't need to study or do well, since Jews were taking over the fashion industry. At the time, she didn't know much about fashion, but the remark pushed her to do her best, and she ended up winning the major class competition. All of her time working in department stores furthered Marilyne's knowledge of what clothes look best on a woman. Though she'd come to Los Angeles to be closer to the West Coast garment industry, this single mom still needed to break into the design field. She dove right in, hitting the pavement and going from place to place in the fashion district trying to get into the business. Eventually, someone gave her a chance. From there the creative juices continued to flow. At one job, Marilyne and her colleagues noticed they kept making matching shirts and skirts. Suddenly, it occurred to them: Why didn't they just put a shirt and a skirt together in one garment to make a shirtdress? From then on, they were at the forefront of this very popular fashion style that is still widely embraced today. Another day, proving good can come from adversity; she accidently burnt the bottom of a sleeve. Not wanting to waste the fabric, she rolled it up. Her boss loved the look so much; they successfully sold them that way from that point on. Today, Marilyne can look back on two and a half enjoyable years at the Jewish Home. Before taking up residence here, she lived in L.A.'s Miracle Mile area. When describing her arrival at the Jewish Home, she admits that, at first, she was a bit unsure. Then, she started touring the campus and realized how beautiful the grounds are. Once she had a meal, she said, "Well, this is good!" The benefits kept on coming. After hearing there was a beauty shop right here on the campus, she asked, "Well, do they do back combs? Because that's how I have my hair styled." The answer was "yes"—and when she heard the low price, she was amazed. Soon after, Marilyne saw the activities room, with its reams and reams of cloth, and she knew she had found her place. Today, she has become very well-known at the Jewish Home for a different kind of design: the sewing of adorable little stuffed dogs that bring joy to all who see them. The dogs are special. Boy dogs don a yarmulke, and female dogs wear babushkas. Marilyne's special stuffed dog, named Mendel, sports a beautiful pearl bracelet as a collar. She jokes Mendel "stole" it from her. By her estimate, she has made hundreds of the little friends since coming to the Home. One of her ongoing passions is teaching others to make them, and she points out that the activity is great for the mind and for maintaining dexterity. When asked how she has managed to remain so upbeat, particularly during this past challenging year, Marilyne shares that it has been difficult—but that she just gets up each day, puts her make-up on, and makes a point to say "Hi" and "How are you?" to others. She doesn't mind if they don't answer, as long as she's doing her part to try to make them happy. Reflecting on her time at the Jewish Home, Marilyne says it's easy to encapsulate how she feels. "This place is God's blessing," she enthuses. "It makes you feel good."

If you have a senior loved one in your life or are a senior yourself, you’re probably familiar with the word geriatrician. But in reality do you know what this term actually means? A geriatrician is a fully trained physician specializing in the diagnosis, treatment, and care of seniors. In most cases, geriatricians are primary care physicians, board-certified in internal or family medicine. Before becoming a geriatrician, most complete a one-year, post-residency fellowship in the field of geriatrics. Geriatrics is the branch of medicine catering to older adults. Once the fellowship is completed, the geriatrician is ready to perform his or her primary role – enhancing the quality of life for seniors as they age. However, those physicians who went into the field prior to the development of formal training programs, had the ability to take a written test that demonstrated their knowledge in the field and get certified as a geriatrician. Geriatricians play a major role in a senior's health and well-being, providing diagnosis and treatment to patients with complicated medical conditions. Seniors with age-related illnesses, disabilities, and/or prolonged use of prescription medication can greatly benefit from the carefully crafted care plans geriatricians create. These specialists usually start with a complete assessment of each patient's physical, psychological, cognitive, and social function. Once the doctor is familiar with a senior’s health profile, he or she work closely with the entire care team to develop a comprehensive plan of care. Geriatricians are ready and willing to provide their patients with information and insight to make tough decisions easier to navigate. They can also help to take the load off of family caregivers who are struggling with caring for a senior loved one at home. With a quick evaluation of the senior’s living space, geriatricians propose small modifications to make home life easier and safer. Many experienced geriatricians excel in providing key suggestions to continuously improve the quality of life for seniors. At the Los Angeles Jewish Home, chief medical officer Dr. Noah Marco leads a team of noted geriatricians who provide award-winning services to seniors on site. “Many in the field consider the Jewish Home as one of the birthplaces of Geriatric Medicine,” says Dr. Marco. “When UCLA established the Multicampus Program in Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology in 1979, it affiliated with the Los Angeles Jewish Home as a place for its doctors to get their experience. We are fortunate that several of our doctors graduated from that program.” If you or a senior you know are interested in healthy aging or looking to receive life-enhancing care, consider making an appointment with a geriatrician. Call the Home’s convenient, toll-free Connections to Care hotline 855.227.3745, or visit the American Geriatrics Society site and use the Find a Geriatrics Healthcare Professional tool to find a geriatrician near you.

