Message from Rob Whitten, President of JGS Lifecare

April 13, 2023

Dear Residents and Families,

I hope everyone had a wonderful Passover. With Martin Levson and his guitar leading this year’s Seder, we had a wonderful time at both JNH and Ruth’s House. The residents and families enjoyed a delicious dinner with music and singing. As one family was leaving, a family member told me he thought the event was “truly hamish and beautiful.” We appreciate the feedback. I’d like to thank Martin for all he did to make the evening so enjoyable for all of us.

I am happy to announce that our Ruth’s House Assisted Living was awarded funding under the Commonwealth Nonprofit Security Grant Program (CNSGP) from the Office of Grants and Research (OGR), a state agency that is part of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS). With this grant, Ruth’s House will be updating its current security camera system and adding additional cameras, both within and outside of the building. In addition, we plan to upgrade our after-hours system as well as lighting around certain areas of the building.

As we continue working through the process and obtaining input from vendors who specialize in safety and security, we will keep everyone informed about the upgrades and the projects status. If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions, please do not hesitate to reach out. I’d like to extend a sincere thank you to CNSGP for selecting Ruth’s House. We are eager to get the project underway!

Sincerely,

Rob

Getting Ready for Passover the JGS Lifecare Way

April 8, 2023

March Madness may be over, but it’s still a really busy time on our campus with all the Passover preparations. In fact, April Madness might be a better way to describe it! There is a great deal of planning involved probably, more than any other Jewish holiday. Fortunately, our dietary and life enrichment teams excel in holiday logistics, so it’s truly a labor of love.

This year, the eight days of Passover begin at sundown on April 5 and end at sundown on April 13. The holiday marks not only the arrival of springtime but it also celebrates liberation, which is why Passover is also called the “Festival of Our Freedom.”

On Passover, family and friends gather together for an elaborate feast known as the Seder. We will hold Seders on the first night of the holiday at both The Leavitt Family Jewish Home and at Ruth’s House, with residents, families, staff, and friends sharing stories, blessings, rituals, and a delicious meal.

“We are thrilled to celebrate with our residents, families and friends this year, for this sweet festival of Pesach,” said Rabbi Devorah Jacobson, Director of Spiritual Life at JGS Lifecare. “And we are grateful to our entire staff, especially our Dietary and Life Enrichment departments, who are so dedicated to making it an authentic experience. Our seders will, we know, be a rich, meaningful and multi-sensory celebration: of springtime and nature’s vibrant colors and sounds; of the Jewish origin story, that begins with Israelites as an enslaved people in the land of Egypt; of home, because God’s promise for us was a future of liberation. Like we do each year, we will eat unleavened bread, matzah, we will dip parsley into saltwater, we will mix charoset and bitter herbs, as we symbolically remember the grief and hardship our ancestors experienced during slavery and their constant hope for freedom. That hope continues today: the seder and the holiday in general remind us of the ongoing work and responsibility that we each possess, in every generation, to fight oppression and injustice wherever we find it.”

Preparing for Passover is quite extensive. “It takes a lot of planning and forethought,” remarked Sharon Ritchie, Director of Food Service at The Leavitt Family Jewish Home. “We have to place our orders for Passover foods in January. And then weeks before we begin to engage in a kind of spring cleaning, removing all leavened foods (known as “hametz”) from the households and cleaning everything that touches the food we serve. Days before, in our central kitchen, we power wash our prep areas and we turn our ovens on high for close to an hour to burn off any hametz. Reverend David Aminia, who overseas our Kashrut observance, comes in to supervise us as we dip all of our metal pots, pans and silverware into boiling water, followed by cool water, to remove and hametz. The two days before are especially hectic as we have to make sure to prep with only kosher for Passover products. Keeping in mind the 24/7 needs of our residents, we try very hard to create a seamless transition to the best of our ability.”

When asked about Passover foods that the resident especially like, Richie explained in detail. “Residents love our matzah stuffed chicken breast and our matzah ball soup,” exclaimed Sharon. “I always tell our cooks the secret to making light and fluffy matzah balls is that you have to love the matzah balls!” She also added a caveat to the recipe, “You can’t beat them into a pulp if you want them to be light and fluffy,” explained Richie. “My staff gets a kick out of that. And that’s really what we do here every day. We do it all with love!”

It’s a great deal of work for the team, but everyone agrees the end result is well worth it. Passover provides us with the opportunity to get together with family and friends and rejoice in holiday traditions. What could be better?

April Happenings at JGS

April 13, 2023

March and the beginning of April have been filled with festive activities and holiday celebrations!

At our Annual Senior Prom, Ruth’s House residents Barbara and Mike Mohajery were crowned King and Queen of the Prom. Members of the Longmeadow High School Key Club helped residents dance the night away, and a good time was had by all!

Lena Vellturo, Director of Veterans’ Services for the Town of Longmeadow, brought area veterans over to visit with our veterans, and they all enjoyed the some great conversation, American trivia and refreshments.

As always residents enjoyed ice cream in our Coffee Shop. Our thanks to our coffee shop volunteers for keeping the coffee shop open on Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1-4 PM!

A definite highlight of this past month was a special visit from 8 week old puppies. Residents gathered in the Gloth Family Auditorium and were greeted by the most adorable bundles of love. These furry friends made our residents and staff giggle with delight.

