Message from Rob Whitten, President of JGS Lifecare

October 15, 2023

Dear Residents and Families,

I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful fall foliage. For this month’s newsletter, I would like to discuss the JGS Annual Meeting which took place on October 10.

This year’s meeting was very well attended and included a general update of our campus, along with the key milestones we achieved throughout the year. We began with Stuart Anfang, Chairman of the Board of Directors, who provided a “State of the Union” overview, discussing the successes and strength of the organization.

Our guest speaker was Dr. Margaret Calkins, who is the President of Innovative Designs in Environments for an Aging Society and the recipient of the 2022 Changemaker Award from the Center for Health Design. Dr. Calkins gave a terrific presentation on how to create home-like environments within senior care homes as well as how such improvements impact the quality of life of those who live in them. Her extensive knowledge and experience in designing environments that promote well-being aligns perfectly with our commitment to provide exceptional care.

The evening ended with a presentation of the Chair’s Service Award. This year’s recipient of the award is Rudy D’Agostino. Rudy has been an active member of the JGS Board of Directors for the past 15 years. Throughout this time, Rudy has undertaken multiple leadership roles, including Chair of the JGS Finance Committee, Co-Chair of the JGS Audit Committee, and Co-Chair of the Project Transformation Finance Committee. Rudy’s deep commitment to our campus is nothing short of remarkable and we thank him deeply for all he has done.

Our hearts go out to everyone involved in the Middle East crisis. We pray for peace.

Sincerely,

Rob Whitten

Celebrations and Activities Highlight our Fall Season

October 16, 2023

September and October have been months of celebration across our campus. Ruth’s House celebrated its 25th Anniversary with an outdoor festival for residents and staff, including a special bbq for Memory Care residents. It culminated with a community-wide event that included donors, volunteers and elected officials who helped mark this important milestone. The community event included a dedication, candle lighting and remarks for the future of Ruth’s House.

The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, was celebrated with holiday dinners at The Leavitt Family Jewish Home and at Ruth’s House. Sukkot was celebrated with various activities throughout the 8 day festival. Students from The Yeshivah Academy helped us decorate our sukkot. At Ruth’s House, The Anfang Sukkot Celebration included special meals in the sukkah, religious services, and visits to the sukkah throughout the week, to sit, meditate, sing, pray, read, eat or just rejoice int beauty of the fall season.

Residents at the Home were entertained by The Eddie Forman Band at our Monthly Birthday Party. One of the band members is the son of one of our residents, and she was so proud to see her son perform. The auditorium was full and everyone had a wonderful time.

Residents have been enjoying pet visitation time with Dutchess, the sweet little puppy of Diane Cusson in our Life Enrichment department. Dutchess can be seen most days sleeping on a bed of hay in Cheryl Gumlaw’s office, our Life Enrichment Director. Resident love when Dutchess comes out to play, she fits so perfectly in their laps!

Our monthly Veteran’s Gatherings offered friends the opportunity to deepen their relationships and enjoy some great conversation.

And residents continue to enjoy our many arts and crafts activities. Jewelry making has been a real hit!

2023 JGS Annual Meeting Featured Distinguished Speakers

October 13, 2023

JGS Lifecare held its 2023 Annual Meeting on Tuesday, October 10, 2023 in the Hy and Roz Gloth Auditorium. “It was wonderful to be with our community of supporters to share our recent accomplishments, introduce plans to continue to enhance our quality of care through upcoming renovations, and to recognize the extraordinary contributions of Rudy D’Agostino,” commented Susan Halpern, vice president of development and communications.

Rabbi Devorah Jacobson, Director of Spiritual Life, began the meeting with an acknowledgement of the difficult times we now face following all that has transpired
recently in Israel, and the need to remember things that bring us hope and joy, including the simple joy that we are able to be together. She remarked, “Tonight is a time to count our blessings, and renew and recommit to the sacred vision made 111 years ago by our founders to not abandon or neglect our elders, to see to it that their days and years of frailty are filled with dignity and compassion and that they are provided with nothing less than the highest quality of care. She closed with a prayer in solidarity for the release of all captives.”

Dr. Stuart Anfang, chair of JGS Lifecare, offered words of tribute in memory of Marian Broder, the first chair of Ruth’s House, and past chair of The Jewish Nursing Home of Western MA, who passed away earlier this year, recognizing her years of leadership and vision. Noting recent accomplishments, he included the rebound in census across the campus; the celebration of the Ruth’s House 25th anniversary; the receipt of continued recognition for our high quality of care; special programs underway to support and recognize staff; and new grants secured to assist with transportation for residents, nursing communication, and a recent federal non-profit security grant that will support the purchase of additional surveillance cameras on campus. “Being board chair has been meaningful to me because it gives me the opportunity to see our Jewish values and legacy come to life in an innovative and caring way every day here across our campus. Caring for our community’s elders and most vulnerable with dignity and respect is a mitzvah and has been the hallmark of this organization for the past 111 years.”