The goal of palliative medicine is to bring comfort to patients with serious or chronic life-limiting illnesses. The term “palliative” means to lessen or relieve without curing. Palliative medicine practitioners at the Jewish Home’s Center for Palliative Medicine help people manage their symptoms, understand their choices for medical care, and regain their strength to carry on with daily life and/or medical treatment. Palliative medicine doctors and social workers do this in part, by also addressing the emotional, social, and spiritual problems that illnesses can bring up. Palliative Medicine is helpful to those experiencing many different conditions some of which are: ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosisCancerCOPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)CHF (congestive heart failure)Dementia (including Alzheimers)EmphysemaKidney disease Palliative medicine is appropriate at any point in an illness. It may be used in conjunction with curative medicine and help you or a loved one manage the side-effects of medical treatments. The palliative medicine team will partner with the patient’s physicians and family members to provide an extra layer of support. For more information, contact the Los Angeles Jewish Home’s Center for Palliative Medicine at 818.578.7427 or visit https://www.lajhealth.org/our-programs/skirball-palliative.

When it comes to offering high-quality senior care, the Los Angeles Jewish Home has a proven recipe for success. One of the central ingredients: our community of extraordinary volunteers, the people who selflessly give their time and energy to make this a place anyone would want to call home. Volunteers come to the Jewish Home with a broad range of interests and experiences. Yet, all of them share a passion for making life a little sweeter for the seniors we are privileged to serve. Longtime Tarzana resident Janet Edery had the Jewish Home on her radar for decades. She raised two kids as a single mom, and her son volunteered at the Home during high school. Today, at 71, she is now a volunteer herself, and says the care being offered is as exceptional as ever. "My mom moved into the Jewish Home in 2014, and I would go every day to visit. It was immediately clear how amazing the environment is: stimulating, well-staffed, and with such delicious food! I knew she was in good hands," she says. Later, after her mom passed away, Janet missed her daily interactions at the Home and decided to enroll as a volunteer. Until the start of the pandemic, she would spend one day each week bonding with skilled nursing residents—chatting, sharing a meal, and engaging in a wide range of activities. "I would do tai chi with the residents or attend weekend concerts with them. I grew particularly fond of one resident, a woman from Argentina; we would go salsa dancing," she recalls. "The residents are always so happy, and being there would fill me with joy." Once COVID-19 made on-site visits impossible, Janet's volunteer career at the Home was temporarily put on hold. But, with life reopening for people across Los Angeles, the Home is cautiously welcoming volunteers once again, while continuing to follow all of the latest health and safety regulations. This has allowed for Janet to resume supervising outdoor visits and reunions on Fridays. "I'm thrilled to be back," she says. "The Jewish Home is special, and I want to become a resident myself when I'm ready!" Whether they come from the community or from within one of the Jewish Home's own campuses, volunteers play a critical role in helping the Home run smoothly. Sandy Fine, a resident of Eisenberg Village, works in the Jewish Home's post office sorting mail. "I love what I do," she enthuses. "I know everybody's room number, and I learn their names. It's a wonderful way to meet people. The job is perfect for me!" Sandy, 84, arrived at the Jewish Home two years ago. "I was living in my own house in North Hollywood, where I'd been for 40 years, when I had an accident. I went into rehab at the Home and ended up staying," she says. For Sandy, her volunteer job is a way to remain physically and mentally active. "The post office helps keep my mind going, which is hugely important to me," she says. "I'm fortunate to be sharp, and I want to make sure I stay that way!" As a resident volunteer, Sandy has an inside perspective on what makes the Home so unique. "Where else can you be with a bunch of people who all love the same things you do?" she asks. "We've got our own havurah [group of friends] here. There's just no other place like the Jewish Home." Both Sandy and Janet enjoy their work, and they encourage new potential volunteers to join them. "We're a dedicated group, but there's a real need for even more of us," Janet says.To people who are interested, I'd say there's no time like the present!" To learn more about volunteer opportunities, contact Stacy Orbach, director of volunteer services, at (818) 774-3219 or [email protected].

