Supplement to The Jewish News
From the President
Marvin H. Fleischman
As I reflect upon the past 75 years of the Jewish Home
for Aged, the thing that strikes me is the number of lives
we have touched through the years. We have served
literally thousands of our community's aged, and as a
result, we have also reached many thousands of families
and friends.
our residents as full and enriching as possible, deserve
credit. So do our volunteers, for they have contributed
the most precious gift anyone can give: their time.
The people who made this possible were — and are —
the members of the Board of Directors of the Jewish
Home for Aged, which has always comprised a most
dedicated and distinguished cross section of our
community.
Our staff, who have striven . tirelessly to make the lives of
These 75 years would not have been possible without the
generosity and hard work of everyone interested in the
Home. We salute all those, past and present, who helped
us reach this 75th anniversary of honoring our fathers
and mothers.
Finally, the support of the community and the Jewish
Welfare Federation in doing and giving cannot be
underestimated.
From the Executive Vice President
The past 75 years have brought about phenomenal
advances in science and medicine which have lengthened
the average lifespan. Unfortunately, these advances have
a negative aspect: as the human lifespan increases, so
does the number of sick, poor and lonely older people.
Through the years, The Jewish Home for Aged has
grown to meet this challenge. Borman Hall now serves
210 residents and several dozen day participants; Prentis
Manor has 100 residents. Our outreach and educational
activities reach thousands of persons a year. A
conference on aging that we sponsored in October at the
Jewish Comthunity Center attracted more than 300
persons. Our training affiliations with 11 institutions, our
counseling and referral service and our short-term
emergency and vacation care program all indicate this
growth of service. Our high standards and achievements
have been recognized by the National Endowment for the
Arts, the Jewish Community Foundation, the Kellogg
Foundation, and other organizations which have
provided substantial grants for new programs.
The future of the Jewish Home for Aged holds even
greater promise. The Kresge Foundation has honored us
with a $350,000 grant towards the new Fleischman
Residence and Blumberg Plaza, which will serve 106 well
elderly in West Bloomfield. In conjunction with Jewish
Federation Apartments, we have created a unique
relationship of cooperation and inter-dependence with a
mutual goal of quality service.
The future promises many more new and exciting
developments which will help us reach out to the
community so we can continue to touch, in a positive
way, our elderly.
Charles S. Wolfe
Care for Elderly Comes Full Circle
Fleischman Residence Provides New Avenues for Honoring Our Aged
'
When the new Edward I. and Freda Fleischman Residence and Louis C. and Edith B.
Blumberg Plaza open late next year on the grounds of the Jewish Community Center in West
Bloomfield, the evolution of residential care for the aged will have come full circle.
In 1907, when the first Jewish Old Folks Home was incorporated, the elderly who were cared
for by the agency were not sick or bedridden; they did not require skilled nursing care. The
Home was a residence for persons who were not able to take care of their own homes anymore
but - who were otherwise healthy. Those who lived there remained active in the surrounding
Jewish community.
Through the years, the average age of the Home's residents increased. As the residents got
older, their health problems became more severe and they required more medical and nursing
attention. Gradually, the Home evolved from a residence for healthy old people into a nursing
home where most of the residents had serious incapacities.
As homes for the elderly developed into full-scale nursing homes, a lack of facilities for the well
elderly became apparent. In Detroit's Jewish community, this gap will soon be filled by the
Edward I. and Freda Fleischman Residence.
The new facility is designed for persons who are no longer able to live on their own, but who
do not need the full range of nursing services available at the Home's other facilities, Borman
Hall and Prentis Manor.
The people who live there will get the personal attention they need, including all meals and help
with bathing, dressing and transportation. But the emphasis there will be on maintaining their
independence and community involvement.
The new residence will be adjacent to the Samuel Hechtman Apartments, the name given to
Phase III of Jewish Federation Apartments, an agency which provides low-cost housing and
support services to senior citizens capable of independent living.
The Jewish Home for Aged and Jewish Federation Apartments are member agencies of the
Jewish Welfare Federation.
The project marks another step in the Detroit Jewish community's efforts to provide a
continuum of care for its elderly. When the Residence opens, the community will have
apartment services for the independent aged, an interim residence for the minimally
incapacitated and nursing home care for those who need it.
The Louis C. and Edith B. Blumberg Plaza, which will be operated by the Jewish Home for
Aged, will link the Fleischman Residence and the Hechtman Apartments and will make
available programs and services for residents of both. The plaza will include a dining room,
synagogue, spacious lounges and activity areas, and a mini-mall with a snack bar and gift shop.
The project will reach many more people than those who will live there. A day care program,
similar to the one now at Borman Hall, and other outreach programs will be implemented to
serve elderly persons living on their own or with relatives in the community at large.
Residents will be involved in planning many of the programs at the new facility, said the
Home's president, Marvin H. Fleischman. A shuttle service will be available to take residents to
the Jewish Community Center and to nearby shops, and residents will be encouraged to get out
and about as much as possible.
Physically, the Fleischman Residence will be spacious and attractive. There will be 96 residential
suites,• most of them singles, for 106 residents. Each suite will include a dressing area and
private bathroom; those on the second and third floors will have balconies. Each floor will have
its own lounge and laundry facilities.
Occupancy is expected in late 1983.
The $6.5 million project is being funded by United Jewish Charities, the Kresge Foundation
(which provided a $350,000 challenge grant) and individual donors.
Major donations to date include those from the Fleischman Foundation, in memory of Edward
I. and Freda Fleischman, for the residence building, and from the Blumberg family for the
Louis C. and Edith B. Blumberg Plaza.
Other generous gifts came from Herbert Aronsson and the Maurice Aronsson Memorial Fund,
in memory of Maurice and Dora Aronsson; from Anne Kaufman, a resident of the Home, in
memory of her father, Chaim Kaufman, one of the agency's founders; and from Mary and
Mike Must.
The fund-raising drive for the project is being led by Paul Borman, with Max M. Fisher as
honorary chairman. Co-chairmen are Joseph H. Jackier and Julie Levy.
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