Keeping Active

the Behind scenes

How the innovative recreational team at the Boro Park Center keeps its residents engaged and active. Keeping Active

BTS BORO PARK CENTER

By Meir Segal

Please 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 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

trying not to lose the thread. She is high energy, and it is infectious. I feel as if the residents are taking a cue from Raizy's vigor and enthusiasm.

During my conversations with the residents, I confirm how much they love the recreational programs at the Boro Park Center. "Especially when compared to how I was treated at two different facilities," Myron Wolf*, one of the older people at the Center, tells me. "It wasn't that I was mistreated at the other places. I was simply bored. They would seat me in the general reception area, hoping some volunteers would strike up a conversation with me. Usually, I would simply stare into my lap until I fell asleep. Ever since I transferred here, I feel like I’m not a burden to the people here; rather, I'm like a long-lost uncle. Raizy makes sure that we are not only entertained but are treated like family." As the director of the department, Raizy’s involvement lies mainly in planning activities, though at times she also participates. "Our supremely talented team leaders are the ones who do all the hard work and really get the residents engaged. Without their creativity and passion, we would not be able to get through to the residents the way we do." Raizy’s counterpart Polina Kravchenko organizes most of the activities for the non-Jewish residents on the floors. Raizy's rapport with her charges stems from her youth growing up in the welcoming Lissauer home in Seagate. "My parents had an open house, and it was always swarming with guests. Seagate had a very diverse population hailing from many cultural backgrounds. We were taught to be understanding and non-judgmental, and the stories I could tell from our Shabbos meals could fill a book." She concedes that such an upbringing prepared her for this type of work. "One of the regulars at my parents' home is a resident here," Raizy says, as she hurries to help someone with operating the stand mixer. After the doughs are ready, one person makes the bracha for all of them, and someone takes challah.

Boro Park Center does not limit the activities to just one per day. They try and fill up the residents' days in order to make everyone feel fulfilled. "I was getting depressed at the other homes I had been at because I was literally just living out my last days. Here I look forward to waking up and seeing what they have planned

Motzeei Shabbos concert with Lipa

Animal Show for Chol Hamoed Flower arranging for Shabbos

BTS BORO PARK CENTER

for me," Myron continues. "We have a music activity every single day. Different entertainers come, and they don't leave right after they are done. A lot of times, they stick around and listen to our stories."

Daily life in a nursing home can be depressing. "There is a barrage of tests that some of the residents must go through every single day. From Covid testing to diabetes pricking, blood tests, blood pressure, and the constant reminders to take the appropriate medications, it is not a pleasant life. This is especially true for those of our residents who are mourning the loss of a spouse or are ill and need to go for treatments. We try and bring relief and distraction," Raizy explains. But activities are not the only responsibilities of the rec team. "Every new resident gets a clinical assessment which we enter into an online log. We ask what type of activities they like and enjoy so that we can try and cater to each resident." Another

essential part of the job is taking attendance. "We have to ensure that each resident participates. If we would not keep track, then someone could get lost in the shuffle and lose out, not only on the entertainment but also on the physical and cognitive benefits that they derive from these projects." Since there are different types of reBefore Covid- when school children were always welcomed for a visit sidents at the facility, activities have to be tailored to different individuals. "We have our long-term patients who live here and the shortterm ones like those who are recovering from injury. There are various cognitive levels that we must cater to." Shabbos activities are scheduled for Thursday and Friday, and aside from baking challah, fresh flowers are delivered from the florist on Thursdays, and the residents make their own bouquets for their rooms. On Fridays, Rabbi Wajsfeld says a dvar Torah, there is Friday afternoon Shabbos music, a zemiros performance, and an Oneg. Residents also make kugel from scratch. "Do you charge the elderly for their hard work?" I tease once more. In response, Raizy introduces me to Leib Greenberg, the longtime chef at Tomer De-

Table Tennis with Ballons and fly swatters! Fall Craft Project

Summer Craft

vo rah school. Mr. Greenberg recently lost his wife, and the cooking takes him back to a different time. Raizy asks him for recipes, and he relishes helping out in the kitchen. "It really gives him a lift when we rely on his expertise. He has these original names for some foods, like his 'famous' Moishe Rabbaini soup." A guest lecturer speaks to the woman every Shabbos afternoon. Others there also tell me that cooking is their favorite activity. "Not only does it transport me back like I'm home when I peel the potatoes, it also makes me feel useful. It can be challenging to cope when you even need help to get dressed. So doing something for others is a great sense of relief for my mind," Malky Weinstein tells me. "But I also enjoy the crocheting, and they are very thoughtful by bringing us the thicker spools of yarn which I can easier handle with my arthritis."