A new spiritual group, known as “Chicken Soup for the Soul”, led by spiritual life intern Sara Malzone, meets one Friday a month at the nursing home and Wernick Adult Day Care. A new theme is selected every month for exploration, and reading, songs and poems are shared and discussed. Thank you Sara for helping us nurture the spirits of our residents with your thoughtful and loving programming!

With the spring comes the holidays of Passover and Easter. Passover Seders were held at the nursing home and Ruth’s House Assisted Living. Our thanks to Cantor Martin Levson for leading the seders and retelling the story of the Biblical story of Exodus – where God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. And our thanks to Deacon Higby for leading Easter Services with our residents. Thank you for helping our residents recharge their spirit of hope and faith, rebirth and renewal!

Enjoy the pictures!

JGS Lifecare Shares Strategies of Success During Challenging Times at National Aging Conference

March 31, 2023

Members of JGS Lifecare, a leading non-profit health care system serving seniors and their families, were presenters at the recent Association of Jewish Aging Services Conference in St. Petersburg, FL. Adam Berman, CEO; Dr. Stuart Anfang, Chairperson of the Board; and Susan Goldsmith, Immediate Past Chairperson, took the opportunity to share strategies that have helped JGS Lifecare succeed through the tremendous healthcare uncertainty that has prevailed these last few years.

At a time when 20%+ of Massachusetts skilled nursing facilities have closed in the past 15 years and, based upon research from the investment banking firm Ziegler, non-profit providers are far more likely to close than for-profit providers, JGS Lifecare has expanded and flourished.

Key strategies have included the organizations’ tradition of caring and nonnegotiable commitment in all its decision making to the dignity and well-being of its residents, as well as decisions to diversify the organization by venturing into assisted living with Ruth’s House and other levels of care. Also important was the decision to seek out a partner who shared the same commitment, which it found in the non-profit management collaborative of Legacy Lifecare. Proof of the organization’s successes include JGS’ skilled nursing facility, The Leavitt Family Jewish Home, receiving a Five Star Quality Rating from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the highest number of stars allotted to a skilled nursing facility. The nursing home is experiencing peak occupancy rates and its Sosin Center for Rehabilitation is thriving, with the recent addition of Northeast Rehab Associates, Inc. as a new provider.

A Legacy of Caring

JGS Lifecare has stayed true to the values and foresight of its original founders. For 111 years, JGS Lifecare has continued to deliver on its promise of providing excellent care, with compassion and dignity. In the late 1970’s, when JGS leadership planned the layout and amenities of what is now the Leavitt Family Jewish Home, a conscious decision was made to build predominantly private rooms as a way to ensure the greatest dignity and well-being for its residents. With the predominance of private rooms, The Leavitt Family Jewish Home is more home-like than many of its counterparts, and the skilled nursing facility of choice for many. Today, planning is underway to renovate the home to more modern standards, with a focus on environmental changes that can enhance the quality of life of its residents.

Adam Berman noted the importance of adhering to the organization’s values and mission statement. “The founders of JGS Lifecare had the foresight to put the dignity of the residents front and center,” remarked Berman. “This philosophy guides us in everything we do.”

Strength in Finding the Right Affiliate Partner

Another factor in JGS’s success lies in finding the right affiliate partner. In 2017, JGS Lifecare faced the same challenges as its counterparts in the nursing home industry: chronic staffing shortages, Medicaid underfunding and escalating costs of operations and facility upkeep. The decision was made to seek an affiliation partner who shared the same values, one that would bring managerial sophistication and expertise as well as economies of scale to operations, to help JSG compete in today’s complex healthcare world.

JGS Lifecare affiliated with Legacy Lifecare/Chelsea Jewish Lifecare in 2019. Legacy Lifecare’s mission is to help small-to-mid sized, values-driven senior care organizations navigate the complexities of modern healthcare. Through this affiliation, JGS was able to preserve its identity, its local governance, and its non-profit status, while benefiting from the managerial infrastructure ordinarily only available to large organizations. The support services and professional expertise of Legacy Lifecare have been critical assets to JGS Lifecare.

Continued Expansion of Services

JGS welcomed Northeast Rehab Associates, Inc to their campus last April, allowing JGS to expand services to include specialized orthopedic, cardiac, pulmonary and respiratory sub-acute rehab care at Sosin Center for Rehabilitation. This new partnership brings greater depth to their rehabilitation services, and is a further compliment to the JGS Lifecare campus of care, which offers skilled nursing home care (The Leavitt Family Jewish Nursing Home), rehabilitation services (Sosin Center for Rehabilitation), assisted living (Ruth’s House Assisted Living Residence), adult day health care (Wernick Adult Day Health Care), home health and hospice care (Spectrum Home Health & Hospice), palliative care (Francis B. Cohen Palliative Care Program), and independent living (Genesis Lifecare).

Going forward, the nonprofit will focus on maintaining the highest quality of care, nurturing its talented workforce, and continuing to expand its healthcare services.

“The Annual AJAS Conference was a wonderful opportunity for us to share strategies that have helped strengthen our organization,” remarked Dr. Stuart Anfang, Chairperson of the Board. “Not-for-profit elder care organizations will understand the need to act early to control their own destiny. Moreover, we have found our affiliation with Legacy Lifecare to have been instrumental in building a foundation for a strong and successful future, ensuring our position as a leader in the care for our community’s elders.”