Jewish Senior Living Newsletter JUNE 2016 - VOLUME 4, ISSUE 6 Keeping you connected to our communities.
“Designs of Our Lives” Series at Chai Point The series focuses on the appreciation of design and how it has enhanced our daily living. Sally Moskol, Activity Coordinator Programming for residents of Chai Point is more than just a stroll down memory lane. Nowhere is that more evident than in the Designs of Our Lives series. This series focuses on the appreciation of design and how it has enhanced our daily living. Speakers have included area architects, product designers, interior designers and other experts. Many different aspects of design have been presented to residents and guests from the community, with enthusiastic response. Trish Cohn, program director explains, “We’re exposing our residents to new technology and having them be a part of it and experience it. This series is examining ways of improving residents’ lives and how it helps our daily living.” The series kicked off in March with a program by University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Professor Mark Keane, from School of Architecture and Urban Planning, who put the residents to work, drawing the Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece entitled Falling Water. Eric Oxendorf, an architectural photographer, presented a program on Milwaukee’s City Hall and in May, Professor James Slauson, of Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD), spoke on the brilliance of Brooks Stevens designs. Slauson brought several items from MIAD’s collection of Brooks Stevens iconic designs for further exploration. The historical impact of these architects of building and industrial design is not lost on the Chai Point residents and guests from the community.
p Professor Mark Keane demonstrating his work to resident
Lil Rakita. q Chai Point residents Helen Sher, Byrda Raffe,
Helen Glickman, Donna Perlson, and Miriam Orenstein posing with their gorgeous flower arrangements and presenter Cindy Davis of French Poodle Floral.
see “Design,” page 4
In This Issue
“Designs of Our Lives” Series at Chai Point
1
Meet Amy Biller Daniels, Director of Social Services
3
Celebrating Our Volunteers
2
Lewin Award Recipients
4
Upcoming Events
6
Celebrating Our Volunteers An overview of our annual volunteer luncheon Beth Draper, Volunteer Coordinator
Each year we hold an event to honor the work that our dedicated volunteers do for our residents and staff. On that day, we dress up, invite all volunteers to partake in a great meal, we give speeches to let them know how much they mean to us. But this year was a little different. We did dress up, and did give speeches and the meal was truly delicious, but this year we added some special touches. The theme for the event was “We give a hand to those who lend a hand,” and the activity department and residents outdid themselves creating beautiful center pieces and gifts for our volunteers. Following last year’s successful debut, Hand in Hand again offered a one-day Flash Sale on annual and life Hand in Hand memberships. New this year was the entertainment. Residents and staff entertained our guests. The Sarah Chudnow Glee
Club, under the direction of Larry Ladin, sang for our volunteers, the Chai Point Choir sang a number, and Rabbis Adams and Emmer were a hit with their rendition of “If I Were a Rabbi.” (See the video at http://youtu.be/Zj5CEtWMXB0) The finale was a staff presentation of song parodies from Fiddler on the Roof about our volunteers. Gifts from the JHCC residents created with the supervision of the activities department – picture frames with our residents’ hands, by our residents’ hands, were a lovely take-away from a warm and wonderful event. To learn more about volunteering at our communities, contact Beth Draper, volunteer coordinator, at 414.277.8848 or bdraper@jewishseniorliving.org, or visit http://www.jewishseniorliving.org/volunteer. n
Photos: Top row: Staff singing songs dedicated to our volunteers; the SCC Glee Club performing under the direction of Larry Ladin; the Chai Point Choir awaiting their peformance. Bottom row: Beth Draper, volunteer coordinator, thanks volunteers for their commitment and decdication; the centerpieces created by JHCC residents. For more photos of the luncheon visit http://goo.gl/pPBFHZ
Stay Connected 2 | JSL News | June 2016
Visit our website and donate online at www.jewishseniorliving.org. Questions? Call the JHCC Foundation Office at 414.721.9255.
Meet Amy Biller Daniels, Director of Social Services Welcome Amy to our team!
Becca Loss, Communications Specialist “I never did anything alone. Whatever was accomplished…was accomplished collectively.” ~ Golda Meir, former Prime Minister of Israel If you were to sum up Amy Biller Daniels vision of the social services department at JHCC and its sister communities, it would be “build bridges and be collaborative.”
Amy Biller Daniels Director of Social Services
She started building those bridges as a social work undergrad at UW-Milwaukee where one of her field placements was at JHCC. Since then, she has worked collaboratively with both social service agencies within the Jewish community as well as within the greater Milwaukee County community. Amy was encouraged to apply for the director of social services opening at JHCC, and as fate would have it, she was looking for a new opportunity. “I’ve always worked with older adults and alongside those
in long term care.,” said Biller Daniels. “This opportunity seemed like a natural progression in my career.” Michael Sattell, president and CEO, agrees, “Amy has great familiarity with our mission and has professionally and caringly served the Milwaukee Jewish community for years. We are blessed to have her join the Jewish Home family.”
Before joining JHCC, Amy worked at Jewish Family Service (JFS) in the agency’s Counseling and Clinical Division where she coordinated and staffed the Late Life Counseling Program which is funded by the Milwaukee County Department on Aging. Amy also provided counseling to older adults at JFS and its satellite clinic at Bradley Crossing. Prior to JFS, she was a geriatric care manager in the Froedtert and Medical College Senior Health Program. She received her BSW and MSW from UW-Milwaukee. see “Amy Biller Daniels,” page 5
Lewin Award Recipients On May 24, we were proud to present the Lore and Martin Lewin Chai Point Employee Excellence Award to Cheyenne Ensor, receptionist, and Rigoberto Valenzuela, housekeeper. The award is given to Chai Point employees who go above and beyond their job descriptions with a focus on resident care and willingness to exhibit teamwork in fulfilling our mission. Award winners exhibit excellent attendance and behavior and are further deserving due to their positive effect on Chai Point residents. Rigoberto Valenzuela; Sharon Lewin, daughter of Lore and Martin Lewin; and Cheyenne Ensor.
