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Dr. Noah Marco, the Home's Chief Medical Officer, appeared on the Who Cares? Podcast presented by Honor. The podcast explores the future of home care through engaging interviews with thought leaders and innovators in the senior care space. Dr. Marco discussed current innovations in care for older adults and what's needed most, industry-wide, to improve post-acute care and wellness support Download the podcast on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/innovative-l-a-jewish-home-dr-noah-marco/id1436238216?i=1000419806722&mt=2 or on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/episode/6LO4f5JnbtyuHsDMkAk2Ie

Photographic images can tell a compelling story. But if a picture is worth 1,000 words, it is only because of the talent of the person behind the camera. The Jewish Home's Photography Club is a case in point. Led by volunteer instructor Ron Cooper, a retired dentist and lifelong photography buff, the club enables residents of the Home to tap into their creativity and strengthen their powers of self-expression. The club meets weekly at Eisenberg Village and is open to residents of all skill levels. L.A. native Ron began taking pictures in grammar school; by the time he was a teenager, he was catching a bus from Westwood to a storefront on Western Avenue run by Otto Rothschild, a prominent performing arts photographer. "I would hang around the dark room and learn how to print photos," Ron remembers. "Ever since I was little, photography has helped shape my view of the world. The fact is that once you develop the skill, you see things better even when you're not taking pictures." Once he stopped practicing dentistry, Ron began looking for ways to get involved in the community. Sharing his passion for photography seemed like a good way to give back. He had heard about the Home from board chair Andrew Berman, and from the moment he walked on campus to teach, he knew it was a perfect fit. "I walked into the Pepp Center and immediately felt comfortable," Ron recalls. "Gertrude and Ray Pepp were among my parents' closest friends." Ron has been delighted by the interest and excitement of Photography Club members like Marilyn Weiner and Ray Joseph. "Based on the ideas they have and the questions they ask, I'm learning a lot myself," he notes. "And, through my interactions with them, I can tell the Home offers such a healthy and nurturing environment." For Ray, who moved into the Home three years ago, the Photography Club has been a wonderful way to continue a hobby that stretches back decades. "I took pictures semi-professionally for years—submitting them to magazines and selling them to newspapers," he says. "At the Home, I'm using an iPhone to shoot the statues situated all across campus." Marilyn is focused on photo editing—a particular expertise of Cooper's. "We sit together at the computer, and I teach her different editing techniques," he says. "She's getting good and can now do some of it on her own."Eventually, club members hope to showcase their work in an exhibit at the Home. "I'm eager for people to see what we're producing," Ray says. "Once they take a look at how good iPhone cameras are, and how easy they are to use, they might decide to take up photography, as well!"

Maintaining memory and other cognitive skills is a fundamental challenge for aging brains. Many seniors address this challenge by seeking intellectual stimulation – adhering to a “use it or lose it” philosophy that has them tearing through books of Sudoku puzzles or laboring over crosswords from the Sunday New York Times. Yet, a recent study by a team of Scottish researchers suggests that these types of brain training exercises may not fend off age-related mental decline. Published in leading research journal The BMJ, the study (entitled, “Intellectual Engagement and Cognitive Ability in Later Life: Longitudinal, Prospective Study”) looked at 498 volunteers, all born in 1936 and living independently in northeast Scotland. Tracking them from the age of 11, when they each took an intelligence test, scientists measured their information processing speed and verbal memory over a 15-year period after they had reached late middle age. Results showed that mental stimulation does not directly prevent cognitive decline. However, there was a bright spot: The study did seem to indicate that investment in intellectual activities throughout the course of one’s life, starting with the younger years, can enhance cognition overall. “These findings are interesting, but I don’t believe they argue against seniors participating in activities that make them think,” says Noah Marco, M.D., Executive Director of the Brandman Research Institute and Chief Medical Officer of the Los Angeles Jewish Home. “The satisfaction that comes with accomplishment can trigger feelings of well-being, and research shows that seniors’ emotional health is linked to longevity.” The Scottish study was led by Roger Staff, an honorary lecturer at the University of Aberdeen and head of physics at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. He and his team acknowledge that individual personality may play a part in how much effort seniors put into puzzles, and that the combination of personality and effort could influence cognitive ability, ultimately, changing the study’s results. For his part, Dr. Marco plans to continue giving residents of the Home the same advice he has always offered. “Seniors should do things they love, and they should pursue those activities with determination, passion, and joy,” he says. “Filling their days with happiness will make every year worth more.”

