Issuu

SPRING 2022

inspire A publication for Hebrew SeniorLife supporters

Age of Opportunity The Campaign for Hebrew SeniorLife

WELCOME

inspire

Our mission at Hebrew SeniorLife is to provide older adults with the opportunity to live full lives in the best place for them. Because of you and your support, even as we continue to weather the challenges of the pandemic, we continue to deliver on our promise.

Inspire is published by Hebrew SeniorLife. Katelyn Quynn

To help us fulfill this promise, I am excited to report that your support for our Age of Opportunity campaign, which we explain more about in this issue, has reached $104 million! We are 83% toward our goal of $125 million. This campaign is providing life-changing support for our work at a critical time for our organization.

Chief Development Officer and Vice President, Board Relations KatelynQuynn@hsl.harvard.edu 617.363.8295 Stacey Weinbaum Executive Director, Board Relations and Events Weinbaum@hsl.harvard.edu 617.971.5790 Teresa V. Lisek Director of Development TeresaVLisek@hsl.harvard.edu 617.971.5788 Laura Katz Leacu Director, Institutional Giving LauraKatzLeacu@hsl.harvard.edu 617.971.5785 Marsha Katz Slotnick Senior Major Gifts Officer MSlotnick@hsl.harvard.edu 617.971.5784

Save the date for our annual golf tournament on June 27 at Belmont Country Club.

Helaine Silverman Major Gifts Officer

As many of you know, one of our biggest challenges right now is retaining and hiring nursing staff, including nurses and CNAs. This huge task is not unique to us, as the nursing shortage is being experienced by the entire health care industry. As you’ll read in this issue’s Q&A with Chief Nursing Officer Tammy Retalic, Hebrew SeniorLife continues to go above and beyond in our quest to attract and retain a top-notch frontline staff We hope you will join with us during our last phase of this important campaign to address many of the most pressing needs of seniors and their families today. Every gift to Hebrew SeniorLife counts towards the campaign and takes us one step closer to our goal of making the world a safer, more equitable, more fulfilling place to grow older.

HelaineSilverman@hsl.harvard.edu 617.971.5776 Deb Mayerson

Katelyn Quynn Chief Development Officer Vice President, Board Relations

Major Gifts Officer DeborahMayerson@hsl.harvard.edu 617.971.5777 Amanda Leberman Assistant Director, Annual Giving AmandaLeberman@hsl.harvard.edu 617.971.5792

Editor:

In the Community

Jeanne Seltzer

Because of you, we are able to help seniors live their best lives with innovative, person-centered communities, services, and programs. Powering a Dream for Satter House Residents Jack and Judi Meaney, who live at Jack Satter House, had a dream—they are huge New England Patriots fans and were longing to attend a game. Our Power a Dream program, which funds long-held or deeply meaningful dreams of the seniors, delivered this dream by sending them to the Patriots versus the Cleveland Browns game on November 14, 2021. The Meaneys were escorted by Power a Dream Committee member Barbara Glazerman and her husband Michael. Icing on the cake was the score at the end—the Patriots beat the Browns 45-7!

For more information on the Power a Dream program, contact CarolSnow@hsl.harvard.edu or 617.971.5780.

FOCUSING ON EDUCATION AND EMPOWERMENT

Chief Nursing Officer Tammy Retalic Relies on the Power of Education for Nursing Staff Tammy B. Retalic, DNP (c), M.S., RN, is chief nursing officer for Hebrew SeniorLife and vice president of patient care services for Hebrew Rehabilitation Center. She manages a staff of 1,200 over a continuum of long-term chronic care and rehabilitation services. Tammy joined Hebrew SeniorLife in 2003 with more than 25 years of operational and leadership experience in academic and community-based hospitals, post-acute care services, education, and training. She is also the recipient of the McKnight’s Women of Distinction Award. Q. Reading your biography, it’s hard not to be impressed by your experience and years of commitment to Hebrew SeniorLife. And yet you continue to maintain a sense of freshness and passion for your work. What are you most excited about today?

“We need to be nurturing each person’s passion for healing and connection.”

