Health

Local hospitals and nursing homes are being attuned to the needs of Jewish patients.

SHARI S. COHEN
Special to the Jewish News

ik

s the nurse entered a hospi-
tal room, she was startled
to see the patient about to
light some candles.
As she pointed out the potential
fire hazard due to the proximity of
oxygen, the patient explained the can-
dles were for the Sabbath. The nurse
gave her consent, not wanting to be
insensitive and unaware that the hos-
pital had electric candles for Jewish
patients.
The story is told by Renee
Lichtman, an educator in the Nursing
Development and Educational
Resources Department of Beaumont
Hospital. Shabbat candle lighting is
one of a number of rituals that may
perplex or challenge non-Jewish
health care staff members.
Sometimes Jewish traditions can be
misinterpreted. Sheyna Wexelberg-
Clouser, director of community out-
reach for Jewish Home and Aging
Services (JHAS), tells of a nurse who
was concerned that a husband did not
physically support his wife during
labor and that after the birth, neither
parent called the child by his name.
The nurse, unfamiliar with Orthodox
traditions regarding childbirth, had
thought there was a lack of bonding
between the parents and their child.
Questions about Jewish obser-
vances and customs arise at a number
of local nursing homes and hospitals,
especially since the closing of Borman
Hall and Prentis Manor nursing
homes and the merger of Sinai and
Grace hospitals.
When Margot Parr, executive direc-
tor JHAS, came here five years ago to
manage the transition of Borman Hall,
she recognized a need for staff educa-
tion. "Despite my history as an admin-
istrator, I had never recognized nor sup-
ported the Jewish religion and culture
in the nursing home setting. I had
never had any exposure to it," explains
Parr, who is Christian.

11/5
1999

112 Detroit Jewish News

Above: Rabbi Avie Shapiro
explains the tefillin.

Right: Sheyna Wexelberg-
Clouser shows Sinai-Grace
employees the tallit katan
worn by some Orthodox men.

"So we started a program:
`Everything you always wanted to
know about caring for Jewish resi-
dents but didn't know who to ask'
— for nursing staff and others
working in health care. Our goal
was to help sensitize people to an
individual's religious and spiritual
needs. This was not intended to be a
class in theology but to provide con-
crete experience for staff members so
they will respond appropriately."
Parr and Rabbi Avie Shapiro,
director of religious activities for
JHAS, wrote the Jewish Resource
Guide, a source of practical informa-
tion from a non-Jewish perspective
for nursing home administrators and
other health care professionals.
The initial program was well
received and has been repeated for
staff members of COJES agencies
(Commission On Jewish Eldercare
Services) and other institutions.
Staff from 60 nursing homes and
assisted living centers attended an

all-day session held at the
Fleischman Residence in West
Bloomfield in September.
Presentations by Wexelberg-Clouser,
Rabbi Shapiro and others described
many Jewish religious and cultural
traditions, including customs relat-
ing to death and dying.
The program included a tour of
the Holocaust Memorial Center and a
discussion of the needs of Holocaust
survivors and their children by
Charles J. Silow, a clinical psycholo-
gist and director of the Sinai-Grace
program for Holocaust survivors and
their families.
As Parr began to address the needs of
non-Jewish staff at nursing homes and
assisted living centers, Juanita Luther of
the Nursing Education Department at

Sinai Hospital was developing an orien-
tation program about Judaism for
DMC administrators, after Sinai was
acquired by the Detroit Medical
Center. Luther, a gentile, applied for a
program grant from the Jewish Fund
that was established with proceeds from
the sale of Sinai.
"One of our goals is to share the
knowledge that we bring from Sinai,"
says Luther. "We want to continue to
maintain the tradition of supporting
the needs of our Jewish patients at
Sinai-Grace."
The positive response to these work-
shops convinced Wexelberg-Clouser
that there was an ongoing need. She
developed "The Art of Jewish
Caregiving," a comprehensive inservice
program for hospital staff. The program
has been held at Providence and
Beaumont this fall and is underway
through four weekly sessions at Sinai-
Grace and Huron Valley-Sinai.
At Sinai-Grace two weeks ago, the
workshop began with an overview of
basic Jewish beliefs and values,
including a description of the three
Jewish denominations. Wexelberg-
Clouser explained important Jewish
symbols and religious items, such as
the mezuza and candlesticks, often
citing the biblical passage that
explains the item's significance. Rabbi
Shapiro explained tefillin and showed
how they are put on.
The first session includes a discus-
sion of the Sabbath and Wexelberg-
Clouser stressed the importance of strict
observance for Orthodox patients. Its
important to establish in advance what
you can do for these patients for the
Sabbath. There is a difference between
theory and practice. There are some
things patients won't do even though
the law can be broken for health
issues." Her presentation includes such
practical advice as "Try to avoid dis-
charging an Orthodox patient on the
Sabbath or other holidays."
A group of nurses and nurse man-
agers at Sinai-Grace listened intently
and took notes. Nurses Penelope