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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."

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.

The Los Angeles Daily News reported that Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti shared progress on a city initiative expanding testing capacity at nursing homes, during a media briefing held in front of the Home’s Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center. The Daily News also reported that the Jewish Home’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Noah Marco addressed testing efforts within Los Angeles Jewish Health specifically and in general for skilled nursing facilities during the briefing. Read more › Author: · Publication: · Date: May 19, 2020

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

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.

When Judy Fenton heard about the shortage of protective gear for healthcare personnel, she knew she could contribute, but did not know where to start. "I was trying to figure out how to get involved," says Fenton, who lives at Fountainview at Gonda Healthy Aging Westside Campus. Then she learned that there was a need right in her own backyard when Charlette Ofrecio, executive director at Gonda, told her that Jewish Home staff lacked protective masks. Fenton eagerly jumped in to help. "The Jewish Home has been so good to me and I appreciate the staff so much," she says. Adept at sewing, Fenton borrowed a friend's sewing machine and got to work. "I always sewed for fun," she says. "I used to make my daughters' clothes for fancy occasions such as weddings and proms." Now she sews protective gear, estimating that she has produced 40-50 cloth masks. Toward the end of March, staff at the Home began to realize that there was a shortage of disposable gowns. Prices were skyrocketing. Kathleen Glass, executive director of the Home's Eisenberg Village campus, came up with a solution: Sew long sleeves onto traditional hospital gowns. Soon, staff and their friends and family were sewing gowns. And the Helping Hands campaign was born. Ofrecio told Fenton about the Home's "Helping Hands" campaign, which distributes medical gown sewing kits throughout the community, Fenton quickly and enthusiastically volunteered to help. Volunteer Services Director Stacy Orbach posted the Home's need for gowns onto various online sewing groups. Over thirty local women answered the call, and so far have created 1,000 gowns. "The community really stepped up," Orbach says, adding that completed gowns are still flowing into the Home on a weekly basis. Orbach reports that one volunteer has committed to keep sewing gowns until the Home reaches its 3,000-gown goal. Fenton has also joined the cause, firing up her sewing machine to sew the sleeves, which she then attaches to the gowns. She spends a few hours a day sewing, listening to music as she sews. "It's something to do as we shelter in place," Fenton says. "I feel like I'm contributing as I can't volunteer anywhere right now. Sewing makes me feel like I'm doing something to help the community." Public service runs in her family. Her grandson in Minneapolis used his Bar Mitzvah money to purchase a 3D printer and is making face shields for a Jewish senior facility near his home. In addition, her granddaughter in New York launched "Eats and Beats" for healthcare workers. A DJ performs over Zoom while they feast on donated meals. "I'm proud of my family," Fenton says. And it's also gratifying to see Jewish Home caregivers wearing the items she sewed. "The Jewish Home has been so good to me and I appreciate the staff so much," she says. "When I recognize them wearing something I made, it makes me feel so happy!" To join the Helping Hands campaign or to help out in other ways, please contact our Director of Volunteer Services Stacy Orbach at 818-774-3116, or [email protected]. Orbach will coordinate the gown distribution.

If you're on Facebook, you've likely seen your friends raising money for their favorite charities on their personal pages. Jacques Soriano recently set up a fundraiser that benefited the Jewish Home so that his Facebook friends could donate to the Home. "My maternal grandfather spent his last years there and loved living at the Home," says Soriano, who is a past president of The Executives, one of the Home's major support groups. "I've been involved with fundraising efforts for the Home. It is near and dear to my heart." He knew that a Facebook fundraiser would be easy and effective. "One of the benefits to sharing my fundraiser on Facebook was that my friends who don't know much about the Home could see how the Home helps to enrich the lives of the residents," he says. Within two weeks, he had exceeded his goal, raising nearly $1100. Would he do it again? "Absolutely!" Soriano says. Soriano's not the only one to use Facebook as a fundraiser. Since 2015, more than $5 billion has been raised on the social media platform—$1 billion in birthday fundraisers alone! Now the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the strain on the Home's resources. To provide for the most vulnerable seniors in our care, we need to meet heightened costs for staffing, special supplies and equipment, materials, as well as digital technology so our residents can stay in touch with friends and family. Which means our fundraising efforts are more critical than ever. Here is how to create your own fundraiser for the Jewish Home: Tips: Invite your friends to participate.Make the post public and tag the Jewish Home.Donate to your own fundraiser. Other people are more likely to donate when they see someone they know has already contributed. Plus, it demonstrates your commitment to the Jewish Home.Increase your goal if you achieve it before your fundraiser deadline has passed.Thank your friends when they donate. Benefits to starting a Facebook fundraiser: It's free. No fees are charged, which means every dollar goes directly to support the residents at the Home.It's easy. Your friends don't even have to leave Facebook in order to donate.It's shareable. By clicking "Share" your Facebook friends can also spread the news about your fundraiser.It's safe. Donations are encrypted and Facebook has strict security measures in place. Create your own Facebook fundraiser.