Many seniors rely on a broad array of prescription medicines to help their bodies function smoothly and efficiently. Whether they are taking antibiotics, cholesterol-lowering medications, or painkillers, seniors can benefit enormously from the groundbreaking innovation of research scientists and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Often, and for various reasons, seniors have an overabundance of these medications. Perhaps their physicians prescribed painkillers to take on an as-needed basis, and their pain was brought under control before the medicine was fully used. Maybe they misplaced a bottle of pills, only to unearth them later and find they had expired. Increasingly, pharmacists and other medical professionals are realizing seniors need better information about how to dispose of leftover or excess medicine in a safe and effective way. "Prescription drugs can be dangerous," notes Robert Shmaeff, Director of Pharmacy at the Jewish Home. "Storing unneeded prescription medication at home after completing the prescribed regimen exposes them to children and other people who may not be aware of the risks they present." Fortunately, finding appropriate methods of medication disposal is getting easier. The California State Board of Pharmacy has created an online database of locations offering drug-take-back services statewide. This convenient new resource promotes environmental protection (pills disposed of improperly can contaminate the local water supply) and also helps stop prescription drug abuse. Determining where to dispose of unwanted medications depends, in part, on the type of pills being thrown away. For instance, registered receptacles can collect prescription drugs, including controlled substances, as well as over-the-counter medicine. However, auto-injectors such as EpiPens require alternate handling. Consumers can visit the California Department of Public Health website for more details. In addition to the pharmacy board and state public health department, patients can turn to a variety of other resources for advice on getting rid of medication properly such as the federal Drug Enforcement Administration website and "Don’t Rush to Flush," a site administered by the California Product Stewardship Council that has a wealth of information about responsible drug disposal. These resources are emerging at just the right time: A recent poll by the University of Michigan shows Americans between the age of 50 and 80 receive too little guidance about what to do with medicine they no longer need. Nearly half of survey respondents reported having medication left over; 86 percent of those individuals said they kept the medicine in case their pain returned. "The fact that so many older adults report having leftover opioid pills is a big problem, given the risk of abuse and addiction with these medications," Alison Bryant, Ph.D., senior vice president of research for AARP, said in a press release about the study. The bottom line: Education about what to do with these pills is a critical part of the formula for a healthy society—and vital for keeping seniors active and thriving into their golden years.

The Los Angeles Jewish Home (LAJH) has opened the Brandman Research Institute, which is focused on research for geriatric health issues best practices. Noah Marco, M.D., Chief Medical Officer for Los Angeles Jewish Health, is the institute’s executive director, and the hope is to let medial staff learn directly from seniors. Activities will include research and treatments to enhance medical, social, psychiatric and psychological services for elders. Read more › Author: Elizabeth Newman · Publication: McKnight's Long-Term Care News · Date: March 20, 2019

April is National Poetry Month, celebrating an artform that can be evocative, challenging, and inspirational. In honor of this month, we filmed three Jewish Home residents talking about their interactions with poetry—how it inspires them and sparks their creativity even when encountered later in life—and reading original works. An increasing body of evidence documents characteristics of poetry that go well beyond beauty. Indeed, more and more research highlights the positive effects of creative writing on people’s physiological, emotional, and cognitive well-being. In recent years, scientists have used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other instruments to examine the ways in which poetry affects the human brain. Among their discoveries: When we think about a poem’s meaning, it activates particular parts of our brains – some of the same parts we rely on to interpret our everyday reality. An article in the highly regarded Harvard Business Review notes that poetry “teaches us to wrestle with and simplify complexity.” As it sparks our creativity, it can also help us foster a deeper sense of empathy, enabling us to understand the feelings and motivations of our family, friends, coworkers, and community members. Studies show that poems help us in another critical way, too. They cause us to hear words differently and to see them in a fresh light, expanding our ability to use and process language. This stimulates brain function and, ultimately, strengthens brain health. At the Jewish Home, providing an outlet for creative pursuits like poetry, photography, and music allows seniors to broaden their horizons, to push past mental barriers, and to engage with their peers. Active brains can mean happy lives – seniors excited to learn and to embrace the world around them. Jewish Home staff and volunteers encourage seniors to compose, to paint, or to take up any similar activity that can lift spirits and potentially forge new neural pathways. The Home is fortunate to count among our residents aspiring poets at all levels of experience. Ellen Meli has been writing poetry since her youth; Nyla Lyon worked in the entertainment business and started experimenting with verse later in life. Both enjoy shaping words and phrases to express themselves, and both see putting pen to paper as stimulating and therapeutic. Their paths to poetry were different, but their conclusions are the same: Creativity can be a blessing at any age. View Nyla Lyon reading her poem, “The Fireflies’ Glow,” Ellen Meli reading her work titled “How Old?” and Mack Stevens reading an award-winning poem by former resident Shelley Greenspan (of blessed memory) called “See Me With Your Eyes Closed” in three more inspiring videos below.Mack Stevens Reads the Poem “See Me With Your Eyes Closed”Ellen Meli Reads Her Poem “How Old?”Nyla Lyon Reads Her Poem “The Fireflies’ Glow”

Jewish Home residents talk about their interactions with poetry—how it inspires them and sparks their creativity—and read original works.