SUMMER 2018
Results. How your philanthropy helps HEBREW SENIORLIFE achieve its mission.
Features CAMPUS REVITALIZATION INNOVATION IN HOUSING MUSIC AND MEMORY CENTER FOR MEMORY HEALTH In Every Issue KATELYN’S WELCOME LEADERSHIP GIFTS HOW TO DONATE EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
A new household reflecting the comforts of home is now under construction on the sixth floor of the Berenson Allen building. The floor will be named the Deanna and Sidney Wolk Family Pavilion.
Creating a Modern Center for Senior Care, Research, and Teaching With the help of philanthropy, we are revitalizing Hebrew Rehabilitation Center’s Boston campus step-by-step The Boston campus has been the hub and heart of Hebrew SeniorLife since it opened in 1963. At the time, it was state-of-the-art, but ideas around senior care have changed. “Our building needs to be updated,” explains Mary Moscato, president, HSL Health Care Services and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center. “At the same time, we are revitalizing our model of care. Our new households will be 4C Master with tag tailored to the individual senior’s needs. The patients themselves will feel it was designed with them in mind.”
Revitalizing the Boston campus is a multiyear project. The first household is now under construction on the sixth floor of the Berenson Allen building and is expected to open this summer. The household will have 22 to 24 beds. Each private or semi-private room will have its own bathroom, complete with a shower. All the windows will be lowered to wheelchair height, as there is an emphasis on the healing power of strong, natural light. Most notably in the large dining area, there are floor-to-ceiling windows. (continued on page 3)
WELCOME
from Katelyn Quynn, Chief Development Officer and Vice President
DEAR FRIENDS,
Like many of you, I know what it’s like to be concerned about aging parents. Even for those of us in the senior care industry, when we’re faced with challenges in our own families finding the best path forward can feel overwhelming. All of us at Hebrew SeniorLife know how difficult it can be – but also how amazing it is to see your loved one flourishing, learning, making friends, and finding purpose. We know that we can help you with solutions, and that’s what motivates us every single day. This issue of Results is full of stories about innovative approaches to aging that are happening at Hebrew SeniorLife. They share several common threads. One is our belief that all seniors, regardless of their current abilities, can find purpose and meaning in life. Another is our commitment to always exploring what more we can be doing to give seniors the best possible quality of life. Finally, they all share a critical foundation – you.
New innovations are made possible through your philanthropy. Whether it’s a revitalized Boston campus, our new model for senior supportive living, or a single source for seniors and families dealing with memory concerns, all our best ideas are fueled by our community of generous supporters.
This issue of Results is full of stories about innovative approaches to aging that are happening at Hebrew SeniorLife. That’s why we’re launching our next major philanthropic campaign. Over the coming months and years, we’ll be sharing more opportunities for you to take a leadership role in providing real solutions for seniors and families. Together, we can address the challenges of aging in the 21st century.
Katelyn Quynn Chief Development Officer and Vice President, Board Relations KatelynQuynn@hsl.harvard.edu 617-363-8295 Stacey Weinbaum Executive Director, Board Relations 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 Helaine Silverman Major Gifts Officer HelaineSilverman@hsl.harvard.edu 617-971-5776
EngAGE 2017 Raised $1.25 Million!
Meredith Vieira, HSL President and CEO Lou Woolf, Rita Moreno, and Dr. Mallika Marshall
HEBREW SENIORLIFE DEVELOPMENT CONTACTS
Thanks to our generous donors and sponsors, EngAGE 2017 was a monumental success! The event, attended by nearly 400 guests, featured Meredith Vieira and Rita Moreno. WBZ-TV’s Dr. Mallika Marshall interviewed Vieira in front of the EngAGE audience. Dr. Gary Epstein-Lubow, medical director of the Center for Memory Health at Hebrew SeniorLife, also spoke. EngAGE 2018 will be held on November 8 at the Revere Hotel in Boston.
Deb Mayerson Major Gifts Officer DebMayerson@hsl.harvard.edu 617-971-5777 Amanda Leberman Assistant Director, Annual Fund AmandaLeberman@hsl.harvard.edu 617-971-5792
Creating a Modern Center for Senior Care, Research, and Teaching (continued) The new household is all about choice. Patients will be able to choose what and when to eat, their activites for the day, and more. “This model allows more choices,” says Moscato. The household will have a fulltime dietary person. “If a senior wants scrambled eggs at 10 a.m., there will be someone there to prepare it,” she adds. “The renovations will also have a positive impact on the work flow of the staff. So much efficiency will be added,” Moscato says. Outside every room will be a sink. Right now staff has to run down to a common area to wash their hands. “As we designed this, we got input from our staff, our current patients, and the family advisory committee,” says Moscato. As Hebrew Rehabilitation Center is a teaching hospital that trains more than 700 students, interns, residents, and fellows each year in multiple disciplines, it’s important that our campus reflects the latest thinking on senior care. With this patient-centered model, the students will learn best practices in senior care in an environment that supports and fosters staff cooperation.
