Supplement to The Jewish News Life at the2lome :Concern, Companionship, Community harles S. Wolfe, executive vice president of the Jewish Home for Aged, provides a simple summary of his philosophy about how the Home's residents should be viewed. "We try to make life here as much like life on the `outside' as we possibly can," says Wolfe, an enthusiastic man whose devotion to his profession is evident in his every action. "That way, residents don't feel so much like they're taking a step backwards by going into a nursing home. We try to provide a stimulating environment that will give people an opportunity to make a new life for themselves." Religion is important to many of the Home's residents, and the atmosphere is thoroughly and traditionally Jewish, said Wolfe. "All the holidays are celebrated. We have a small chapel for weekday services and a larger synagogue for the Sabbath and festivals. "And what does every Jewish woman do on Friday night? She lights the Sabbath candles," he said. "We have one set of candles lit in the dining room, but we can't have everyone lighting candles because of the fire hazard. So we came up with a solution: we have a special candle room with electric candles. Now all the women can light their own candles, and they don't feel separated from that part of their life, which was often very important to them." Unlike most nursing homes, where residents eat from trays brought to their rooms, the Jewish Home for Aged his a central dining room where those who aren't bedridden eat family-style at tables set with china dishes and metal cutlery. Parties have been part of life at the Home since Ira Sonnenblick took charge in the Petosky building. But Wolfe added another innovation about five years ago: cocktail parties. "There's no reason why people who are not medically restricted should not enjoy a drink once in a while," says Wolfe, who often tends bar at the late afternoon get-togethers. "We serve both alcoholic and soft drinks, and hors d'oeuvres are passed by resident, staff and volunteer hostesses." There's always a pianist around to play old favorites on the upright piano, and a spirited group of residents to join in singing. Others dance to the music, or clap their hands. "We try to de-institutionalize the place as much as possible, to create a sense of community, to have people feel somehow responsible for each other and for the things that go on here," says Jean Epstein, director of social work at the Home. "It's easier to live here if you have a friend, and our programs are planned as a medium for developing friendships." The Home sometimes becomes, in effect, a surrogate family for its residents. "We try to maintain a family-type atmosphere," says Carol Rosenberg, program director. "When residents come here to live, we can't give them back a spouse, or a mother, or a child who died. But we can give them back their religious life, we can give them emotional support, and we can give them things to do with their leisure time. "We recently had a party for Sukkot, and it was a lovely day for the holiday. One resident came up to me and said it didn't matter that it was a lovely day or that we were serving cider and doughnuts; what mattered was that we were all together. We're an extended family, a mishpochah." A resident's own family has an important role to play too. "The family is the link with the past and with the future," says Jean Epstein. "We like to have a great deal of communication with the families, and to make things as easy as we can for them too." "As difficult as it is for people to enter a nursing home, it's sometimes more difficult for the family; they can have a terrible sense of guilt." Epstein and the other social workers meet with the families of new residents every few months, to help them adjust. The families form a support group, as they realize they're not alone in their feelings and concerns. Families are encouraged to visit the Home as often as they can, and to participate in parties and celebrations. "Every day at 2:30 is tea time, and the families are always invited," says Epstein. "Individual parties, to celebrate a personal or family event, can also be arranged." Most nursing home residents have to give up vacations and trips to nearby areas of interest. Not those who live at the Jewish Home for Aged. The Home's Auxiliary has sponsored a trip to Niagara Falls, and twice a year a group of residents spends several days at the Butzel Conference Center at Camp Maas in Ortonville. My Gracious Thanks by Joseph Shapiro (from The Resident News) I looked into the mirror and what did I see? Joseph Shapiro, yes, that's me. I looked again, lo and behold, Right there a story was being told. Joe, I thought to myself, old age has come your way Slowly and surely, day after day. I know I have done my best as a Jew As I approach ninety-two. Illnesses have a tendency of coming out When least expected, without a doubt. I became a hospital case, it's not pleasant to talk. I found myself, that I could not walk. Leaving the hospital, I heard a call From the Jewish Home for Aged, Borman Hall. I became a resident to relieve my pain, And before long, I could walk again. As I approach ninety-two, what can I say? Thank you, dear Lord, and I must pray. I am ever so grateful, surely I must be. I am walking again, gracious thanks to Thee. "Last summer we took some residents to a baseball game at Tiger Stadium," says Carol Rosenberg. "To see these Elderly men waving their canes over their shoulders, yelling 'Go!' — well, it was wonderful. One man told me, 'I never thought I'd live to smell the air of this stadium again.' I would have carried him downtown on my shoulders so he could have had that experience." When trips to the theater are impractical, the theater comes to the Home. Members of the "Annie" and "Barnum" touring troupes performed at the Home while their shows were playing in Detroit, and several residents got in on the act by singing along. Joseph Shapiro The whole idea of the Home's programming effort is to meet the unspoken needs of the residents, says Rosenberg. "It's the caring, the sharing, the showing that you want to have a good time, that make the Home a success." For residents suffering from physical or mental impairment, the Home provides a full range of rehabilitation services. Physical, occupational and speech therapists collaborate to plan appropriate treatment. "For residents who have difficulty with the most basic life skills — grooming, dressing, eating — the occupational therapists have an activities of daily living program," says Pam Harris, R.N., director of Clinical Services. "The activities of daily living program aims to reteach these basic skills by working with residents individually, she said. The therapists also work closely with the nursing staff to benefit the residents. Occupational therapy Assessment and observation are major components of the nurse's role at the Home, Harris says. The nurses pay careful attention to the resident's perspective about how he or she is feeling. Since most residents are at the Home for several years, the nurses get to know them well; long and loving relationships frequently develop. The Home's professional staff — the social workers, nurses, therapists and others — have different roles to play in serving the residents but there's one thing they're all dissatisfied with: maintaining the status quo. New programs and activities are constantly being implemented. "The main idea is that life here should be as enjoyable as possible," says Wolfe. "To me, the highest praise residents can give is that this is their home and they enjoy being here." 4 0. T. Diane Payton and Rachel Tankus.