Two of the CJP volunteers—Laurie Garnick and Kimberly Berliant described their own experiences coming to Coleman weekly and how they have developed such meaningful relationships with our residents.  They shared notes and emails from medical students describing the importance of receiving a token that honored their reasons for pursuing medicine.  That’s a perspective that I hadn’t considered!  Laurie and Kim are so committed—in fact, I learned with joy last night that Kim is actually going to start a feelie hearts club at Shillman House in the fall!

Two Coleman house residents—Rose Mandell and Bea Goodfader – also spoke about how much they valued the friendships they had made and the impact they have on the future of the medical profession (while that may sound extreme, if you read these emails, you wouldn’t think so).

Other highlights of the evening were:

• Ann Levin’s talk as outgoing president of Women’s Philanthropy (BTW, both Laurie and Kim got involved in feelie hearts only because Ann recruited them).  Ann’s been on our board since before I started and has always been a solid contributor of ideas and suggestions, but hearing her at this event really shone a light on why she received a serious leadership award from CJP earlier this spring.  Among the many women in the audience cheering Ann on was Merle Grandberg (former President of WP and current chair of our board), and JCHE board members Laura Efron and Helen Kass.
• Penny Goodman’s remarks as incoming president of Women’s Philanthropy reminded me of her kindness and leadership qualities that I had the privilege of experience on my recent trip to Dnepropetrovsk trip (BTW, Alison Kaprove and Marcia Leifer from the trip were there to cheer her on, too).
• Jessica Hammermesh, our Director of Intergenerational Programs, spoke beautifully and meaningfully about the program and about her vision for intergenerational programs. She stressed the characteristics of these programs: both age groups come together to help a third and they are based on developing ongoing relationships, not one-time hits.  Jessica took over as director recently but her clarity, leadership and enthusiasm could not have been stronger or more impressive.

Nonetheless, the client base is similar. The complex I visited was smack in center city.  Despite squeezing it in between other buildings, they have managed to create an oasis-like atmosphere and highly attractive common areas.  This development is particularly known for the glassed-in balconies that adorn the apartments, adding street presence and extending the space for each resident.

There are two courtyards—one open to the public and one just for residents.  Thus, they get the best of both the peacefulness of the exclusive access with the vibrancy of public use of the other garden. 

They report no difficulty in filling the units—in fact, they have quite a waiting list.  They attribute this to:  (1) the units are physically attractive and in a desirable location; and (2) residents can easily purchase needed services, with the housing management staff helping to arrange it for them.

This is a for-profit operation, dedicated to the business of social housing.  They do not receive ongoing government funding—but the rents are sufficient to cover costs, since residents receive pensions and/or other forms of income enough to pay the needed rents (roughly $750/month). 

They base their housing management of four basic principles:

1. Everyone wants to be in control of his or her own life.  If one’s brain is still functioning, that person can and wants to decide for him/herself what is important.
2. People should actively participate to the extent feasible.  Humanitas says “too much care is worse than too little care” because skills atrophy.
3. There are not “us’s” and “thems”—meaning those in need of care and the professionals who give it—but rather we are all part of an extended family who share common goals.
4. The YES culture is the driving force for Humanitas.  All concerned (management, employee, family, client, volunteer) will need a positive attitude towards any request concerning the wish to be in control., actively participate of have new ideas.

They have developed apartments for life, where a person 55+ can move in and be assured they will never be forced to leave the apartment as long as they choose to be there (some forms of dementia where there is a wandering risk are the exception—in these cases, they may move to a different floor).  Humanitas can deliver actually nursing-home level services right in the apartment—the units are designed to be flexible for any level of frailty, including stretcher baths for those unable to even be wheeled into a shower.  The on-beyond-universal design is in all the units, so there’s never any segregation into what Hans Becker (the dynamic leader of Humanitas) calls “islands of misery”.

By providing incredibly attractive housing, they are able to draw relatively young (55-60 year olds) with no support needs as well as those whose frailty level necessitates services.  A key element is a vibrant, open-to-the-public ground floor—there are restaurants, some shops, a bar and other things to generate interest in the complex.  Typically, these public areas are under a multi-story atrium and visible from the apartments themselves.

Another key design feature is the inclusion of a “reminiscence museum” in each of the developments.  Here, they re-create rooms of the residents’ youth—a 1940’s kitchen, a 1930’s bathroom, an early 20^th century grocery store—and invite residents to share their memories—each one has a unique story and these artifacts are meant to spur memories and particularly the sharing of same.  They appear to be quite successful.  To reflect their multi-cultural clientele, they have museums for each of the cultures—a Moroccan one, a Surinamese one and a Turkish one.

In addition, they have various amenities to attract outsiders and give residents something to think and talk about—a small zoo at one, a sculpture garden at another, a koi pond at another.  These are meant to provoke conversation and shift focus away from health problems, worries, losses and onto shared interests, observations and ideas. 

