Fleischman Upgrades

New residential unit designed for those with memory impairment.

BILL CARROLL

Special to sthe Jewish News

F

or more than 20 years, the
Fleischman Residence facility
has been "aging in place" in
West Bloomfield.
After an extensive evaluation by
the Jewish Home and Aging Services
officials who run it, it was deter-
mined that changes were needed.
Now, Fleischman has a special
floor to take care of older adults
with memory problems. And early
next year, work will begin on the
redesign and renovation of two
other floors.
Thanks to a $1 million gift from
Dorothy Brown of Bloomfield Hills,
the third floor at Fleischman was
converted into the Dorothy and
Peter D. Brown Memory Care
Pavilion, a state-of-the-art, self-con-
tained, residential unit to suppoit
people with memory impairments or
other dementia-related disorders,

such as Alzheimer's disease.
The new pavilion will be dedicat-
ed at the JHAS board of directors
annual meeting Tuesday, June 15,
with the unveiling of a plaque in
tribute to the Browns, longtime phi-
lanthropists in the Detroit Jewish
community. The meeting will begin
at 5 p.m., with the dedication at
6:15 p.m.
The Browns also funded the
Dorothy and Peter Brown Jewish
Community Adult Day Care
Program, which opened with 75
people in a building behind
Fleischman in 2000. Peter Brown,
the founder of the Sealy Mattress
Co., died three years ago. The cou-
ple had been married for 65 years.
"I'm very grateful that my hus-
band and I were able to do these
things for the Jewish community,"
said Dorothy Brown, now in her
80s. "The new pavilion is a tribute
to Peter's memory."
Her strong interest in the need for
a haven for people with memory

The late Peter Brown and wife, Dorothy, who the memory pavilion was named after.

4IN

6/11
2004

70

The day care program provides
respite for caregivers who need time
to work, take a brief vacation or
receive temporary relief.
"We're experiencing a rebirth of
our Fleischman Residence, a renewal
of our focus," said Margot Parr,
JHAS executive director. "Our focus
Aging In Place
is on the total care needs of our resi-
dents. The new Brown Pavilion and
JHAS Associate Director Carol
the upcoming renovations to the
Rosenberg describes the opening of
rest of the facility help complete the
the Brown Pavilion and the other
cycle of continuing care. People
Fleischman renovations as allowing
with memory impairments can have
residents to continue "aging in
day care only or get 24-hour care."
place" — an assisted-living facility
The 30-bed Brown Pavilion,
concept that permits residents to
which is almost full — giving the
remain in one facility for the rest of
Fleischman facility nearly 100 resi-
their lives.
dents — has large bedrooms and a
"With the new Brown Pavilion,
kitchen providing three kosher
our residents can avoid having to
move to a nursing home if they have `meals daily. Features include a ther-
apeutic recreational activity area,
dementia-related problems," she
arts and crafts, gardening and even a
said.
bird aviary. Program Manager Jan
"And the people who now use the
Bayer, a social worker, heads a full-
Brown Day Care program can even-
tually move into the Brown Pavilion time staff of five.
"The residents have everything
permanently, if necessary."

impairments resulted from her own
father's battle with Alzheimer's dis-
ease. Joseph Stralser died at age 75.
"It's very important that people with
these types of problems have a place
to live and good care," she said.

Dorothy Brown points to the pavilion's activities board along with her daughter
Susan Lewis of Bloomfield Hills, center, and Program Manager Jan Bayer.