Matching Quiz

Can you identify these people who have made significant contributions
to our world community after age 62? Match the person from Column A to
his/her description in Column B.

Column A
1. George Burns

George Burns

Albert Einstein

David Ben-Gurion

Column B

A. Elected Prime Minister of Israel at age 71.
Served until age 76.
2. Albert Einstein
B. 92 year old newspaper publisher and editor
emeritus
3. David Ben-Gurion C. Russian born painter who from age 71-73
worked on a series of stained glass
windows for Hadassah Hospital
4. Isaac Bashevis
D. 92 year old actor who has a medical center
Singer
named for him at Ben Gurion University
5. Philip Slomovitz
E. Named a justice of the Israeli Supreme
Court in 1976 at age 68
6. Golda Meir
F. 72 year old concert violinist
7. Marc Chagall
G. German scientist who at age 73 in 1952
was invited to run for the Presidency of
Israel
8. Solomon
Schechter
H. Served as Prime Minister of Israel twice;
from ages 62-67 and 69-77
9. Arthur Rubenstein I. Elected first President of Israel at age 74
10. Chaim Weizmann J. Nobel Prize winner for literature at age 78
11. Louis D. Brandeis K. Hadassah founder who at age 73 helped
found the Youth Aliyah program which
brought tens of thousands of German and
Austrian Jewish youths to Palestine during
and prior to WWII.
12. Miriam Ben-Porat L. Rabbi who launched the nation wide
organization of Conservative Jews, the
United Synagogue of America, at age 66.
13. Henrietta Szold
M. Served as a United States Supreme Court
Justice from age 60-65
14. Yehudi Menuhin
N. Concert pianist who performed until his
death at age 96.

(Answers on Page L-5)

Golda Meir

Louis Brandeis

Yehudi Menuhin

Challenge Of Aging

Continued from L-1
friends to create a better "fit"
between changing needs and a
sense of well being.
Let us look at some of these
sensory changes that occur, usually
in later years, remembering that
every person is different, and make
use of the information to study your
home and that of elderly relatives.
Vision: The lens of the human
eye typically begins to lose its
elasticity and gradually starts to
become opaque at about mid-50s.
Glare on highly polished floors, on
cellophane, wrapped packages in
the supermarket, or from an
uncovered light bulb cause
discomfort to some older people.
Walking from sunny daylight to a
darkened movie is difficult for many
of us. For the elderly it takes eight-
nine times longer to adjust.
What did your check-up of your
parents' house reveal — a gleaming

waxed kitchen floor with the sun
dancing on it or lamps with a single
exposed bulb that hit your eye when
you sat down near it? Did your
mother buy plums instead of apricots
because of the glare in the store?
Depth perception is the
capacity to perceive the outer edges
between two surfaces. Did you
remember that you serve food on
white plates placed on a white
tablecloth and observe your older
guests either feel for the edge of
the plate or miss it altogether?
Watch an older person step down
from a curb or climb stairs. The
edges may seem to merge for them.
Edging the steps with bright
orange tape, using dark tablecloths
with the white dishes will help your
guests relax and enjoy themselves.
Offer an arm at the curb or stairs.
Hearing: The ability to hear
high pitched sound may diminish as I

one ages. Often older people are
described as anti-social, confused
or rude when the problem is
inability to hear closely. Coming to
your house for a holiday dinner may
not meet everyone's expectations.
The TV is going, the baby is crying,
the dishwasher is on and all the
background noise interferes with
hearing the conversation. Your
father may make excuses about
coming the next time; you feel hurt
and no one understands the
problem. A talk in a quiet room,
sitting in front of him rather than
beside him and pitching your voice
tone lower rather than increasing its
volume will probably do much to
provide a warm and loving visit.
Touch: There may be
decreased ability to distinguish hot
and scalding water, to coordinate
eye and hand, such as finding a
keyhole or winding a watch. Placing

a large red dot over hot water
faucets, replacing the old watch with
a self-winder and putting reflective
tape above and below the keyhole
offer increased opportunities for
reducing accidents and frustration.
Smell: Less is known about
losses in the sense of smell.
However, there appears to be
reduction in the taste of food and
common smells such as cooking or
flowers. Burning toast or potatoes
may not be detectd immediately.
There are many ways to
increase independence and sense
of worth by understanding the aging
process and looking for creative
accommodation to it.

Helen Naimark received her Master of Social
Work degree and Specialist in Aging
Certificate from the University of Michigan.
She has been executive director of the
Jewish Federation Apartments, Inc. since 1977

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS L4