Highlights of the meeting included remarks from Robert Whitten, President of JGS Lifecare, Dr. Margaret Calkins, President of IDEAS, Innovative Designs in Environments for an Aging Society, and recipient of the 2022 Changemaker Award from the Center for Health Design, and Adam Berman, Chief Executive Officer of JGS Lifecare. Representative Brain Ashe was on hand to make a special presentation to Rudy, on behalf of the Commonwealth and the MA House of Representatives. He offered his sincerest congratulations to his high school classmate and personal friend of over 45 years, “Nothing gives me more pleasure than to honor a friend that I have known for so long who has done such a remarkable job.”

The meeting culminated with the presentation of the Chair’s Service Award to Rudy D’Agostino, partner at Meyers Brothers Kalicka, PC, treasurer of JGS Lifecare and long-time supporter. “It is a great personal pleasure to pay tribute to Rudy,” said JGS Board Chair Dr. Stuart Anfang. “Rudy has provided outstanding leadership during his fifteen years serving as treasurer, helping guide us through our affiliation with Legacy Lifecare, a global pandemic, and a few other challenges, as well as our current preparations to transform care at JGS Lifecare.”

D’Agostino, in his acceptance remarks, remembered his dear friend Michael Frankel, past Chair of JGS Lifecare, who invited him to join the finance committee, and began what has been a long and rewarding service at JGS. He also shared advice to those who are interested in volunteering. “Get involved in an organization that you have a passion for that does great things in the community that you can rally around. For me, JGS does that. I really appreciate what JGS does for the community. I saw it firsthand when my dad was here. I saw all the care and hard work that goes into this.”

Celebrating Sukkot and the Fall Harvest at JGS Lifecare

October 13, 2023

On Sukkot, one of the most joyous of the Jewish holidays, we remember the temporary shelters God provided for the Israelites as they trekked through the desert on their way to the Promised Land. We remember too the temporary booths the Israelite farmers dwelled in, as they went out to their fields and labored to bring in the fall harvest. This year, Sukkot celebrations were enjoyed by many residents on the JGS Lifecare campus, as they are each year, with various activities throughout the 8 day celebration.

With the help of Mick Machia and his able team in the Maintenance Dept., one sukkah was erected on the A-1 courtyard of the Leavitt Family Jewish Home and two were put up outside Ruth’s House Assisted Living. At Ruth’s House, the family of our board chairman, Stuart Anfang, and his wife Michelle, have supported The Anfang Sukkot Celebration, which helps support programming that takes place in our Ruth’s House sukkot. Thank you, Stuart and Michelle! With the help of the 4-5th grade students at Yeshiva Academy and their teachers Mrs. Chani Cohen and Mrs. Mushki Ostrozynski as well as LYA Director of Adult Education and Community Relations Rabbi Yakov Wolff, the three sukkot were beautifully decorated, as residents looked on in admiration and some even helped hang a gourd or two.

Jewish law tells us how to build a sukkah and there are often interesting variations. But the sukkah will always end up appearing as a slightly rickety tent-like structure, bedecked with a roof (s’chach) made of organic materials like tree branches or bamboo. Most importantly, it is built to be only a temporary structure, taken down and put away after the holiday until next year’s celebrations. As we sit inside our sukkah, surrounded by a mixture of shade and sun, it reminds us of the impermanence of all things, including all of life.

“I always enjoy watching the residents shake the lulav and etrog, “remarked Rabbi Devorah Jacobson, director of Spiritual Life at JGS Lifecare. She was referring to the holiday tradition of waving the Four Species, including the lulav, comprised of the leaves of the date palm, myrtle and willow while holding an etrog, a sweet smelling citron. Waving the lulav and etrog in all directions points to God’s presence throughout the universe and our gratitude for our bounty and blessings.

At both Ruth’s House and the Leavitt Family Jewish Home, residents enjoyed special festival meals, religious services and periodic visits to the sukkah during the week, at tea time. For many it was a time of reminiscing. As Delila Jones, Director of Life Enrichment at Ruth’s House, reflected, “Our residents shared memories of their childhood, including the ways they helped their families build the sukkah. It’s wonderful to see how they still enjoy visiting the sukkah — to sit, meditate, sing, pray, read, eat or just rejoice in the beauty of the fall season. It really is a special place and it brings back special memories.”