A. At Hebrew SeniorLife, we are privileged to bring joy to our seniors every day. So, while other health care organizations are struggling with burnout and other strains related to COVID-19, we are still able to experience meaningful interactions that bring a sense of normalcy, which offers moments for healing. We can say to people coming to our doors, “You can still enjoy nursing right now. There are still programs going on in the activity room (albeit pandemic style). Staff can join along and forget about the craziness that’s going on all around us.” Looking at the nursing shortage and the challenges posed by the pandemic, we need to be nurturing each person’s passion for healing and connection—the fulfilling work that attracted them to nursing in the first place.

To learn more about giving opportunities, please contact Teresa V. Lisek at 617.971.5788 or TeresaVLisek@hsl.harvard.edu.

engage our new staff and help them recognize a vibrant career in geriatrics. We’re going to try many interesting pilot programs and innovations in the coming year. Through donor support, we will be training new CNAs, offering mentorship opportunities for junior nurses, and providing scholarships for those seeking leadership roles. We are also pursuing opportunities with academic partners to establish new educational curriculum to entice nursing students to enter the aging services. These new academic partnerships will also provide professional growth opportunities for our staff to further their careers and may include opportunities for them to be preceptors or adjunct faculty. I think it makes sense for our staff to be the teachers for nursing students. Our staff have unique skills and are best equipped to show nursing students the joy and beauty of taking care of older adults. Q. What kind of feedback are you getting from participants in your training and scholarship programs? A. The response has been overwhelmingly positive and resulted in many new hires for Hebrew SeniorLife—people who embody our high standards of care and enthusiasm for helping seniors live in health, dignity, and independence. Q. What sets Hebrew SeniorLife apart from other senior care organizations?

Q. How do you plan on leveraging this moment to push nursing forward at Hebrew SeniorLife?

A. Hebrew SeniorLife’s focus on education and empowerment is strong, and our frontline workers are fulfilled in their work. Our annual turnover rate in long-term chronic care is only 6%, compared to an average of 50% in our region. I attribute this to a healthy, respectful organizational culture and an abundance of training and career development opportunities.

A. I’m focusing on applying the power of education to nurture passion and achieve innovation among our frontline caregivers. This is so important—especially at a time when we are all pushing so hard to get new talent on the floors. We need to figure out how to keep our new nurses energized and committed to the field of aging. Our aim is for our experienced staff to provide learning opportunities that

These programs are all possible because we have the donor support for innovation and education that other organizations do not have. We are able to partner with our donors to implement really creative programming that empowers nurses and affirms the joy of working with seniors. Nurses are the heart of any health care organization, and at Hebrew SeniorLife, that heart is pure gold.

To learn more about the Age of Opportunity campaign, visit ageofopportunity.org

HELPING SENIORS LIVE HEALTHY AND HAPPY LIVES

Join the Age of Opportunity Hebrew SeniorLife will address urgent needs of seniors from all walks of life. While no one has a crystal ball capable of foreseeing the future, there is one thing we all have in common: aging. Scientists have unfolded some of aging’s mysteries, but there are still so many things we don’t know—including unraveling the mysteries of Alzheimer’s disease and what will help us all live healthy lives well into three digits.

In addition, residents benefit from specialized research-based programming, with an emphasis on expressive therapies, to maximize cognitive health and feelings of well-being. Research and Teaching The Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife conducts clinical and translational research on many of the health challenges that face older adults. In addition, HSL trains more than 1,000 future health care professionals each year. We also provide future CNAs with opportunities for jobs through our CNA Training Program, and we have a similar growth program for our culinary employees.

Our Age of Opportunity campaign, which was recently launched publicly, wants to put aging well under a microscope, for the seniors we care for now—and for all of us in the future. The needs that today’s older adults face today are both pressing and plentiful. “Aging is universal. Aging well should be, too,” says Lou Woolf, President and CEO of Hebrew SeniorLife. “Yet the needs facing today’s seniors are truly urgent: More housing—and more supportive services within that housing, especially for low-income seniors. More support for people with dementia and their families. More programs that support a senior’s mind, body, and spirit. And more geriatric research and training to continually move this important, specialized field forward.

Above and Beyond At HSL, we have many programs that help seniors of all ages and abilities learn, grow, and find purpose. These include expressive therapies, hospice and palliative care, spiritual care, multigenerational programs, creating a new community center for seniors in Brookline, and employee wellness and education programs to keep our staff healthy.

“Meeting these challenges is our calling and our commitment,” adds Lou. “Only an organization like Hebrew SeniorLife, that’s been successfully pushing boundaries for almost 120 years, is equipped to innovate for the seniors and caregivers of tomorrow.”

