Holiday Depression
"Sometimes you may need to antici-
pate that the elderly may find holi-
day times difficult and depressing:'
says David Rosenberg, D.O., a family
practitioner and geriatric specialist
in Farmington Hills. "It may be that
a spouse is no longer with them or
they feel down because they used
to host Thanksgiving and now
they're just a guest. It may also just
be that your uncle's expectation for
Thanksgiving was too high and he is
disappointed about the holiday itself.
"The good news is that being sad
is often a passing feeling:' Rosenberg
said. "However, when the symptoms
of depression last longer than a
couple of weeks and your uncle's lost
his appetite, it's time to call his doc-
tor and get help with counseling or
medications."
Plan ahead for holiday gather-
ings. If one of your relatives is frail,
limit the number of activities they
get involved in. It is probably a good
idea to also schedule time for a nap
and to make sure they stay on track
with their medications.
It's easy for older family members
to get lost in the hectic chaos of the
family gathering. Just remember to
be sensitive and loving. Enjoy the
event, take lots of photos and make
the holiday a memory for next year.

C

Volunteers For Israel
Gets New Co-Director

arol Kent has joined the
Volunteers for
Israel Great Lakes
Region staff as co-regional
director with Paul Matlin
and Ed Kohl and has begun
interviewing and process-
ing volunteers in the three
VFI Great Lakes states of
Wisconsin, Indiana and
Michigan.
In December, Kent will
complete her fifth service on
a VFI program in Israel. She Carol Kent
has also visited family and
friends many other times.
Sar-El/Volunteers for Israel volunteers
typically spend two or three weeks living
and working alongside Israeli soldiers
at an army base, Israeli Defense Forces
warehouses or service bases.
Currently, there are hundreds of Sar
El volunteers, young and older people,

Woe' re

❑

How To Help Elderly
Relatives Reconnect

These questions can help
seniors feel more included and
can easily lead to some good
discussisons for all:
• What are the important les-
sons you learned during your
life?
• What do you know now
about living a happy and suc-
cessful life that you didn't
know when you were 20?
• Did you have difficult experi-
ences from which you learned
important lessons? Explain.
• What was it like living during
the Great Depression and how
did it impact your life?
• What was it like raising a
family during war and what
did you learn about yourself?
It's also a good idea to ask
them what they miss, to talk
about old times, to go through
family photo albums and
to engage them with board
games during the football
games.

from the United States, Canada, Europe,
Russia and Australia replen-
ishing medical and field
supplies as well as servicing
vehicles and other equip-
ment for the soldiers in the
field. The IDF uses these
supplies immediately, as they
are ready for distribution.
Volunteers are also preparing
for future IDF needs.
The VFI/Sar-El Program
offers a way to contribute to
the State of Israel in a very
direct way. The program
accepts volunteers from age
17 through senior citizens.
For information, contact Ed Kohl,
(248) 420-3729, michgan@vfi-usa.org ; or
Carol Kent, (248) 865-8580, carolkent@
aol.com; or visit the VFI-USA website,
www.vfi-usa.org .

Invited

Israeli Seminary
Links Torah Study
And Charity

Midreshet Torat Chessed is a
seminary for post-high school
girls located on the campus of Bet
Elazraki — a renowned Emunah
children's home in Natanya, Israel.
The partnership with the chil-
dren's home offers seminary stu-
dents a unique combination of seri-
ous Torah study and meaningful
chesed (kindness) opportunities.
Shira Melamed, the seminary's
assistant principal, will be at
Frankel Jewish Academy in West
Bloomfield and Akiva Hebrew Day
School in Southfield on Monday,
Nov. 24.
To meet with her, email her at
shiramelamed@gmail.com .
For information about the pro-
gram, visit toratchessed.com or
contact Rav Yossi Goldin at
yossigoldin@gmail.com or (800)
393-4749.

to the

ORNELL RN'
GRADE PARTI s

Tuesday, November 25th
7 to 8:30 p_m_
@ The West Bloomfield JCC

(6600 W. Maple, W.B. 48

Registered students can win Hats, Hoodies & Headphones!

Party with

staff and preview the Joe Cornell Experience!

FREE 5th Graders Only! (Casual Attire - No Food Served)
RSVP (248) 356-6000 or info@joecornell corn

Register Now for Next Year's 6th Grade Dance Program_

Registration Forms Available at JoeCornell_corn_

As Seen in

JoeCornell.com
(248) 356-6000

Nett' M °Irk

C1:-ML--C-g5

ENTERTAINMENT

November 20 • 2014

39

