World Allergy Week is an annual initiative of the World Allergy Organization (WAO). This year, World Allergy Week falls on April 4th-April 10th. During this week, WAO partners with its member societies to raise awareness of allergic disease and related disorders. WAO also advocates for the provision of training and resources in the diagnosis, management, and prevention of these diseases and asthma, which are rising in prevalence around the world. While allergies affect people of all ages, they can have a large impact on the lives and health of seniors. Allergy symptoms, such as a congested nose, an irritated throat, and a dry mouth can be extremely dangerous to a senior who has pre-existing cardiovascular or lung problems. Pollens can also aggravate existing medical conditions such as heart disease and COPD. That is why allergies in the elderly should be treated as rapidly and aggressively as possible Seniors with pollen allergy need to be particularly careful using over the counter or prescription medications for their symptoms. The anti-histamines that help minimize the effects of allergies are not recommended for a lot of seniors. That is because they can interact with other medications and increase blood pressure. In addition, the sedating quality of anti-histamines increase a senior’s risk of falling, and could cause a dangerous condition where the person cannot urinate. Other side effects include confusion, drowsiness, dry mouth and eyes, and dizziness. Rather than prescribing antihistamines for the seniors suffering from seasonal allergies, a doctor will often prescribe a nasal steroid or some form of topical medication. The following are some simple tips for you to consider: Use the air conditioner. Keeping the windows closed helps to prevent pollens and molds from entering the house.Don’t hang clothing or linens outside to dry. Instead, use the clothes dryer or hang them indoors to dry.Keep an eye on pollen levels and plan outings for days when pollen counts are projected to be the lowest. There are several free services that will also alert you when pollen counts reach high levels. They include The Weather Channel, The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, and Pollen.com.Wear sunglasses when you are outside. That can prevent pollen and other seasonal irritants from getting in to your eyes. A hat also helps prevent it from getting in to your hair and working its way on to your hands and clothing.Wash your hands after being outdoors. And make sure to shower as soon as you come in from working or spending any significant amount of time outside. Throw the clothes you were wearing in to the laundry. That can help prevent pollen from being spread around your house.Many nutritionists believe that foods that help fight inflammation can help relieve some of the symptoms of allergies. Those include apples, walnuts, flax seed, ginger, leafy green vegetables and foods rich in vitamin C. However, as mentioned previously some people are allergic to these foods. It is important to realize seniors often have multiple chronic health problems, and it can be hard for a doctor to separate a potential allergy from their ongoing diseases. A caregiver or family member who suspects that their elderly loved one may have allergies should bring their concerns to their loved one's doctor, and suggest to the doctor allergy testing or treatment. Dr. Noah MarcoJewish Home Chief Medical Officer

The Jewish Home’s innovative Connections to Care (C2C) program is an exciting approach to meeting the growing needs of seniors in our community and beyond. C2C is a simple, fast, and easy way for seniors and their loved ones to access all of the programs and services offered by the Los Angeles Jewish Home. A call to the C2C toll-free hotline at (855) 227-3745 will customize a care plan just for you. With C2C, the top priority is asking, “How can we help?” One toll-free phone call connects seniors directly to Jewish Home expert staff members. They begin by listening, and then open the door to the Home’s full continuum of in-your-home, community health, and residential programs. C2C also enables the Home to serve as a resource for calls from outside our service area, providing assistance through resources and referrals to help address individual situations. In our March issue of Jewish Home e-Connections, we highlighted three of the Home’s many programs - Brandman Centers for Senior Care, a Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), Jewish Home Care Services, and Care Transitions. In this issue, we will take a look at the Jewish Home Center for Palliative Medicine, Skirball Hospice, and geriatric care, using sample questions we have received. “My wife has chronic pain due to MS. How can I help?” —By calling Connections to Care you can learn about compassionate palliative care. The Jewish Home Center for Palliative Medicine offers comprehensive pain and symptom management for adults with serious, chronic, or life-limiting illness. The program addresses patients’ medical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs. Through Connections to Care, an individualized care plan will address your needs. “My father just received a terminal diagnosis of less than six months to live. What help can you provide?” —Skirball Hospice, a program of the Jewish Home, provides compassionate end-of-life care for adults with a life-limiting illness in the Greater Los Angeles area. Skirball Hospice treats patients in their home or in a care facility as needed, including nights and weekends. At no-cost through Medicare or Medi-Cal, hospice care includes: Pain managementMedical equipmentSuppliesEmotional and spiritual supportPersonal care “My best friend could really benefit from a geriatric specialist. How can I help her find one?” —One call to Connections to Care at (855) 227-3745 will connect you and your friend with primary and specialty medical care. In the May issue of Jewish Home e-Connections, we will focus on another important service offered by the Jewish Home through Connections to Care – short-term rehabilitative care. For more information about Connections to Care, please contact us at (855) 227-3745 or visit our website at www.lajh.org.

