BizMILESTONE continued from page 100 Handmaker’s skilled nursing beds are “substantially occupied most of the time,” Paley said. Residents who need hospice care are referred to hospice care providers. Today’s Handmaker offers Jewish, Catholic and Protestant religious services. In the 1990s, it added tai chi to its activity calendar and today offers a range of enrichment and physical activities to provide satisfaction and meaning to the lives of its residents. Handmaker offers a program for elderly non-Handmaker residents with weekday activities and lunch, as well as a day program for the elderly developmentally disabled. And its one-day a week Adventure Bus serves a handful of elders who have mild cognitive challenges, giving a respite to caregivers. The bus visits cultural and educational sites around Tucson and also serves lunch themed to that day’s activities. Handmaker also diversified services offered. It hired a pastry chef and now does wedding and birthday cakes and offers off-site and onsite catering from the kosher kitchen for business and family events. It prepares trays of food for families after a death for the meal of condolence. And it rents its state-of-the-art digital Great Room for corporate, religious or other special events. Handmaker is a beneficiary of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona and is affiliated with Jewish Family and Children’s Services, Pima Council on Aging and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It also works with funding from the Arizona Long Term Care System, Evercare and Mercy Care. An employee fund recognizes the hard work of its dedicated staff. Donations may be made to that fund in the name of an employee or a department to provide additional support for Handmaker staff. Paley said Handmaker is now focusing on growing its endowment fund. “The cost of care is increasing. The future is changing and the economic basis under which nursing homes operate is changing. The endowment fund will help us to create the extra money we need to provide quality care and create a lasting legacy that will provide for future residents in perpetuity.”
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TOP HAT – Handmaker’s 50th Anniversary Jubilee Saturday, Nov. 9 The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa 6:30 p.m. – VIP Reception & Dinner $325 7:30 p.m. – Dinner Only $250 Tickets: 322-3632 Black Tie www.BizTucson.com
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