Flagship Campus We continue to revitalize our flagship campus in Boston to provide a more home-like environment for our long-term chronic care patients and improved resources for our staff. This campus is also home to the Marcus Institute and the Wolk Center for Memory Health, both of which continue to expand.

“The campaign is about this particular moment in time when we can change the trajectory of how society cares for seniors and in doing so, change the trajectory of our lives,” says HSL Board Member and campaign co-chair Hinda Marcus. “It’s also about how we, HSL’s donors and supporters, have the unique opportunity to step forward and make a serious impact on this critical issue.”

Our campaign is an ambitious effort that can only be accomplished with the help of donors like you. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it has showed us the importance of following the science and remaining nimble as we confront the challenges of aging today.

The Age of Opportunity campaign, which has already reached $104 million of our $125 campaign goal, will advance our ability to help seniors live their best lives. To achieve this goal, we are focused on four essential areas: Memory Health Our goal is to establish Hebrew SeniorLife as a go-to resource for memory care. The Deanna and Sidney Wolk Center for Memory Health brings a holistic approach to the complexities of Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of memory loss, supporting both patients and families during their journey as well as pursuing discoveries in research and care.

LEADING THE WAY

Thanks to You, We Continue to Go Above and Beyond in Our Care Well-deserved recognition as a leader in the Age-Friendly Health System movement. Even though you probably already know that Hebrew SeniorLife is a leader in many aspects of senior care, you may not know that we are a leader in the Age-Friendly Health System movement. The goals of an Age-Friendly Health System are to follow key evidence-based practices: cause no harm; and align with “what matters” to seniors and their caregivers. These goals parallel our mission and cultural beliefs, so it is no surprise that Hebrew Rehabilitation Center’s long-term chronic care and rehabilitation services units in Boston and Dedham were recently recognized by the Institute of Healthcare Improvement as an Age-Friendly Health System.

Age-Friendly care ensures that our seniors are happy and engaged.

“The delivery of care in line with the 4Ms has the power to enrich the lives of our seniors.”

The process to achieve this status was rigorous. It included an assessment and inventory of our practices across our settings of care and aligning them with the 4M quality framework.

“As part of the process, we interviewed 14 teams across Hebrew SeniorLife to document the many ways our approach to caring for seniors is aligned with the 4Ms,” says Chief Quality Officer Jennifer Wall. “We then assessed how many patients across each setting were being touched by these practices. We submitted these numbers and validated these activities over the course of four months.”

What Does It Mean to Be “Age-Friendly?” Becoming an Age-Friendly Health System entails reliably providing a set of four evidence-based elements of high-quality care, known as the “4Ms”: What Matters Know and align care with each older adult’s specific health outcome goals and care preferences, including end-of-life care and across settings of care.

In addition, staff attended webinars and trainings led by the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI), which spearheaded the Age-Friendly Health System initiative. HRC-NewBridge’s Associate Chief Nursing Officer Sarah Sjostrom is helping to bring these best practices to the forefront of care and elevate age-friendly practices to the next level in long-term chronic care.

Medication If medication is necessary, use “age-friendly” medication that does not interfere with what matters to the older adult, mobility, or mentation across settings of care.

“As we have proceeded through an IHI pilot program and the process of being recognized as an Age-Friendly Health System, it is clear that the delivery of care in an intentional manner in line with the 4Ms has the power to enrich the lives of our seniors,” says Sarah. “While achieving Age-Friendly recognition acknowledges all of the outstanding care we already provide, our teams are dedicated to continuing to lead the way in aging by attempting to discover innovative ways to deliver Age-Friendly care.”

Mentation Prevent, identify, treat, and manage dementia, depression, and delirium across settings of care. Mobility Ensure that older adults move safely every day in order to maintain function and do what matters.

GIVING TO WHAT MATTERS MOST TO YOU

“Her gift recognizes the excellent and compassionate care of the staff.”

NewBridge resident Karen Cohen-Chertok wants the staff to feel appreciated for their hard work and dedication.