“Most of the national household models today are new construction,” adds Moscato. “We are one of the first and few in the country that plans to take an institutional building and remodel it into what a senior deserves – the best in kind and a home-like facility. It’s definitely leading the way in senior care.” Each step in the project will be funded by philanthropy. The current phase of the project is being supported by generous leadership gifts from Deanna and Sidney Wolk, the Theodore W. & Evelyn G. Berenson Charitable Foundation, Helaine Berenson Allen, and the Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund. Continuing this project will require philanthropic support from the entire community. If you are interested in finding out more, please contact Katelyn Quynn, Chief Development Officer and VP, Board Relations, at 617-363-8295 or KatelynQuynn@hsl.harvard.edu or Teresa Lisek, Director of Development, at 617-971-5788 or TeresaVLisek@hsl. harvard.edu.
YOU HAVE THE POWER to help redefine aging in America. When you support the Visionaries Fund for Hebrew SeniorLife, you advance health care, communities, research, and teaching that are transforming every single aspect of the aging experience for the better.
Monthly giving— an easy way to pledge your support! Monthly giving is easy for you and hugely valuable to our seniors. We’ll automatically charge your credit card every month with the amount of your choosing. You can stop or change amounts at any
ON THE MOVE: IFAR AND GREAT DAYS FOR SENIORS
time. Consider a monthly gift of
The first part of HSL’s Boston campus revitalization project involved building a new space for the Institute for Aging Research (IFAR), where scientists now have a modern environment that supports collaboration. Instead of being on the sixth floor, IFAR is now more easily accessible on the first floor.
impact on seniors.
Our adult day health program, Great Days for Seniors, also made a move that has greatly enhanced their environment. “The big windows, high ceilings, and the easy access to our outside patio, funded by a grant from BNY Mellon, has made our new space so inviting,” says Suzie Kaytis, director of Great Days for Seniors. “We feel like a tight-knit community now,” Kaytis adds, “with the added benefit of having access to the entire campus.”
$36 or more and make a lasting
BE A VISIONARY TODAY. Visit give.hebrewseniorlife.org/ visionaries and choose “monthly gift” when you make your donation.
PAGE 3 | SUMMER 2018
Better Care. Lower Cost. Healthy Seniors. A replicable model for senior living communities
There are two teams in place covering Brookline and the South Shore. Participants include residents from HSL’s Center Communities of Brookline and Simon C. Fireman Community, and from three sites operated by partners WinnCompanies and Milton Residences for the Elderly. The teams are focused on reducing unnecessary trips to the hospital, supporting residents at risk, and translating the “eyes on” information that housing staff have to providers.
Group exercise classes fill up fast at the Simon C. Fireman Community, a participant in the Right Care, Right Place, Right Time initiative.
In 2016, Hebrew SeniorLife (HSL) received a two-year grant from the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC) as well as support from Beacon Communities, Enterprise Community Partners, MassHousing, and the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, to analyze the effectiveness of embedding
As part of the Right Care, Right Place, Right Time initiative, seniors receive support to proactively manage their health, with the goal of living independently in their homes for as long as possible. wellness teams in senior housing communities and to prove out a model of integrated housing and care. In July 2018 we received a second grant from HPC as part of their highly competitive SHIFT-
Care Challenge, which awards grants to evidence-based, innovative care delivery models that are community-based, collaborative, and sustainable. As part of the Right Care, Right Place, Right Time (R3) initiative, HSL established wellness teams comprised of coordinators and nurses to serve as links between residents, housing staff, and health care providers. Seniors receive support to proactively manage their health, with the goal of living independently in their homes for as long as possible. HSL is collecting data on 400 seniors as part of the formal evaluation of R3 to demonstrate that effectively integrating housing and care improves the quality of seniors’ lives and saves health care dollars at the same time. “Once proven to payers, this model could be replicated across senior housing sites nationally,” says Kim Brooks, Chief Operating Officer, Senior Living.
Mimi Lewis, wellness coordinator for the South Shore region, says she is already seeing many positive outcomes. She believes the most vital component of the program is being able to translate residents’ needs to both the housing and medical teams. Lewis explains that she makes sure residents have the necessary services they need. “For example, one resident was very nervous about an upcoming surgery,” she says. “I helped coordinate her rehab after surgery, and set up occupational therapy for her once she returned home. She went into the surgery much more confident and at ease, knowing that someone was with her every step of the way.” “Quantitative results from this initiative are being analyzed by UMass Boston,” says Brooks. “We are tracking the results, and the impact that R3 is having on people’s lives.” To learn how you can support this initiative, please contact Laura Katz Leacu, Director, Institutional Giving, at LauraKatzLeacu@hsl.harvard.edu or 617-971-5785.