JSL in the News
Congratulations on your well-deserved honors!
Check out this new technology currently being used at the Jewish Home and Care Center --> http://goo.gl/UFwzYS June 2016 | JSL News | 3
Design continued from page 1
The series also focuses on creativity in the 21st century and is bringing the freshest creative minds to our lectern in the Rubenstein Pavilion. Students from the Wisconsin Institute of Art presented their fashion designs. Under the tutelage of (instructor) Lynne Spelling-Dixon, it was clear that these future fashion designers had great flair.
“We’re exposing our residents to new technology and having them be a part of it and experience it. This series is examining ways of improving residents’ lives and how it helps our daily living.” ~ Trish Cohn, program director
In April, Frankie Flood, associate professor at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee introduced residents, staff and guests to the wonders of Digital Printing or creating 3D objects from 3D printers. Flood captivated the audience in sharing his story of creating prosthetic hands from a printer. His brilliance and generous spirit has inspired others worldwide to create prosthetic hands for thousands of people.
For Trish Cohn, program director at Chai Point, and Sally Moskol, creator of the design series, engaging the minds of Chai Point residents is always a top priority when booking speakers and presentations. But another important priority is to introduce young people to consider how their talents may improve the lives of the elderly. Conversations about possible collaborations with students of product design at UWM and fashion design at Wisconsin Institute of Art are in process.
Chai Point resident Edie Silverstein said, “I was so fascinated by what Frankie Flood presented on the 3D printers. It was wonderful to learn about the printers because this was a technology I had never seen before. Frankie also made me a 3D printed bracelet which was very sweet!”
Frankie Flood, associate professor at UW-Milwaukee, pointing to a 3D printed bionic hand during his presentation in April on 3D printing.
Social Media 4| JSL News |June 2016
jhccfoundation
Mark your calendars for the following talks in the Design of Our Lives series. • • • •
Thursday, June 23 at 1:30 pm Trends in Interior Design Lisa Jansen, Vice President Interior Design, Zimmerman Design Group Tuesday, July 26 at 3:00 pm Corning Ware - One Hot Story! Trish Cohn and Sally Moskol Thursday, August 18 at 1:30 pm Synagogue Designs Around the World Rabbi Steve Adams, Director of Pastoral Care Thursday, September 15 at 1:30 pm High Tech for Better Living Michael Opitz, Director of Technology/Security.
For more information, contact Sally Moskol at 414-721-9252 or smoskol@jewishseniorliving.org. To learn more about Chai Point, visit http://www.chaipoint.org. n
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Amy Biller Daniels continued from page 3
With her vast knowledge and experience, she is wellversed in the issues of aging. “I understand the issues of aging, and the struggles and issues that both the residents and their family members face,” explains Amy. She hopes to bring both to her current role, once she learns the nuts and bolts of the roles and responsibilities of a skilled nursing facility social worker. “It’s a learning curve, but it’s interesting being in a medical-based setting,” reveals Amy. The first few months at JHCC have been positive for Amy. “I have received a very warm welcome,” she said. “I like the people I work with directly and am getting to know the rest of the staff and the residents.” In fact, Amy makes it a point to be on the floors daily to see what’s going on and to stop by and say “hello.” Going forward, Amy aspires to be supportive of the social workers by “enabling them to do the best work they can do” and be a good colleague to fellow staff members. Additionally, she looks forward to forming relationships and collaborating with the social workers at Chai Point and Sarah Chudnow Community. “I want us to be collaborative partners,” stated Amy. “I foresee us discussing issues facing our residents and their families and together, problem solving and coming up with solutions.” Perhaps some of those solutions will come from one of her outside of work hobbies: being a self-professed PBS and NPR junkie. You can frequently find her watching MPTV Channel 10/36 (PBS) or listening to WUWM (NPR). NPR airs many stories about older adults, and according to Amy, “how we age is interesting, and NPR offers fascinating insights on the subject.” We look forward to Amy sharing some of those insights and putting them into practice, with collaboration from the social services team. n
The Jewish Home and Care Center Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides financial support to the programs and services of the Jewish Home and Care Center, Chai Point Senior Living and Sarah Chudnow Community. June 2016 | JSL News | 5
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Milwaukee, WI Permit No. 3120
1414 North Prospect Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53202-3089 Phone: 414-276-2627
Upcoming Events Howard Tolkan, Community Volunteer The Career of Barbra Streisand Tuesday, June 21, 3:00 pm. Chai Point Senior Living, Rubenstein Pavilion
CommunityArtist Melanie Ariens “Fresh Water, Fresh Art!” Wednesday, June 22, 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm Chai Point Senior Living, Rubenstein Pavilion
Gibert Meisel Summer Concert Series Black Marigold Tuesday, June 21, 7:00 pm Sarah Chudnow Community, Posner Town Square
“Listen & Learn” Concert Series with WCM Milwaukee Blues Master Steve Cohen Friday, June 24, 1:30 pm “American Masters: Living Legends” Thursday, June 30, 1:30 pm. Chai Point Senior Living, Rubenstein Pavilion
Rabbi Marcey Rosenbaum,Congregation Shalom “Poland and the Jews” Wednesday, June 22, 2:00 pm Sarah Chudnow Community, Posner Town Square
Visit www.jewishseniorliving.org for updated activities.