Message from Rob Whitten, President of JGS Lifecare

February 16, 2023

Dear Residents and Families,

I hope 2023 is off to a great start for you as we look forward to a bright and warm spring. With a record -breaking cold stretch in February, I feel it’s an appropriate time to update everyone about some recent events at JGS.

On the morning of February 5, the JGS Campus was impacted by two sprinkler pipes bursting open. One was located at JNH in our A1 Household and the other was located at our Ruth’s House Assisted Living Facility. Staff in both locations responded quickly, immediately notifying the local fire department and campus leadership. Unfortunately, the pressure of the water affected almost all of the A1 Household and multiple apartments at Ruth’s House.

Leadership from the two buildings reacted swiftly by temporarily relocating all effected residents to safe and dry areas within each building. A temporary space was set up in our JNH auditorium and the affected residents at Ruth’s House were moved to other apartments for safety purposes. Throughout the day we worked with the fire department, electricians, and elevator company to assess any damage and ensure the spaces were safe to be reoccupied. Once we were given the green light, a restoration and cleaning crew were brought in to treat and remove the water from the affected areas.

After many hours of assessing and cleaning, we were able to begin the process of reoccupying the effect spaces. This would not have been at all possible without our hard-working staff members who were scheduled that day as well as the 35 additional staff members who dropped what they were doing that Sunday morning and came to help. I can’t begin to explain the impact this group had on our safety and security.

Repair work has already begun and will continue for several more weeks, particularly on the A1 Household. We hope that you bear with us and pardon our appearance as we continue to renovate and assess.

Thank you for your understanding and support. It makes a huge difference!

Sincerely,

Robert Whitten
Regional President
JGS Lifecare

New and Improved Chelsea Jewish Lifecare Website!

February 7, 2023

A new version of the CJL website (www.chelseajewish.org) launched in mid-January. It is user friendly, informative, and easy to navigate. Our goal: to give you all the information you need in one place.

You’ll notice there are more videos and photos than before. Our organization is special because of our residents, families and staff members, so visual aids are a wonderful way to show who we are and what we are all about. We also tried to simplify the site by using less copy.

Take a look at resources such as activities, care options, scheduling resident visits, staff member videos and more. There are also contact phone numbers and emails, so please feel free to ask questions and or provide comments. We want to hear from you!

Look What’s Happening at JGS!

February 16, 2023

We kicked off 2023 by celebrating the New Year! Our New Year’s Party featured the talented Freddy Marion, singing for our residents, and delicious desserts from LaFiorentina’s. The event was funded through the generosity of the Roberta Bergman Life Enrichment Fund. Roberta was a resident of the Home who gained great pleasure from resident activities. In 2005 her brothers, Seth and Lowell Goldsmith, established the fund in her memory, and have been underwriting annual resident out-trips and special activities for over 17 years. Our residents enjoyed the festive celebration, including the cannolis and eclairs, which were a big hit!

Large group activities in our auditorium were unfortunately minimized due to COVID precautions in place, but when residents could gather together, we were happy to enjoy our January birthday party, arts and crafts groups, jewelry making, get therapy visits and a volleyball tournament.

With limitations on group activities, residents enjoyed in-room visits from the Life Enrichment staff with activity carts offering items of interest: word search and crossword puzzles, adult coloring books, magazines and, best of all, fresh baked treats such as apple cake, banana bread, jelly squares and assorted cookies, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. Winter comfort food for all!

Our Staff is Interviewed by Western Mass News Fox 6!

February 14, 2023

Madeline Presz, Director of Hospice (Spectrum) and Mary-Anne Schelb, Director of Business Development at JGS Lifecare recently had the opportunity to speak with Western Mass News anchor David Horwitz.

One of the topics Madeline discussed was how to have open conversation with loved ones prior to a crisis situation. Madeline also added that those who choose hospice care can have a voice in their own end of life care, which brings greater comfort to all involved. She explained that hospice is not immediate demise; rather it is compassion and comfort plus loving care in a loved one’s final months.

Mary-Anne spoke about her personal experience with hospice. As her own mother used Spectrum Home Health & Hospice Care, Mary-Anne was able to share her family’s perspective. And although it was a sad outcome for the family, Mary-Anne and her siblings wanted to respect their mother’s wishes, allowing her to make her own choices. They recognized that was important to their mother. It was a difficult situation, but Mary-Anne was grateful that the hospice team made everyone feel comfortable and explained the process every step of the way.

At the close of the interview, Mary-Anne addressed the benefits of campus care and all that JGS Lifecare has to offer individuals and families. She stressed that JGS is fortunate to have hospice care and Madeline Presz as part of the JGS Lifecare team.

JGS Lifecare Exploring New Technology for Dining Area

February 7, 2023

There may soon be a new face in our assisted living dining room! Servi, an electronic food service robot, is helping to lighten the load for our hardworking dining staff at Chelsea Jewish Lifecare, our sister facility in Eastern Massachusetts. If successful, JGS Lifecare will roll out the robot program in Longmeadow.

The three-tiered food runner makes trips to and from the kitchen to deliver food and bus tables, allowing employees to remain with residents in the dining area. The versatile robot, who can hold up to 66 pounds, has an eight-to 12-hour battery life. Servi travels approximately one mile per dinner service and is capable of making 20 deliveries per night.

“Utilizing this new technology enables us to devote valuable staff time to caring for our residents,” said Andrea Hillel, Executive Director of Kaplan Estates Assisted Living, which is operated by Chelsea Jewish Lifecare. “We are using technology to supplement the more mundane parts of dining service, while keeping our hands and hearts tableside with our residents.” In effect, Servi will facilitate better meal service with less hands on deck, thereby providing a higher quality of service and enhancing the overall dining experience for our residents.”

Loaded with innovative technology, Servi was designed to be safe, quiet, and as washable as possible. The compact size of the robot means he/she never gets in the way. Today Servi is being used in US restaurants as well as in a handful of assisted living residences across the country.

“We are excited to have Servi on our campus,” remarked Hillel. “Although he/she he is currently acting in more of a ‘supporting” role, there is definitely potential to expand the job description.” Added Andrea, “Servi is attentive, efficient, and friendly; the robot fits perfectly into our community.”

In addition to bussing tables, Servi possesses many other talents, such as greeting guests as they arrive in the dining room using a warm voice and pleasing gestures. Servi can also be loaded up on one of her two top platforms to deliver food to the table, navigate to the selected table, carefully avoiding people and obstacles along the way. At the end of the meal, Servi can return to the table to remove the dishes. From all indications, Servi’s path seems remarkably clear!