The Jewish Home’s Annenberg School of Nursing (ASN) continues to provide an exceptional learning opportunity for those who are interested in helping others as a nurse assistant, home health aide, or vocational nurse. Since its inaugural Class of 2008, over 100 students have completed the 13-month, full-time Vocational Nurse (VN) program and begun fulfilling careers. As ASN prepares for the graduation of the Class of 2016 in July, and to welcome the Class of 2017 in September, Jewish Home e-Connections will present some of our graduates’ success stories. We hope they will inspire readers who may be considering a career in the field of nursing to take that step to change their lives, and the lives of others. ASN alumni Susan Genova, Class of 2012, always had a passion for learning and was drawn to science and biology. Her lifelong goal was to study nursing; but her path was sidetracked a bit after she graduated from Emory University with an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science. Susan would go on to work on Wall Street as a Bank Stock Analyst’s Assistant doing research and as a Webmaster. “Most importantly,” she says, “I raised two children and now have two grandchildren. Becoming a nurse was always on my mind, but I couldn’t figure out my way back to school.” Susan’s mother died unexpectedly in 2009. “For two years after her death, I could hear her voice telling me to go back to school.” The opportunity to attend ASN came along, and Susan took it. “I was nervous about going back to school at 52. My husband was very supportive and encouraged me to take the step forward. Marie Cordeiro, ASN’s Director, helped immensely. “Through her constant confidence in me I was able to draw on strength I did not know I had.” Susan studied diligently and committed to making school her top priority, which resulted in her graduating among the top in her class. After passing the NCLEX-PN® exam in 2012, Susan worked as a LVN at the Home’s Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center. “I was trying to figure out what was next for me. I started teaching Nursing Assistant classes at The Red Cross. Through this I became certified as a DSD – Director of Staff Development – and I knew that was the next right choice for me.” Shortly after completing her certification, Susan applied for the DSD position at the Home’s Eisenberg Village. She has been working in that capacity since August 2015. “At the Annenberg School of Nursing, Susan took her studies seriously,” says ASN director Marie Cordeiro. “She was considerate of her classmates and truly cared about their success. During clinical rotations, Susan was eager to learn and showed great compassion with patients. Her successful career is a reflection of her commitment to nursing and helping others to thrive.” Upon reflecting at her time at ASN, Susan shares what made the experience so beneficial in her nursing career. “The small class size encourages team work and camaraderie. ASN offers a variety of clinical sites not available to most VN programs. This exposure teaches you to be quick on your feet and quick in your mind. And when a position at the Jewish Home is available and an ASN graduate has the appropriate skills, you are able to gain experience in your field after graduation, which is critical at the beginning of your nursing career.” Congratulations to Susan Genova on discovering her path to a successful career in nursing. Your dedication to learning, team work, and providing excellence in care is greatly appreciated by the Jewish Home residents and staff, and the Annenberg School of Nursing is proud of you. For information about the Jewish Home’s Annenberg School of Nursing, please contact Cindy Thomas, admissions coordinator, at [email protected] or (818) 757-4431, or visit ASN’s website at www.asn.edu.

