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Many of us feel challenged by the current stay-at-home orders, including our socially isolated residents. To protect their health, our staff are delivering meals to our residents' rooms, finding creative ways to keep them active and doing their best to accommodate their emotional and physical needs as they shelter in place.Overall, however, our residents are resilient people. Some are Holocaust survivors, while others have struggled and overcome other personal hardships. Ask a resident how they're doing while under social isolation, and they'll tell you that while it's difficult, they understand it's necessary for their own good, as well as the greater good. They are making the best of the situation. "This shall pass," advises Edith Frankie, a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps. "People don't like restrictions. Me? I'm used to it. Staying in our rooms is not so hard in comparison."Frankie lives on the Home's Grancell Village campus at the Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center. She keeps her hands busy by crocheting. She keeps her mind busy by playing word games organized by the activities staff."People who feel isolated should do some exercises," she says. "I have been working out three times a week in our fitness center. The staff know what they're doing. I feel so much better after doing exercises for a half an hour.""They are doing a fantastic job here trying to keep us upbeat," says Leslie Scales, who lives at Eisenberg Village. "We miss our families. But there's not much else we can do. We are safe and healthy and that's all that matters."Scales looks forward to playing the daily "Dial-A-Bingo" games and receiving her lunch in her room. "The dietary staff are phenomenal," she says. Meanwhile, Michal Robins, who also lives at Eisenberg Village, limits her TV-watching to once a day. The behavior therapist spends her time listening to music and writing a book for fellow therapists.And, as president of the resident council, Robins finds herself in a leadership role during the pandemic. "I'm teaching others to be positive. People are antsy being by themselves," she says. "But the staff here are doing a great job reminding us to practice good hygiene and to keep a safe distance."A Juilliard-trained musician, Robins is hopeful that she'll be able to return soon to leading the Oneg Shabbat concert and sing-a-long. "If we trust the experts, follow their instructions, and take our vitamins, we'll see better times. We hope for a miracle and push the days until we have a vaccine," she says.Resident Marilyne Holm, a former fashion designer, spent most of her time in the Eisenberg Village art room before the mandatory lockdown. While she misses the camaraderie of working in the art room, she is managing to stay productive, thanks to a Los Angeles Jewish Health staff member who delivers art supplies to her room.Holm is known for creating Mendels (little stuffed dogs wearing yarmulkes), which she sells to the public. She's been continuing to sew them, as well as teddy bears, in her room. "I'll have a whole kennel once lockdown is done," she says.Like her fellow residents, Holm understands that socially isolating is necessary. "I know this has to be done," she says. "Thank God I'm here at the Home, where I'm safe."

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!

Friday, May 7th was a picture perfect Southern California afternoon. The courtyard at Grancell Village was sun drenched—yet, as it was midafternoon, there was plenty of shade for those who preferred it. A similar scene was unfolding at Eisenberg Village. Then it happened. After a year of public health regulations, so important to keep everyone safe, there was finally a green light to, carefully and cautiously, hold the first outdoor Shabbat services at the Jewish Home for 2021. One by one, residents arrived, resolute in their commitment to celebrate the Shabbat in person and, with social distancing in place, among fellow residents. Thankfully, services never stopped at the Home. Even at the height of the pandemic, thanks to extraordinary measures taken by our spiritual care and information technology departments, virtual services were provided each week. But now, the excitement and gratitude of the people on both campuses that services could once again be held outside and together was palpable. Not only were residents delighted to be attending the service—there was pure joy in seeing one another. A staff member was stopped as she walked by, by a woman who requested she tug on the sleeve of another nearby resident to get her attention so that the two friends could safely reconnect prior to services starting. They told one another how great each looked. As everyone settled in at Grancell Village, Skirball Director of Spiritual Life Rabbi Karen Bender asked people to share what they were grateful for as they came out for the service. Person after person shared in clear, loud voices, they were grateful for the staff and the extraordinary care they received during this past year and the Jewish Home for being here to keep them safe. In addition, there were several who expressed special thanks to the Home's dedicated spiritual leaders. Special prayer books were printed for the residents. You could watch the aides dutifully help the residents follow along, turning the pages for them as they joined in the prayers and songs led by the rabbis. For those who could not attend in person, the service was livestreamed on the residents' televisions. For those who did attend in person at Grancell Village, they were treated to clear sound thanks to a generous donation for a new sound system from Jewish Home Board Chair Andrew Berman. They say it takes a village, and on a recent beautiful Friday afternoon, many came together to observe Shabbat and the special village that is the Los Angeles Jewish Home.