Visiting the Music and Memory Program Grant comes alive for Merck volunteers Has a favorite song ever transported you to a specific time and place in your life? Have you ever turned to music for comfort? For patients enrolled in the Music and Memory program at Hebrew Rehabilitation Center (HRC), music is making a difference and improving their quality of life. The program is one of several expressive therapy programs offered to HRC’s long-term chronic care and memory care patients. Staff work with patients and their families to identify their favorite music, and create personalized music playlists that are then loaded onto digital music players, and played for patients during one-on-one interactions with staff and volunteers. “The Music and Memory program provides our patients with the opportunity to listen to music that means something to them,” says Jenna O’Brien, associate community life leader at HRC. “Each artist, song, lyric, or note connects with specific memories that live within our patients.”
“We are very thankful that Merck employees volunteered their time to witness first-hand the impact Music and Memory has on our patients. This way, they can see directly their company’s grant in action … and how much good it is doing.” Additional benefits for patients in the program include increased engagement and decreased anxiety. The program is also showing a reduced need for the use of certain medications, using music to mimic the therapeutic benefits of these drugs.
Benefits for patients in the Music and Memory program include increased engagement and decreased anxiety. Personalized music playlists are key.
The program was visited recently by a corporate volunteer group from Merck & Company, Inc. The volunteers were at HRC to observe and visit with patients in the program. This was the second time that Merck has sent volunteers to HRC as part of a generous grant they provided to support the program in 2017. Volunteers spent time with patients, enjoying warm conversations and reminiscing about their favorite music. “The experience of volunteering was very moving,” says Jennifer O’Neil Ph.D., Principal Scientist at Merck & Co. “We witnessed the effect of personalized playlists on the residents. Some were very reserved at first, but when the music started playing, they sang, danced, and shared memories and words of wisdom. Interacting with patients in memory care brought new meaning to the work that our scientists who are working toward developing new drugs for neurodegeneration are doing.”
“We are very thankful that Merck employees volunteered their time to witness first-hand the impact Music and Memory has on our patients,” says O’Brien. “This way, they can see directly their company’s grant in action…and how much good it is doing.” For information about how you or your company can make a gift or volunteer, contact Lisa Leger at 617-971-5796 or LisaLeger@hsl.harvard.edu.
PAGE 5 | SUMMER 2018
The Center for Memory Health at Hebrew SeniorLife
Philanthropy will support leading-edge care, research, and education about care, explains Dr. Lubow. “Care research, on what to do for people who have the disease now, will be an essential part of the center. There are great results showing how to help people cope, and together with IFAR, we will study how the research results can be applied in our clinic. We want to help people and families cope better with whatever stage of memory loss they have.”
Our new Center for Memory Health will offer a full array of services, including memory assessment, education, family support, health care planning and delivery, and end-of-life care.
Nationwide, about one-third of all seniors experience some form of cognitive decline that leads to dementia. More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. And more than 15 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with some form of dementia. Because Hebrew SeniorLife currently provides services to more than 3,000 seniors throughout Greater Boston each day, we see how dementia can affect individuals and their families. Helping people navigate this often-confusing landscape is the goal of our new Center for Memory Health, which will launch this summer. Headquartered at our Boston campus, the center’s impact will be felt throughout the organization, as well as in communities across Greater Boston and beyond. We plan to offer a full spectrum of services, including memory assessment, education, family support, health care planning and delivery, and end-oflife care.
“While we advocate for a cure, our focus will be on care,” says the center’s medical director, Gary Epstein-Lubow, M.D., a widely respected geriatric psychiatrist, scientist, and educator. “Basic science research is advancing toward treatment breakthroughs to stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, but we need to provide better care for seniors right now,” he adds. A primary goal of the center is to provide person-centered care and support for the individual as well as the whole family – at any point along the way – from initial diagnosis to needing long-term care. “In addition, we’ll be doing family education,” says Dr. Lubow. “We’ll be able to provide support to family members who have loved ones with a cognitive disorder who are at a loss as to where to turn.” Being a part of HSL, which includes the Institute for Aging Research (IFAR), will enable the center to do valuable research
“We will support people aging in place and having as much freedom as they can,” says Dr. Lubow. “Another goal of our center will be to look at technology solutions that would be able to help with that,” says Dr. Lubow. “Remote monitoring. Transportation. Memory aids. Robotics. We will have opportunities to contribute to the development of these new technologies.” Along with developing innovative solutions, the center will define best practices and train the next generation of care providers – so that all seniors and their families will have the opportunity to live their best possible lives. We are now seeking philanthropic partners who are motivated to help us launch this comprehensive center to ensure that seniors with memory disorders – as well as those who love and care for them – get the care they deserve. To support the Center for Memory Health, please contact Katelyn Quynn, Chief Development Officer and VP, Board Relations, at 617-363-8295 or KatelynQuynn@hsl.harvard.edu or Teresa Lisek, Director of Development, at 617-971-5788 or TeresaVLisek@hsl. harvard.edu.
