32 | OCTOBER 5 • 2023 J
N

T

he Dorothy and 
Peter Brown Jewish 
Community Adult 
Day Program will reopen 
its Southfield location 
(29699 Southfield Road) 
on Oct. 9, six months after 
merging with its location in 
West Bloomfield (6720 W. 
Maple Road) due to staffing 
challenges. 
The Brown Program 
provides innovative, engaging 
activities and care for those 
living with dementia, along 
with support for their 
families. It is a joint initiative 
of Gesher Human Services 
and Jewish Senior Life.
Since April, Brown Center 
staff from Southfield and 
interested participants moved 
to the West Bloomfield 

location, and a shuttle bus 
provided transportation 
when necessary. 
“We had 12 Southfield 
participants continue their 
programming in West 
Bloomfield and, since then, 
more have joined us,” said 
Brown Program Director 
Debi Banooni. 
“It was vital to have the 
correct number of staff to 
provide the programming 
and support that makes 
us unique, so pooling our 
resources in West Bloomfield 
was the best thing to do.”
Currently, the Brown 
Program has around 
50 participants, with 
approximately 22 to 25 
people attending the program 
each day.

“Our Southfield staff is 
very excited to be moving 
back to that location; we 
now have a robust team, 
which includes myself, a 
site supervisor, program 
support specialists, four to 
six program assistants and 
an office specialist,” Banooni 
said. “We feel strong and 
ready to return to a two-site 
program.”
Banooni pointed out that 
research has been done 
showing that adults living 
with dementia remain 
healthier in both body and 
mind by staying engaged 
and that isolation is a major 
detriment. “Our attendees 
are happy and stimulated on 
the days they are with us and 
that is a huge plus for them 
and their families,” she said. 
The program offers a wide 
variety of activities. Music 
specialists come to the Brown 
Program six to eight times 
a week. Exercise specialists 
provide classes, and there is 
also a yoga specialist who 
comes multiple times a week 
to each location and provides 
a virtual session. 
Attendees also enjoy 
regular performances from 
musicians, participate in art 
programs and enjoy staff-led 
brain games such as quizzes, 
bingo and discussions about 
current events. Healthy meat 
kosher lunches are served 
every day. 

For more information on the Brown 

Program, which is open to the com-

munity regardless of race, religion 

or sexual orientation, contact (248) 

233-4000 (Southfield) or (248) 661-

6390 (West Bloomfield) or email info@

brownadultday.org.

Back in Action

OUR COMMUNITY

Brown Program for adults 
living with dementia reopens 
in Southfield on Oct. 9.

ALISON SCHWARTZ SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS 

A Southfield participant 
enjoying a visiting pet 
at the West Bloomfield 
Brown Program location.

Israel Admitted into 
U.S. Visa Waver 
Program

U.S. Secretary of Homeland 
Security Alejandro Mayorkas 
announced Sept. 27 that 
Israel has been admitted 
officially as the 41st nation 
in the U.S. Visa Waiver 
Program.
The announcement, 
which the secretary made 
in consultation with U.S. 
Secretary of State Antony 
Blinken, means that as of 
Nov. 30, Israelis will be able 
to visit the United States for 
fewer than 90 days without 
a visa.
“The designation of 
Israel into the Visa Waiver 
Program is an important 
recognition of our shared 
security interests and the 
close cooperation between 
our two countries,” Mayorkas 
stated.
“This designation, which 
represents over a decade 
of work and coordination 
between the United States 
and Israel, will enhance our 
two nations’ collaboration 
on counterterrorism, law 
enforcement and our other 
common priorities,” the 
secretary added. “Israel’s 
entry into the Visa Waiver 
Program, and the stringent 
requirements it entails, will 
make both of our nations 
more secure.”
Blinken added that Israel’s 
admission “represents a 
critical step forward in 
our strategic partnership 
with Israel that will 
further strengthen long-
standing people-to-people 
engagement, economic 
cooperation and security 
coordination between our 
two countries.” 

