Message from Rob Whitten, President of JGS Lifecare

October 13, 2022

Dear Residents and Families,

I hope this message finds everyone well. Happy New Year to those who recently observed the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. As a campus, we were excited to once again be able to offer the traditional festival meal on Erev Rosh Hashanah for residents and their families. The holiday was observed at both Ruth’s House and The Leavitt Family Jewish Nursing Home. We received exceptional feedback from our residents and families!

Please join me in welcoming Carol Mortensen as the new Executive Director of The Leavitt Family Jewish Nursing Home. Carol, who is also a Registered Nurse, comes to us with many years of experience in the health care field. Previously, she held positions as a Charge Nurse, Nurse Manager and Director of Nursing, prior to becoming a Licensed Administrator.

Carol lives with her husband just over the border in Connecticut and spends her free time with her daughter and three grandchildren. Carol has been making it a priority to meet as many residents, families, and staff as possible since she started her position. I am thrilled to have her on board.

In closing, I’d like to point out that as the leaves on the trees begin to change and the days become colder, we can also expect an increase in community COVID and flu cases. The CDC recommends receiving an updated bivalent booster, which we are presently administering to residents. I strongly recommend that all residents and visitors remain current with their boosters. Stay well!

Warm regards,

Rob

Rob Witten
President
JGS Lifecare

Behind the Scenes at JGS

October 12, 2022

As September gave way to October our residents have continued to enjoy activities, socials and bowling, plus a very special visit from some fine-feathered friends!

Everyone got involved in our Bowling Tournament, with Dianne Cusson from our life enrichment staff making it a lot of fun! With the weather on the warmer side, residents are still savoring being outdoors And what could be sweeter than fresh summer corn on the cob? Residents enjoyed shucking fresh corn in the morning. The smell in the air was so sweet. Not surprisingly, the afternoon Corn on the Cob Social with family and friends was a real hit!

Each year our residents love it when they get a visit from the magnificent birds from the Massachusetts Birds of Prey Rehab Facility in Conway, where injured birds are rehabilitated, and if recovered, released back into the wild. Tom Riccardi brought in several beautiful birds, from a small screech owl to a giant golden eagle. He patiently introduced each bird, walking around the room so all the residents could enjoy seeing them up close. Some of our residents were even holding the smaller birds! It was a fascinating and fun activity.

Our special thanks to students from the Lubavitcher Yeshiva Academy who helped us decorate our sukkah, a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot. The sukkah is topped with branches and students decorated it with bright paper lanyards, flowers and fall and harvest themes. Residents sit outdoors, under the protection of the sukkah, sharing light snacks and activities, weather permitting. It was a joy to have the students from the Yeshiva Academy visit our campus.

JGS Lifecare Leadership Present at Prestigious Mass General Brigham Skilled Nursing Summit

October 11, 2022

Members of the JGS Lifecare leadership team presented at the Mass General Brigham annual meeting for Skilled Nursing Facility providers on September 19th. The 2022 meeting marked the first in person meeting held since 2019 due to the pandemic.

Chief Clinical Officer Ron Anglo was introduced by Chief Business Development Officer Terry Halliday. For the meeting, selected members of the collaborative were asked to present on best practices that are used in their daily operations. It is an honor to be asked to present and both Ron and Terry were a credit to the organization.

For the presentation, Ron was joined at the podium by Tony Franchi of Franchi Healthcare. Aptly entitled “On the Road to 5-Star,” the presentation sparked an animated discussion by attendees. The two addressed the importance of the CMS designation and the changes that became effective on July 1, 2022. After the event, Industry leaders noted that the presentation was both collaborative and informative.