FACES & PLACES GOLF TOURNAMENT
The 2018 Golf Tournament, which honored Board member Rick Henken, helped raise nearly $250,000 to support the creation of the Center for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and Neglect. (above) Board member Rick Henken, Gabrielle Henken, and Herbert Henken
(above) Starr Daniels, Mira Genser Woods, Toni Gordon, and Mary Joe Clark (left) Former Board Chair Todd Finard, Board member Reese Genser, Doug Gordon, and Joshua Altschuler
HARD HAT EVENING The Hard Hat Evening celebrated the launch of the Boston Campus renovations.
(left) Board Chair Jeffrey Drucker and Former Board Chair Gilda Slifka (above) Trustee for Life Ruth Stavisky and Norman Stavisky (right) AndrĂŠ Danesh and Trustee Marilyn Danesh
PALM BEACH
Our annual Palm Beach event was held on February 25, 2018 at the Four Seasons Resort. The event featured Gary Epstein-Lubow, M.D., medical director of the Center for Memory Health at Hebrew SeniorLife. (above) Paula and Peter Lunder
(above) Board member Tom DeSimone, Midge DeSimone, and Alec DeSimone (left) Sidney Wolk and Trustee Deanna Wolk
PAGE 7 | SUMMER 2018
A LIFE OF CULTIVATION The roots of David Zeidman’s attachment to Hebrew SeniorLife (HSL) go deeper than most. His great grandmother, Ida Wainhouse, was a resident of HSL’s original Hebrew Home for the Aged on Queen Street in Dorchester in the ’40s. David’s grandfather, William Wainhouse, was cared for at our current location in Roslindale. David spent many hours visiting him when home from college. Moreover, David’s family supported HSL through volunteerism. His mother, Ruthie, and his aunt Edie served on the Women’s Auxiliary for years. Ruthie was determined to pass her passion for service on to her son. David recalls, “One day when I was 16, I came home from school, and my mother said, ‘David, you are a child of privilege. You’ve been to overnight camp, you go to private school, you’ve traveled here and there. From now on, you are going to do volunteer work.’ That was 50 years ago, and I have enjoyed volunteer work ever since,” he says. What began as a seed planted by David’s mother has grown into a garden of service and generosity. David’s first volunteer
assignment was to raise funds door-todoor for the American Heart Association. In the years that followed, he often worked with the Combined Jewish Philanthropies. Perhaps the greatest example of David’s life of service was his work as a special education teacher. He helped found the first Boy Scouts troop for boys with special needs in Massachusetts. “We’d take them camping, up in New Hampshire, down in the Cape,” David remembers. In 2011, David decided to deepen his engagement with HSL by becoming a life member, along with his mother. When his mother passed away in 2013, David began to think about his own legacy and his growing sense of appreciation for HSL’s work. As a result, David made a $250,000 gift from his estate, establishing the Ruth Wainhouse Zeidman and Morris “Moe” Zeidman Fund in honor of his mother and father. In this way, the family’s connection with HSL will continue to flourish, generation after generation.
David Zeidman has a deep appreciation for Hebrew SeniorLife’s work. In gratitude, he established the Ruth Wainhouse Zeidman and Morris “Moe” Zeidman Fund in honor of his mother and father.
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Create a Future Where Each Generation of Seniors is Healthier Than the Last Have you considered making a charitable gift through your will or trust? It could be the easiest way you’ll ever donate to your favorite charity. q Yes, I’d like more information about including Hebrew SeniorLife in my estate plans. q I’ve already included Hebrew SeniorLife in my estate plans—please include me as a member of the Legacy Society. Name ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Address ___________________________________ City _________________________ State _____ Zip ____________ Phone number ______________________________ Email __________________________________________________
Use the envelope in this newsletter or mail to Teresa Lisek, Hebrew SeniorLife, 1200 Centre Street, Boston MA 02131
HEBREW SENIORLIFE / 1200 CENTRE STREET / BOSTON, MA 02131 / 617-363-8000 / WWW.HEBREWSENIORLIFE.ORG