Veterans Day 2018 was a memorable one for seniors from coast to coast with a number of moving ceremonies and tributes. Through the efforts of the Association of Jewish Services (AJAS), 47 Jewish War Veterans from AJAS communities participated in honoring veterans at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. As taps played, several Jewish War Veterans placed a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In Los Angeles, at precisely 11:11 a.m. on 11/11/18, Veteran’s Day, the shofar was blown and bells were rung at the Los Angeles National Cemetery in a ceremony to honor veterans and commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. In conjunction with the AJAS community, Los Angeles Jewish Home residents were on hand to present a wreath from the Home in honor of all fallen soldiers. Both Jewish Home campuses in Reseda also held special events in honor of veterans on Monday, November 12th. The Grancell Village Campus celebration featured music and poetry. Rabbi Karen Bender thanked the veterans in the audience for their service and presented each with a certificate of appreciation. Residents, whose military service stretched from Israel to England to the United States, waved flags, sang songs, and showed their patriotic spirit. On the Eisenberg Village campus, the program opened with the pledge of allegiance and singing of the "Star Spangled Banner." Several residents then participated in meaningful and moving dramatic readings. The veterans in the audience were asked to stand and be recognized prior to concluding the program with a rousing rendition of "God Bless America." It was indeed a fitting tribute to those who have served our country.

Passover is always one of the most important holidays on the Jewish calendar, and for seniors at the Los Angeles Jewish Home, this year's celebration was something extra special. "During Pesach, we tell the story of our People's liberation from slavery in Mitzrayim [Egypt]. This year, it coincided with the anniversary of our own journey through COVID-19," says Skirball Director of Jewish Life Rabbi Karen Bender. "Just like Mitzrayim, COVID has been a dangerous and confining place. And though we're still not quite through the pandemic, things are starting to open back up, the same way the waters parted for the Jewish people at the Red Sea." This Passover was a particularly meaningful time for Jewish Home residents, who endured long months of uncertainty as the coronavirus swept across Southern California. Here, Rabbi Bender points out another parallel between the Exodus and modern day. "Ultimately, Passover is a joyful holiday, and right now at the Jewish Home, we are also feeling a sense of real joy," she says. "Our ancestors knew what it meant, after great struggle, to strive toward the Promised Land. Now, we too, can finally see it emerging in the distance. That is cause for optimism and celebration." To mark the occasion, Rabbi Bender spent the holiday doing something she had not been able to do for 12 months: gathering in person with Jewish Home residents—in small groups—to teach about Passover and to give the Home's seniors a chance to reconnect. "To be extra cautious, we kept residents in their cohorts and I visited each floor of our buildings to help people study the Haggadah," she says. "It's such a rich and interesting text— you could easily teach a four-semester course at the college level about it!" The experience, she says, was incredibly moving. "We began class by saying a Shecheheyanu prayer, expressing our thanks for being together again," she says. "Seeing people's relief and excitement was just amazing." Rabbi Bender and her colleague, Eisenberg Village Campus Rabbi Ronald Goldberg, helped residents observe the holiday in other ways, as well. Since large group gatherings have not yet been deemed safe, the rabbis broadcast a seder, the traditional Passover meal, on the Jewish Home's closed circuit TV station. "We made sure there was a seder plate in every hand, which meant distributing nearly 1,000 of them to our residents," Rabbi Bender says. "As they watched the seder, they were able to participate along with us—dipping parsley in salt water, making the Hillel sandwich and singing the Four Questions." In preparation for the holiday, Rabbi Bender also led other Passover rituals. "This year, I was able to burn the hametz [leavened products], which to me was another sign that we're starting to return to normal," she says. "In addition, we had a massive cleaning of the Jewish Home's kitchens. Our mashgiach [an authority who supervises the kashrut status of a kosher establishment] says no other organization he's ever worked with is as skilled or dedicated to koshering for Pesach. It's an amazing sight to see." After such a challenging year, Rabbi Bender was thrilled to see life at the Jewish Home start to resume a more regular pace. "We're going from holy to holy—transitioning from the holiness of protecting our residents and making the sacrifices needed to stay safe, to the holiness of taking tiny steps toward leading a more normal life," she says. "To see residents once again greet each other in person and wish one another a 'Zissen Pesach,' a sweet Passover, was an unbelievably heartwarming experience."