When Los Angeles Jewish Home resident Barbara Young Leff attended a Shabbat service at the Home this fall, she could never have imagined it would connect her to her beloved family thousands of miles away. Yet, that is precisely what happened in a story that proves it is, indeed, a small world after all. As she arrived at services that Friday night, Barbara was provided a machzor (prayer book) and opened it to follow along with the liturgy. What she found on the inside cover was astonishing: a dedication from her first cousins Fred and Judi Young of Yardley, Pennsylvania, a town located on the Delaware River about 30 miles outside of Philadelphia. She immediately told her son, Steve Leff, and his wife, Cheryl. "When she told us about the label in the prayer book, we couldn't believe it," recalls Barbara's son, Steve Leff. "I thought, ‘Well, that's a coincidence; it must be another Fred and Judi." But Barbara was insistent, pointing out that the dedication also mentioned Congregation Brothers of Israel—Fred and Judi Young's synagogue. As Steve's wife Cheryl noted, that greatly diminished the possibility it was a different couple with the same name. "To get to the bottom of it, we reached out to Fred and Judi to investigate," she says. Barbara's and Fred's fathers were brothers, and though Barbara's family had moved from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles in the 1940s, the Leffs and the Youngs remained close, traveling back and forth for family visits and celebrations. Cheryl and Steve were still in touch with their cross-country cousins and quickly emailed them about Barbara's find. What they learned was that the Youngs had a history of dedicating prayer books as a way of supporting their synagogue. "We've belonged to our shul for 35 years; I'm a past president, and Judi served as president of the temple sisterhood for nearly a decade," Fred says. "Every few years, congregants are asked to donate to fund the purchase of new machzorim. So, we'd definitely done what Barbara said—but we had no idea how the books would have made it all the way out to California." Solving the rest of the "machzor mystery" would be the job of the Jewish Home's rabbi and chief mission officer, Karen Bender. Cheryl contacted her and laid out the facts of the still-incomplete story—and Rabbi Bender was ready with the missing piece. When new editions of prayer books are released, synagogues may decide to update their supply. Some then offer their old books to other synagogues, nursing homes and places in need. Such was the case with Congregation Brothers of Israel, which had placed an ad that was subsequently seen by the Jewish Home's Rabbi Ron Goldberg. He brought it to Rabbi Bender's attention, who was delighted with the prospect of acquiring new machzorim for the Home. "Their synagogue was giving away exactly the machzorim we needed, and they were in excellent condition. In fact, they were actually an update for us, which was fantastic," Rabbi Bender says. "The books were free; we just had to pay the price of shipping the freight here to LA." "What are the odds that, of all the prayerbooks in the world, my cousin Barbara in California would end up with one that we had dedicated, across the country, years before?" Fred asks. "I said to Judi, ‘We should go out and buy a bunch of lottery tickets right now!'" As unlikely as the story was, Steve says it was, in some ways, fitting. "My mom, who has a master's degree in library science from USC, was the creator and first director of the Stephen S. Wise Temple library. Books—particularly Judaic books—have always been a huge part of her life," he says. "It seems appropriate that this small-world story would revolve around the dedication in a Jewish book!" Fred concurs. "When I first heard about it, I assumed Barbara had opened the cover to see if the book was overdue—like a librarian's instinct!" he laughs. Not long after Barbara's initial discovery, Rabbi Bender presented a copy of the machzor to Barbara to keep as her own. Barbara's pleasure was evident, and she beamed from ear to ear. "Last time we saw her, she was carrying the book around and explaining the whole story to her doctor," Cheryl says. "She was thrilled by it all and will readily share the tale with anyone who will listen!"

From left to right: Kathy, Ernesto, Lourdes, and Francine You never know where you’ll find a friend. Short-term rehabilitation patients Kathy, 73; Ernesto, 67; and Francine, 67 experienced the joy and surprise of an unexpected friendship when they stayed at the Ida Kayne Transitional Care Unit (TCU) at the Los Angeles Jewish Home. Kathy was recovering from a patellofemoral surgery performed on her right knee, Ernesto was recuperating from a ruptured quadriceps tendon, and Francine was on the road to recovery after falling and breaking her hip. When faced with the challenge of making a fully recovery after an illness, injury, or medical procedure, all three seniors trusted the expert rehabilitative staff and state-of-the-art facilities of the Jewish Home’s TCU program would help to get them back on their feet. The trio became fast friends when they were assigned to sit at the same table in the dining room of the Taper Building. The threesome's budding friendship blossomed when Ernesto enlisted the help of his wife, Lourdes, to teach Kathleen and Francine a popular card game. The group now spends their afternoons deep in conversation over a few competitive games of Continental Rummy. The Ida Kayne Transitional Care Unit at the Los Angeles Jewish Home is designed to help seniors successfully transition back home after an illness, injury, medical procedure, or hospital stay. For more information, please call Connections to Care, our toll-free hotline, at (855) 227-3745 or visit our website at https://lajhealth.org/.

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.