The mission of the Los Angeles Jewish Home’s Skirball Hospice is to provide high-quality, compassionate care to patients enabling them to approach the end of their lives with dignity and in comfort among people they know and love. The hospice staff works diligently in order to ensure the patient’s medical, physical, psychological, and spiritual needs are met. Volunteers become an integral part of the hospice care team, especially when patients have little or no family or community support. They provide patients and their families with comfort, compassion, companionship, and a sense of well-being in the final stages of life’s journey. During the average visit with a patient, a volunteer might be asked to: Provide companionship and listen to a patient’s concernsBe comforting and offer family members emotional supportEngage in the patient’s favorite activities and hobbiesEncourage the patient to talk about his/her lifeCommunicate with other members of the hospice teamRun errands for the patient and his/her familyTake beloved family pets for a walkRun errands for the patient and his/her familyAssist a patient in organizing papers or writing memoirs Because this work is unusual and can be emotionally demanding, searching for the right person to fill this position can be a challenging process. Skirball Hospice volunteer coordinator Lee Rothman, M.Ed., M.A. explains, “When I look for volunteers, I search for someone who is patient, respectful, empathetic, non-judgmental, and comfortable in their own skin. A hospice volunteer must be comfortable being around people who they know will not get better.” Many volunteers, like Peter Giannini, have experienced the loss of a loved one and feel compelled to share their knowledge with others facing the same struggles. “There’s a lot of emotion tied up with losing a loved one. When my mother passed a few years ago, I went through it all. Thanks to that experience, I am better able to come into these delicate situations and give my patients and their families the support they need to get through this difficult time.” Volunteering at Skirball Hospice is a wonderful opportunity for people who only have a few hours a week to give– our volunteers can do so much during that time to brighten up someone’s day. Whether you are having a discussion, reading, listening to music, or enjoying a meal together, the simple act of being present and in each other’s company can be deeply satisfying for you and your patient. Being a hospice volunteer is an intellectually and emotionally fulfilling activity. Lee observes, “Skirball Hospice volunteers benefit from experiencing the different aspects of caring for the terminally ill. They gain a deeper understanding of death, dying, grief, loss, and end of life decision-making. These volunteers have the opportunity to make a tremendous difference in someone’s life. Not only do they get to know their patients and their families, they are able to learn a lot about themselves. Hospice philosophy views death as a natural part of life. Volunteering with hospice patients can lead to a greater appreciation for one’s own life.” For many, volunteering at hospice has been an eye-opening experience. “In my time working with Hospice patients, I’ve been exposed to something not many people have the chance to experience,” Skirball volunteer Bob Moore shares. “I’ve learned a wealth of information – I’m so much more aware about aging and the last stages of life. I’m experiencing a whole new aspect of quality of life and care." Skirball Hospice volunteer Peter Marcus feels the same way. “Whatever preconceived notions you have about end of life care, shake them off. There is beauty to be found in the extraordinary circumstances where we find ourselves. It’s worthwhile work. It offers a real opportunity to do something useful, and a greater sense of understanding if you’re paying attention.” With as little as one hour a week, a volunteer can greatly enhance the lives of a Hospice patient and his or her family. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer at the Jewish Home’s Skirball Hospice, visit their volunteer page online for more information or contact Lee Rothman, volunteer coordinator, at [email protected] or (818) 774-3040 extension 355.

