metro » For The Birds New aviary at Brown Center helps seniors with memory impairment. Esther Allweiss Ingber | Contributing Writer tion. Both locations also host caregiver support groups. Working with the open house’s bird theme, art therapist Lorraine Feber led participants in painting watercolor pictures of birds. A story about birds that the group wrote together was propped on an easel. For refreshments, pink lemonade accom- panied delicious chocolate bird’s-nest cookies, a participant-staff production. Living Design — praised for its work in avian research, genetics and disease con- trol — installed the straw- and greenery- filled aviary. The South Dakota-based company also set up the aviaries at other JSL properties in Oak Park and West Bloomfield. It’s a stress-free life for the finches, who have string at one side of the cage for making their nests, and separate stations offering perpetual food and water. “A gentleman from Living Design will come in quarterly to do a thorough clean- ing and see how the birds are doing,” Yamstein said. In the meantime, she appre- ciates that Linda Shewach, whose mother Louise Kaufman attends the program, vol- unteered to clean the cage and change the water and the food each week. The lifespan of finches is usually five to six years. With luck, “we hope to have little birds,” said Yamstein, noting that the group includes three mated pairs, zebra finches among them. Once the two bachelor birds get acclimated, Living Design will facilitate their “dating” prospective matches. Like people, finches can be picky. The benefit of having birds at the Brown Center is already apparent. “A participant who was very anxious, we directed to the aviary,” Yamstein said. “She was able to calm down and focus on the birds. That was really stunning to me. “Another man talked a lot about how the birds had ‘dive-bombed,’” she continued. “They are helping with his memory.” At the open house, participant Audrey Morris of Southfield said she’s never owned a bird but is happy with these finches. “I love watching them,” Morris said. “They’re so unusual.” Chuckling as the birds flitted about, she exclaimed, “Look at them! It’s amazing what they can do.” Photos by Esther Allweiss Ingber S wooping and darting, a hand- ful of tiny finches native to either Australia or Africa recently became part of the family at the Dorothy & Peter Brown Jewish Community Adult Day Program in Southfield. The program, with its new aviary, is housed in the JVS build- ing on Southfield Road. “It’s absolutely fascinating,” said long- time Brown program participant Edna Shanfield of Oak Park, following the antics of a free-wheeling African Red Bishop, also known as an Orange Weaver. On Aug. 25, Shanfield was among the visitors at an open house officially intro- ducing the exotic finches. Their tall aviary on the second floor stands in one corner of a long, light-streaming “porch” with a piano and plenty of chairs. Families and friends of the Brown Center donated funds for the aviary proj- ect, says program director Debra Yamstein. Under auspices of Jewish Senior Life (JSL), the Brown program in Southfield and West Bloomfield provides a safe environment for older adults with memory impairment to enjoy daytime activities and socializa- Three exotic finches in the new Brown Center aviary Adele Strager paints a colorful finch. * A glass to break~ MAZEL TOV! Colors Available: ‡5XE\ ‡&REDOW%OXH ‡(PHUDOG ‡3XUSOH ‡7XUNLVK%OXH ‡*ROG ‡6LOYHU Feature your business with OyWhataDeal to acquire quality and eager new customers via risk-free and highly-targeted marketing. Celebrating 26 Years! By running an offer with OyWhataDeal, your promotion will be e-mailed to thousands of loyal subscribers who will read about your offer, visit your website, share your business with their friends and follow you on social networks like Twitter and Facebook. Tradition!Tradition! Alicia R. Nelson | (248) 557-0109 www.traditiontradition.com 22 September 8 • 2016 2101030