Behind thescenes How the innovative recreational team at the Boro Park Center keeps its residents engaged and active.
e v i t c A g n i p Kee
By Meir Segal
BTS BORO PARK CENTER
P
lease pass the eggs, Martha," says a spry eighty-seven-year-old Sarah. I am a little surprised to see a nursing home dining room being this loud and active. It's Thursday, and the residents are in the process of making challah for Shabbos. "Are you working your residents to save money on staff?" I ask Raizy Pavlov, the head of the recreation team. Raizy laughingly points to the vibrant activity and smiling seniors and asks, "Aren't they having fun?" There is flour all over the place and some cracked eggs on the floor, which she attempts to cover up, like an embarrassed mother cleaning the living room as unexpected guests arrive. I feel as if I’ve walked into a summer camp activity. The residents are genuinely joyous, unlike anything I have ever witnessed in a nursing home, and the scene is even somewhat chaotic, in a fun kind of way. "This is how it looks during all of our
20 / The Center Spirit / November 2021
projects. Our residents love chal-lah baking maybe slightly more because it gives them a feeling of normalcy - a sense of being at home preparing for Shabbos. Some of our residents are longterm, while others are here for recovery. We have stroke victims and other people who come here to get rehabilitated. So doing things that people would do in their everyday life helps with our residents' state of mind." I'm having difficulty keeping up with Raizy's fast-paced talk, and I’m