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. Read more › Author: Dan Ross · Publication: Capital & Main · Date: June 16, 2020

(Reseda, CA — June 23, 2020) Molly Forrest, CEO-President of the Los Angeles Jewish Home, has been inducted into the Hall of Honor in the McKnight's Women of Distinction awards, a joint program of McKnight's Long-Term Care News and McKnight's Senior Living. The program, in its second year, recognizes women who have made significant contributions to the senior living and skilled nursing professions or who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to the fields. Forrest joined the Los Angeles Jewish Home as CEO-president in 1996. Forrest—a nationally prominent advocate for equity and excellence in senior care—led the Home through its most ambitious expansion in its history, developing a broad diversified healthcare system of its programs and services for today's seniors. Forrest's involvement with the issues of senior care extend well beyond the Los Angeles Jewish Home. Widely recognized for her expertise in this area, she has served on state and national boards dealing with senior health care, and testified before Congressional Committees in Washington, D.C. The Home serves more than 4,000 seniors annually on campuses in the San Fernando Valley and on L.A.'s Westside, providing award-winning independent and assisted living, specialized memory care, short-term rehabilitative care, hospice care and groundbreaking community-based services. "I am honored by this recognition. As we at the Home navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, I am grateful for the courage and hard-work of my colleagues at the Jewish Home," said Forrest. "Our staff, donors and volunteers all share a deeply held commitment to ensure the health and safety of our residents and clients. Those we serve are the most vulnerable in our society. It is my privilege to have worked alongside them all of these years. I share this honor with each of them." "Molly's commitment to the Jewish Home has elevated us to become a global leader in providing nurturing and the highest quality of care for seniors," said Andy Berman, chair of the Los Angeles Jewish Home's board of directors. "Her hard work, dedication, vision, and extraordinary leadership have been priceless assets during the course of over two decades of running the organization." "The dedication and commitment shown by our Hall of Honor recipients truly sets them apart," said McKnight's Editorial Director John O'Connor. Forrest is part of a class of 22 Hall of Honor inductees. Nominations were judged by an external panel of industry experts. All winners will be honored July 28 during an online celebration. An educational forum will follow on July 29. To see the full list of inductees, and for more information about the program and to register for the events, visit www.mcknightswomenofdistinction.com. The Diamond sponsor for the McKnight's Women of Distinction program is PointClickCare. The Silver sponsors are OnShift and PharMerica.

Ingenuity during a crisis can yield innovative results. That's what Rabbi Karen Bender, Skirball Director of Spiritual Life and the residents of the Los Angeles Jewish Home have discovered as they maintain social distancing during the COVID-19 lockdown. As Rabbi Bender began to consider how to convey her weekly in-person Shabbat services, she realized the most formidable challenge was how to lead the service without interacting with residents. Bender serves as the rabbi for the Home's Grancell Village (GV) campus, which includes the Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center and Mark Taper Skilled Nursing Building. "If I'm just sitting in front of a camera praying at residents, I'm going to lose their interest," she says. To effectively engage Jewish Home residents, Bender recalls asking herself, "What if I tried to convey the essence of Shabbat, Shabbat's spirit?" Earlier in the year, she had successfully led the annual Seder service via video broadcast on closed circuit television from her office. "The fact that the Seder went fine, led me to see the possibilities of how to provide our services during lockdown," she says. "If we can do this, what else can we do?" "For Shabbat evenings, I decided to show the residents something different and record the videos from my house and outside in my yard with my kids," she says. "I'm bringing the residents into my home so they feel like they are in my living room or baking challah in my kitchen. The hope is to trigger memories for them." Before she knew it, Bender had become a director-writer-editor-producer—a big leap for someone who lacks professional video production experience. In addition, she also serves as the on-camera host, with staff, her children Holden and Shoshie, and dog Minnie as occasional featured guests. She records her Shabbat messages via her iPhone on Wednesday afternoon, often editing them late into the evening. Bender says she's learning as she goes, coming up with solutions as each new challenge emerges. For instance, how to get the residents to feel that they are part of the services? "No one is gathering now," Bender says. "No one receives a compliment on how they read a prayer. No one gets to hold the Torah. They see me, but I can't see them while I record." Bender notes that while she still meets with individual residents in-person, wearing PPE and remaining at a safe distance, the communal experience had disappeared. One remedy was to create the "Spirit of Shabbat" videos, with the goal to reach everyone at the same time. To generate a feeling of inclusiveness, Bender has opened up the process and recorded videos of individual residents saying, "Shabbat shalom." Another resident offered to sing the Jewish hymn, "Heenay Ma Tov" and Bender recorded her six feet apart in her room at JEK. She merges these videos into her Friday "Spirit of Shabbat" episodes. In future videos, she hopes to include staff and residents more frequently to help "create community." Bender also plans to record a tour of the GV kitchen and even prepare chicken soup "with the residents." "I'm able to include more voices and experiences now," she says. "But overall, I'm trying to encourage a feeling of closeness. I'm seeking closeness when we can't be close, we can't hold prayer services or share a hug. The residents need joy so badly right now. We are observing and celebrating Shabbat every week because I want them to smile." Watch Rabbi Bender's "Spirit of Shabbat" episodes.