MAY 21 • 2020 | 9 Jews in the D Keeping Seniors Connected JVS, Jewish Senior Life continue work with dementia patients over Zoom. P rior to the spread of COVID-19 and state- wide stay–at–home order, seniors with dementia in Metro Detroit received in-person services through a partnership between JVS Human Services and Jewish Senior Life. Those programs focused on interacting with others and making face-to-face connections: crucial components for high quality of life. Now, Julie Verriest, manager of senior adult services at JVS Human Services and supervisor of the Dorothy and Peter Brown Jewish community adult day program at Jewish Senior Life, has moved programming online to continue to give seniors some stability and therapeutic services. “Socialization and connection with other people is really the most important thing for people with dementia, ” Verriest said. In-person services included hands-on activities like exercise, pet therapy and community outings. Online, these programs have been altered slightly. For music sessions, Verriest plays the guitar over Zoom as participants clap and sing along. Exercise sessions are also led by Verriest, with participants providing input. People living with dementia can have visual and auditory processing issues, which pose a potential challenge when it comes to holding sessions virtu- ally. To help, Verriest makes sure to leave extra time when talking to participants, which she says helps them stay responsive. “The real magic is they inter- act with each other much like they do on-site, ” Verriest said. “They help each other out, like someone who is in the earli- er stage of dementia might help someone who’ s a little later in the dementia journey to answer a question. ” These online sessions provide important interactions for par- ticipants but are also beneficial for caregiving partners, Verriest said. Some are working from home, teaching from home and now also providing full-time care for family members. Zoom sessions provide respite so care- giving partners can complete other tasks. This online program also provides support services and sessions specifically for caregiv- ing partners as the alternative to in-person support. The pro- gram’ s social worker now spends all her time calling families and checking in to see how they are doing. Sam McKnight has been tak- ing his wife, Jackie, to participate in services at the Brown Center for several years now, and the fact that there are services avail- able online is helpful to both of them, McKnight said. Jackie particularly enjoys the music, poetry and bingo that have taken place virtually. Sam said he’ s been especially pleased with “the familiarity of it all and the ability to connect, even though it’ s a little more dif- ficult. ” YAEL EICHHORN JN INTERN JVS HUMAN SERVICES Julie Verriest holding a music session Click. Call. Give Now. www.hfldetroit.org • 248.723.8184 Hebrew Free Loan Detroit 6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 300 • Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48301 @HFLDetroit STORY Our STORY Our Kevin Kellman and Marc Kellman spent 20 years in a family business that was doing well, but wasn’t what they really wanted to do. With Kevin’s love of cooking, and Marc’s practical, “numbers guy” outlook, they jumped into Detroit’s burgeoning foodie culture with Brother Truckers food truck, and found their calling. Armed with their business experience and lots of research, Kevin and Marc approached Hebrew Free Loan’s Marvin I. Danto Small Business Loan Program for help getting launched. As their third season approached, Kevin and Marc had a lot of their calendar for lunches and events booked early, and looked forward to increasing their business even more. “We exceeded expectations in our first two seasons, and we thought this would be the year it really took off,” Kevin said. “Then the quarantine hit, and the outlook went from bright to bleak.” As the truck sat, people who knew the Kellmans asked if Brother Truckers could come out like an ice cream truck and do meals. From that, the Subdivision Tour was born. “We don’t cruise, we park in one neighborhood, and people come to us. We go to HOAs for permission and to spread the word among the neighbors, and we feed lots of families who are tired of cooking, or maybe looking for a change from their carry-out options,” Kevin said. “It also gives some of the neighbors a chance to come out of their homes and socialize at a distance while we cook. Everything is safe and minimal contact, and the response has been tremendous. This might actually become part of our business. We appreciate our customers and the welcome we received in the neighborhoods. We also appreciate HFL, because without them, our story would look a whole lot different.”