Giving Back in Appreciation of Caring Staff NewBridge resident honors employees who go above and beyond helping patients and residents. The weeks were counting down until Karen Cohen would graduate from college. She would be married the same year. The dean called Karen into her office at Radcliffe (then, the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard), and asked, “What name would you like on your diploma?” “Harvard,” Karen replied, not realizing the dean was referring to her last name, not the name of the college. But the dean stopped to listen. “It was unfair that the women did all the same work as the men,” Karen explained, “but they did not get the recognition they deserved.” The dean encouraged her to make her case to the college, and weeks later, Karen became the very first woman to receive a bachelor’s degree from Harvard. This commitment to recognizing achievement continues to drive Karen Cohen-Chertok. A resident of Hebrew SeniorLife’s Newbridge on the Charles independent living community, she recently gave a generous gift to purchase a new bus to transport NewBridge employees from remote parking to work. The gift honors the staff for their hard work and commitment—efforts which have gotten Karen and her family through some very difficult times. Two years ago, Karen’s husband, Summer Chertok, became ill. He soon needed round-the-clock nursing, and, in his last days,

benefited from Hebrew SeniorLife’s hospice program. Karen and her family were grateful for the professional, compassionate care they received. “NewBridge took care of everything,” says Karen. “There’s one employee, Mike, who delivered our meals during COVID and when my husband was ill. He rings the doorbell. If no one comes, he keeps ringing. He wants to check on me to make sure I’m okay. That’s going above and beyond.” Karen’s gift honors Mike and hundreds of others who dedicate their lives to helping Hebrew SeniorLife patients and residents lead lives of dignity and fulfillment. The NewBridge employees who will benefit are overwhelmed by this expression of gratitude. Victor Furtado, Director of Security & Emergency Operations, who worked with Karen to select the project says, “I (as well as my whole team) are so humbled by Karen’s sentiment and her generous donation! Her gift recognizes the excellent and compassionate care of our staff and will make their lives easier on a day-to-day basis.” Karen looks forward to the bus being deployed later this year. “I want the staff to feel appreciated by the donation,” she says.

LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST

The Show Must Go On! Lifting residents’ spirits with “Guys and Dolls” production As an experienced cinematographer, Beth-jana Friedberg’s belief in the power of the performing arts is no surprise. But her passion for promoting cultural activities among seniors is deeply personal. Beth-jana’s father and aunts spent their later years living at Hebrew SeniorLife’s independent living community at Orchard Cove, and Beth-jana has warm memories about the positive impact of the arts programming on her family members. “My very last visit with my dad was on Chanukah, and Orchard Cove was putting on a talent show. When I entered the room, I noticed my dad and my aunt holding hands, side-by-side in their wheelchairs. I was moved by the way that this type of artistic sharing provides opportunities for meaningful connection.”

Orchard Cove's "Guys and Dolls" cast members were thrilled to put on two live performances last December.

“There was never a question of quitting,” says Susan Tovsky, resident program manager at Orchard Cove. ‘Guys and Dolls’ brought so much joy and happiness.” Beth-jana agrees: “The pandemic was such a hard time to be social. It seemed like a great opportunity for people to be involved.”

When Beth-jana’s father passed away in 2012, she founded the Selig M. Friedberg Family Fund in his honor with the purpose of inspiring Orchard Cove residents with the performing arts. And when Beth-jana learned that Music Theater International (MTI), a theatrical licensing agency based in New York City, offered to waive the royalties for a production of “Guys and Dolls” at Orchard Cove, she enthusiastically funded the rest of the production costs.

The production brought hope in more than the obvious ways when MTI awarded the Orchard Cove team their Courage in Theater award. “Our group persevered,” says Susan. “We met people where they were, whether that meant dancing and singing from their wheelchairs or using special equipment to amplify their voices.” The entire production was filmed for broadcast on the in-house Orchard Cove TV channel and included conversations with participants. “When I saw the performance, I was so moved—not only by the production, but also by the interviews,” says Beth-jana. “To hear directly from participants helped me to understand the significance of it in their lives.”

Preparations for “Guys and Dolls” began just as the COVID-19 pandemic was taking hold. Auditions were switched to Zoom, rehearsals were held outside. Everything possible was done to protect participants’ physical health, while supporting their mental wellbeing with a common goal.

Be remembered for your generosity Leave a charitable bequest to Hebrew SeniorLife in your will … and you create a personal legacy that will help older adults live with independence, dignity, and joy, and ultimately, ensure a bright future for all of us as we age. For more information on bequests or other giving opportunities, contact Teresa V. Lisek at 617.971.5788 or TeresaVLisek@hsl.harvard.edu. hebrewseniorlife.org/bequests

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