A good night's sleep is a powerful tonic, promoting both physical and mental well-being. American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) President Dr. Safwan Badr says, "Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury. You must sleep well to be well." The AASM notes that poor sleep is linked to problems such as obesity, high blood pressure, and Type 2 diabetes. Interrupted sleep or not enough sleep can leave you feeling tired, irritable, sluggish, and hungry the next day. As we get older, we have less deep sleep at night. We also experience fewer episodes of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, the part of sleep where dreams occur. Here are 10 tips for good sleep hygiene. Stick to a regular sleep schedule, going to bed and waking up at the same time every day.Practice a relaxing bedtime ritual such as watching television or reading, but not on a tablet or device emitting blue light, such as your cell phone. Some people keep blue-light-emitting devices out of the bedroom altogether.Avoid napping in the afternoon as it can reduce your body's drive to sleep at night.Exercise daily, preferably in the morning or afternoon—the more rigorously, the better.Keep your bedroom dark, quiet, and cool. The National Sleep Foundation recommends a temperature between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit.Sleep on a comfy mattress with good pillows.Avoid bright light in the evening, but let the sun shine in through the windows in the morning to keep your body's circadian (internal clock) rhythms in good order.Avoid caffeine, cigarettes, heavy meals, and alcohol in the evening. The Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School notes that alcohol, while initially relaxing, acts as a stimulant after a few hours.If you lie awake in bed for more than 20 minutes, get up and move to another room. Read or listen to music until you feel tired enough to sleep, then go back to bed. The bedroom should be dedicated to sleeping only.When all else fails, some doctors recommend prescription sleep aids which are short-acting and won't leave you groggy the next day. Please consult a physician before taking any medication. Note: some sleeping problems or interruptions are caused by underlying medical conditions such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, or narcolepsy. If you suspect this might be the case for you, see your medical doctor or a sleep specialist.

Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, which took place on Thursday, April 8th, is an occasion for solemn contemplation. To reflect on the horrors of the campaign to kill millions of Jews and others is to acknowledge mankind’s ability to do evil. And yet, says Holocaust survivor and Los Angeles Jewish Home resident Joseph Neustadt, it is also a time for hope.Joseph Neustadt. Photo taken prior to COVID-19 pandemic. "When we talk about our memories of the war, we make sure that, when we die, the stories will stay alive—and that means we can stop the same thing from happening again" he says. Born in Latvia, Joseph, who is 93, still remembers his experience vividly. "In 1941, the Nazis killed most of the women and children in Riga (the Latvian capital); that’s when they took my mother and my sisters. But there was a small ghetto for working men, and I joined my father and my brother there. I was about 13 years old," he says. "Two years later, they liquidated the ghetto and sent us to Stutthof, a concentration camp in Germany." While they were in the camp, Joseph, his brother, and his dad noticed the Nazis would often look over the Jewish prisoners, sending some to the left and others to the right. During one such review, Joseph’s father was sent to the left—and Joseph never saw him again. As time dragged on, Joseph was shuttled off to various camps until his liberation in 1945—coincidentally, from a camp located in a town with the same name as his: Neustadt. "My brother died 13 days after the liberation, from typhus," he recalls. "That left me as the only survivor in my family." Joseph’s journey took him from Germany, to Holland, to Canada, and eventually to Los Angeles. He settled in West Hills, where he raised a family with his wife, Arlene, and worked for 30 years as an electrician at McDonnell Douglas. Today, Joseph, who is twice widowed, is happily settled in at the Jewish Home, where he has lived for the past four years. When he arrived at the Home, he found himself in the company of other survivors like fellow resident, 93 year-old Joshua Kaufman. Like Joseph, Joshua readily shares his story with all who will listen. A survivor of five concentration camps, including Auschwitz and Dachau, he often thinks back to what his fellow inmates would say to each other during their internment: "If you survive, don't let people forget what the Nazis did." Joshua has stayed true to his word. When he talks about his past, Joshua is instantly transported back to the day he was liberated in 1945. "I was at Dachau when General Eisenhower came. I saw him from 10 feet away. He was crying as he surveyed the camp, saying, 'If I hadn't seen all the skeletons, I would never have believed something like this could happen,'" Joshua remembers. From captivity in Germany, he went to Israel, eventually joining the Israeli army. His military career included deployment to the Suez Canal as well as service in the Six-Day War and 1973 Yom Kippur War. Later, in 1975, he took a trip to California with a friend and met the woman who would become his wife. "Margaret was so beautiful," Joshua says. "We fell in love after three days, and got married in two weeks, and I decided to stay in California." The couple are now both Jewish Home residents (Margaret for the past nine years; Joshua moved in this year), and Joshua continues to speak the truth of what he lived through in Europe all those years ago. "I believe in educating people—trying to raise this new generation and helping them understand what happened," he says. Education is also critically important to Frieda Thompson, another survivor who lives at the Jewish Home. For her, learning is a way to overcome the tragedy of the Holocaust and deny the Nazis the victory they sought.Frieda Thompson. Photo taken prior to COVID-19 pandemic. "Even after the Gestapo came and took my father to Buchenwald, my mother—who stayed with us—was very interested that my brothers still go to school," Frieda says. "When my older brother turned 14, my mother said, 'I want him to be bar mitzvahed before the Nazis take us,' and she made arrangements with the synagogue and the rabbi to have the ceremony. It says how much it meant to her that he become a bar mitzvah even during this time." To keep her parents' memory alive—and in defiance of the Nazi's Final Solution—Frieda decided to become a Bat Mitzvah herself at the Jewish Home. She is currently studying, preparing, and training for her upcoming Bat Mitzvah. "When I was young, women couldn't do it, but now I think it's a wonderful thing," she says. The Jewish Home honors and salutes Frieda, Joshua, and Joseph—and every Holocaust survivor here at the Home and beyond—for their incredible perseverance and for helping all of us make Yom HaShoah a day never to be forgotten.