The different crafts that the recreational team arranges for the residents are varied, and include painting and ceramics, as well as other cooking and baking activities. "The ice cream bar is the best," Shmiel Katz grins. "It reminds me of my childhood staring through the storefront window, but now I do get to eat the ice cream," he laughs. During Covid, running group activities was challenging because resident were confined to their rooms. "We brought music from door to door and prepared kits that we gave to each resident. One such kit was icing and fondant decorated cookies; a team member directed the activity, and it was a lot of fun. Entertainers went around to each person and made sure nobody was left out. Instead of bringing our residents to tashlich, we brought tashlich to the Boro Park Center. Our team is creative and created an aquarium on wheels which served as our tashlich pond." There are various other services that the recreational team helps out with such as bringing residents down to their visitors and making sure that their preferred outfits are laundered so that they feel good about the way they look. They also bring in barbers and hairdressers to make sure the people at the Center get their hair cut, styled, or dyed to help them look and feel like their best selves. "We even bought a special dress for one patient's birthday, and she felt like a million dollars. Everyone gets a cake on his or her

Chol Hamoed Concert

BTS BORO PARK CENTER

birthday, and we take pictures to send to tthe resident's family." Purim was a big blow for the residents because no visitors were allowed in. "The staff came up with a great idea. We reached out to family members and asked them to send pictures of all their children and grandchildren. Those were then printed onto cook-ies, and every single resident got a beautiful mishloach manos." These successful collabora- tions make the staff and the residents' families feel like family. "We were even all invited to a resident's daughter's wedding. But it was much more than that. We helped her get ready and did her makeup. At the wedding, we brought life to the party and made sure that it was lebedig." From talking to both residents and staff, I get a sense of the true kinship and closeness, even more so than Raizy describes it.

The recreational team also puts on shows and other night activities. But especially noteworthy is the camaraderie that these activities foster, and the residents sometimes get together at night on their own for games and discussions.

Recreation Team at Residents daughters wedding

Recently, Raizy brought another team member on board to brings the daily newspapers to each resident and to develop a relationship with them. "She sometimes assists with feeding, schmoozes with the residents, and helps them with other tasks and errands." This relationship-building paid off when a resident confided in her that she was afraid that her irreligious family would cremate her. "Brany, the team member, immediately got on the phone with a lawyer and he drafted a will clearly stating that the resident insists on a Jewish burial. She proceeded to get in touch with a Chabad rabbi who assisted them with buying a burial plot for the resident." Not only do the recreation department’s many programs develop friendships, provide entertainment, and help with the resident morale, sometimes they can even fortify a patient's will to live and help them recuperate. "We had a young woman come to us after her body had begun to shut down, and she needed therapy to get better.

But she wasn't responding to anything, and the prognosis was bleak. We made sure to have one of our team members visit her every single day, and we brought her kosher DVDs to keep her entertained. We even brought in a beautician to give her man-

Tashlich music with Don Stern Fluid Art Activity

icures and pedicures. I also had lecturers and other entertaining young women visit her. After a short while, we saw her spirits improve, and she worked hard on her rehab. She recognized what our team members did for her, and this past Rosh Hashana, she brought gifts and thanked us for helping her out of her depression. She specified that the entertainment made her feel alive and that she mattered." The recreational team at the Boro Park Center clearly goes beyond what is legally required and mandated by the insurance companies. Raizy truly cares about the residents and believes in her work. "Studies have proven that if minds are stimulated, it helps prevent or slow mental decline. Our activities do wonders for people's morale and give them a will to live." While the recreational team at the Boro Park Center doesn't really do Bingo, the residents win health, happiness, and gain a new family. And that’s no small prize!