A sprig of parsley. An egg. It must be Spring. The world around is blooming, summer fruits are around the corner, and the world is modeling for us, indeed, begging us to begin anew. What does that mean for a spiritually minded person? It means pressing the reset button on how we interact with ourselves and each other. Let’s begin with the self. Do you breathe? I have always appreciated the cliché of “stopping to smell the roses” because of its attention to nature, and because to smell something one needs to inhale deliberately and with intention. Do you sing? I have led singing for decades and something transformative happens to our souls when we sing. To sing, you also need to breathe and to press air out with intention. Breathe and sing to refresh your spirit. Do you spend time outside? Wherever we live, in this day and age we do not spend time outside unless we make an effort to do so. The Jewish tradition implores us to spend time outside and to notice what we see. Consider Shabbat. Our tradition asks its observers to notice the sunset once a week! Indeed, you know when Shabbat has begun because the sun has set. What other tradition in the world asks its observers to go outside and stargaze once a week? Indeed, you know when Shabbat is over once you can see at least three stars in the sky. Spend time outside; it will renew you. Do you make enough eye contact with the people you care most about? Moses was famous for speaking with G-d face to face. These days we look at screens more than we look at each other. Each of us yearns to be seen and yet we forget to look. When we turn off the TV, the computer, the cell phone, we honor each other, increase intimacy, and renew our relationships every day. Happy Spring!!! Rabbi Karen BenderSkirball Director of Spiritual Life, Grancell Village Rabbi

Our residents and staff are working together to get the word out to the friends and family of the Home by writing letters to our local politicians. Our assisted living residents told their personal stories to help our representatives to understand the gravity of their financial situations. Without this increase in funding to our MNO recipients, they have only $20 to purchase the items they need, such as toothpaste, socks, pay for their phone service, and more.

Passover is a time for families and friends to gather together and share the story of our forefathers seeking and finding freedom."Passover's theme of freedom is a core ethic of Judaism," says Rabbi Karen Bender, the Jewish Home's Jack H. Skirball Director of Spiritual Life. "When we sit down at our Seders, we celebrate our exodus from a dark place of slavery into the freedom of the desert, and, ultimately, the Promised Land. Our story does not stand alone, however. We must link it to the world in which we live."Rabbi Bender explains, "The Seder is bittersweet, not only because we remember the bitterness of Egypt, but because there are still slaves and people who are oppressed. Passover is about every individual's right to move from suffering and oppression to a place of safety and freedom."On the first night of Passover in 1912, five homeless immigrant men sought freedom to worship with their brethren, safe from the ethnic taunts they had to endure at the "poor house" where they lived. They were taken in by caring Angelenos who read the Haggadah with them and served them dinner. The occasion marked a turning point in the life of the Los Angeles Jewish community, and those five seniors were the first residents of what would become the Jewish Home. The Community Seder at the Home has been a continuous tradition since that historic night one-hundred and three years ago.Please take this opportunity to join residents and staff of the Jewish Home for a truly heartwarming experience as we celebrate Passover and the freedom it represents.This year's Community Seder begins at 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 4th at the Jewish Home's Eisenberg Village campus. Tickets are $40 per adult ($30 per adult family member of Jewish Home residents) and $15 per child for children under 12. Advance purchase of tickets is required by March 27th.Call (818) 774-3386 or email [email protected] to reserve your place.On behalf of the Los Angeles Jewish Home, Chag Sameach!