Since the opening of the Jewish Home’s Brandman Centers for Senior Care, a Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), participating seniors and their families have experienced a broad range of benefits. Now those benefits have been measured, thanks to the first national caregiver survey conducted by the National PACE Association (NPA). The results are clear: The Brandman Centers are making an important difference in their members’ everyday lives. PACE provides high-quality, comprehensive medical and social services to seniors aged 55 and older, promoting their independence in the comfort of their own homes, even when health challenges make them eligible for nursing home care. The Brandman Centers offers a full continuum of services including primary medical care on-site, preventive health services, rehabilitation, social work services, nutritional counseling, medications, supplies, Adult Day Health Care, and transportation to and from the Center. The NPA survey included 20 PACE programs across the United States, gauging a metric known as “caregiver burden” — essentially, the level of stress experienced by the men and women (often adult children or other loved ones) who assist seniors in meeting their day-to-day needs. Across the board, the Brandman Centers outshined its peers. “Our caregiver burden score was nearly 50 percent less after participant enrollment, meaning caregivers were healthier, happier, and had more time for themselves,” says Susie Fishenfeld, the Brandman Centers’ Executive Director. “This was a higher reduction when compared to the national results. And one hundred percent of respondents reported our program helped them to be better caregivers, which ultimately positively impacts the many seniors we serve.” The survey provided detailed feedback about what makes the Brandman Centers such a positive force in the community. Respondents praised the “wonderful support system,” the “excellent attention” given to seniors, and the convenience of having doctors and other medical services in one location. With assistance from the Brandman Centers, notes one typical comment, “I had a few hours to work without interruption and without worrying that my mother is unsafe or lonely. PACE is a blessing to our family!” Jewish Home CEO-President Molly Forrest noted these responses which reinforce how vital the Home and its programs are for seniors and their caregivers throughout Los Angeles. “Helping to care for a senior is a great privilege, but also a huge responsibility,” she says. “The Brandman Centers is a critical ally caregivers can rely on for compassion, understanding, and resources.” The NPA survey was administered by Vital Research, in conjunction with the Brandman Centers, in fall 2018.

Father's Day is the perfect opportunity to tell your father, your grandfather, and your great-grandfather (if you are blessed enough to still have him around) how much you love and enjoy them. Maybe you also want to celebrate other special senior men in your life who have given you guidance and support. Gift trends for them change throughout the years, but the sentiment stays the same. Ties, slippers, and aftershave have given way recently to noise-cancelling headphones, fitness tracking devices, and trendy mustache waxing kits. We asked some of our Jewish Home residents about memorable presents they have received for past Father's Day holidays. Artie Kessler still has a handprint in clay his daughter Judy made for him one year when she was little. She now has two daughters of her own. Artie considers his granddaughters to be special Father's Day gifts, too. Jesse Cooperman remembers receiving a surprising present from his wife in the 1970's. They were vacationing at their home up in Big Bear Lake, California. "On Sunday morning, which was Father's Day, my wife drove into town to get the newspaper," he told us. They had three children at the time. "She came back with a 14-foot sailboat on a trailer hitched to the back of the car." He was bowled over by her thoughtfulness. An avid sailor since he was 13 years old, Jesse loved taking his small boat out by himself on the lake. "It was my quiet time," he said. He kept the boat even after they sold the vacation home. Cyril Manson has two sons, five grandsons, and is expecting a great-grandchild soon. He has received many presents of socks, ties, shirts and cologne for past Father's Day celebrations. But lately he tells his family not to bother getting him presents. "As long as they think of me and care for me—that's enough," he said. No matter how you choose to appreciate them, the fatherly figures in your life are treasures. Letting them know that is the best gift of all.