This year, Passover, which celebrates the liberation of the Jewish people from the cruel reign of Pharaoh, begins on the evening of Friday, April 22nd. Over the first two nights of the holiday, families and friends will gather together to experience a Seder, a re-telling of their story followed by a festive meal. During the Seder, Four Questions are asked, typically by the youngest in attendance. The questions, and their answers, fulfill our obligation to tell the story to our children, and also piques everyone’s interest. Here, the Jewish Home’s Skirball Director of Spiritual Life, Rabbi Karen Bender, delves deeper into the Four Questions. I want to discuss the famous Four Questions with you. Perhaps you learned these questions in religious school. Perhaps you taught these questions to your own toddlers at bath time. Maybe you never quite learned them yourself but you hoped your grandchildren would. Ma nishtanah halila hazeh? “How is this night different from all other nights?” First of all, this night of Passover is different because of the notion of questions. The entire Seder is designed to stimulate curiosity and questioning. After all, the ability to question is a foundational Jewish value. To question is to reject the status quo and to use one’s imagination to envision a life and world that is more fair, just and loving. To question is to reject what is and to visualize what can be. Slaves cannot ask questions. So inasmuch as the Seder is a reenactment of the Exodus from Egypt, we celebrate our freedom by asking. We ask because we can. The act of asking is so significant that the rabbis decreed even if you happen to find yourself alone on Passover, you, an adult, are supposed to ask the four questions out loud. Let’s look at their content. Abravanel taught that the first two questions remind us of slavery and the last two acknowledge our freedom: Question 1. On all other nights we eat bread or matzah but on this night we eat only matzah. We eat matzah at the Seder to remember our hurried escape from Egypt. Question 2. On all other nights we eat all kinds of vegetables but on this night we eat bitter herbs. The bitter herbs are to remind us of the bitterness of Egypt. Question 3. On all other nights we don’t even dip once but on this night we dip twice. Remember the two dippings? Parsley into salt water and the bitter herbs into the haroset. To understand this one, we have to realize most of our ancestors were poor at most times in most places. In order to dip at a meal you need to have stuff to dip into. At a feast there are lots of stews and sauces and courses and things to dip into them. Usually our ancestors were lucky to have a little bit of bread and perhaps one other item. But on this night we celebrate freedom and eat like emperors. Question 4. On all other nights we eat sitting upright or reclining. On this night we recline. Slaves do not recline while they are eating. Free people who have plenty to eat can recline and be fed. There is one more aspect to the four questions I have noticed over the years. If you change one vowel and say Ma nishtaNEH (instead of Ma nishtanAH), then the question morphs into, “What are we going to change tonight?” Change and transformation can occur. The pharaoh wouldn't change so the Israelites had to. They changed their thinking, their perception and ultimately their circumstances. Passover eve is a night of reenactment and change. You begin the evening as a slave; you end it as a free person. The goal of the role playing is to change you inside. And the best way to change at your Seder is to ask these two questions of yourself: What is society's Egypt? What is my personal Egypt? Have a Sweet Pesach! Rabbi Karen BenderSkirball Director of Spiritual Life, Grancell Village Rabbi

Each year, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) recognizes projects they categorize as "Design for Aging Knowledge Community." This year, the Jewish Home's Brandman Centers for Senior Care (BCSC), a Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), was honored with the Merit Award for Small Projects by the prestigious group.Opened in 2013, BCSC was built out of renovated space on the Grancell Village campus of the Jewish Home. Designed by GMPA Architects, Inc., BCSC was designed with the intention of having a unique identity, while remaining integrated with the Home's existing style. Its contemporary design reflects the fact it serves as the first PACE in the Jewish Home's comprehensive senior healthcare system.BCSC/PACE provides the community's seniors with the comprehensive care they need to continue living safely in their homes. Services include primary medical care, specialty services for vision, dental, hearing, and foot care, laboratory and diagnostic services, medical supplies and equipment, nursing and preventative healthcare, physical, occupational, and speech therapy, a state-of-the-art rehabilitation therapy room, nutritional counseling, a full service pharmacy, recreational activities, reliable transportation, and 24-hour emergency and urgent care.Because BCSC offers such a large array of medical and social services to participants, one of the biggest challenge the designers faced was to find a way to create a space that would meet the complex requirements of the program. The designers managed to take advantage of the limited space they had to work with and created a beautiful, welcoming environment where seniors can come from their homes and benefit from the various health and social services made available to them at the Brandman Center.Susie Fishenfeld, executive director of the Brandman Centers for Senior Care, said, "In the conceptualization of the Brandman Center, the designers wanted to create a space that breathes comfort and peace. We are thrilled with the idea that BCSC can be a source of admiration for the design community as well as other senior care centers."People who are 55 or older, in need of nursing home level of care, are able to safely live in the community, and are living in the BCSC service area are eligible to become participants. To schedule a first meeting with the Brandman Centers for Senior Care, call 818.774.8444, toll free at 855.774.8444 or via TTY at 818.774.3194 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.