Granted, the Dutch system of social housing and a much wider/deeper safety net makes this work easier, but the dynamic and visionary leadership of Humanitas 

The mikveh was absolutely beautiful—more like a spa than anything else (except perhaps for the gorgeous mikveh in Newton—Anita you would have been so proud to hear the Boston women telling our tour guide that the one in Dnep is so beautiful and meaningful that it compares with Mayim Hayim!!)  The tour was given by Channi, the rebitzen, who spoke articulately about the function of the mikveh and the beauty it creates in the lives of those who subscribe to its rules. The ritual complete immersion in water is cleansing and spiritual and is often followed by a manicure and pedicure and other things to make the woman feel attractive.  She emphasized the special quality of love when it’s not always available.  Her practice indeed creates richness in her life. It was a privilege to gain some personal insight as well as to see this beautiful, woman-nourishing space.

Then off to Beit Tzindikht—a preschool where 80 children have day care and learning to prepare them for school.  The ages range from 2-6 and needless to say, the children were adorable.  Some of the classes are Hebrew immersion, while others are in Russian.  They proudly described their school as meeting all the requirements of Ukrainian school while layering on top the best practices from the United States and Israel.  The teachers we saw were dedicated and loving.

Naturally, they fed us a huge lunch and we discussed the latest intelligence about the bombings.  The current thinking is that it was related to the upcoming European soccer tournament to be held in Ukraine and Poland.  Some Ukrainians are threatening to disrupt the games, and this was a warning.

Then en route to the airport, we stopped at an old Jewish cemetery where 90,000 Jews were buried.  A few years ago, a developer bought the land and intended to construct a supermarket on top of the graves.  The Jewish community rallied to prevent this desecration, and today a memorial to those buried on the grounds instead graces the landscape.  The community is clearly quite proud of this accomplishment. It signals a general recognition in Dnep of the value the Jewish community is adding to general quality of life/services for all Dnep citizens.

We arrived in Vienna around 4 p.m. and were met by an energetic guide, Gerti.  She took us on a brief bus tour of the city with a walking break at the synagogue and central Jewish community offices.  We talked about the reception Jews have had in Austria—first in a ghetto, then officially tolerated and allowed to move around but not construct any freestanding synagogues, then the very sad chapter of the Holocaust, and now basic acceptance and even a recent willingness of Austrians to confront their role in it.

A few things I learned:

• Austria is generating virtually all its electricity with renewable resources—hydro, wind and biomass.
• The City of Vienna is growing in greenhouses almost all the fruits and vegetables needed for city residents.
• At the time of the Anschluss, there were roughly 220,000 Jews living in Austria;  65,000 were killed by the Nazi’s—a relatively small proportion.
• According to our guide, the reason so many Jews escaped from Austria and not other countries under the Third Reich was that early in the regime, before the Nazi’s conceived of the Final Solution, some Nazi leaders (particularly Eichmann) decided to make money and invented an escape tax—Jews were able to pay it and leave.  Later, once the Final Solution was the game plan, it became impossible to offer this and so the Jews were trapped and then, of course, murdered.

Tonight I skipped the group dinner to take out my oldest son’s college roommate who is doing an internship in Vienna.  It was fabulous to be with him and hear his perspectives (he loves my son, how could that be bad?), but unfortunate to miss the last chance to dine with a group that has nicely gelled into a warm, respectful-to-each-other team.  It’s very special to be in a group and feel equally compelled to know each member better, to hear each one’s stories.  I’ll miss this particular camaraderie, but feel blessed to have shared a profound experience with people who are capable of understanding together what we saw and did, and caring enough to advance this unique international partnership.

We then split into four groups and walked to homes for Shabbat lunch—or should I say Shabbat feasts?  Elissa, Marcia, Betsy and I went to Rabbi Stembler’s house.  The rabbi has 7 fabulous children and one on the way.  The rabbi and his wife are from Israel, so they spoke primarily Hebrew—wish I could say I conversed effectively.  The rabbi was born in New York so he spoke English fluently.  We had a huge and delightful meal (mostly Israeli food) and then went to his roof deck where we had incredible views of the city.

We got back to the hotel in the very late afternoon then gathered for “before we leave Dnep” reflections—Bill and Larry asked us to discuss what we would be doing differently when we return home as a result of this trip.  Many people expressed the desire for greater involvement in Jewish communal life and particularly for engaging others in the Dnep project.  I offered that the seamless collaboration between the array of Jewish agencies—both Ukrainian and Bostonian—here in Dnep was an inspiring model for how we may work together at home.  We all know it’s easy to say these things in the emotions of end-of-trip group dynamics—it will take work to keep focus over the long haul.

Francine, Anthony, Rachel, Joel and I continued our reflecting with a dinner at the hotel—and had a powerful discussion about our experiences with Soviet Jewry, Dnep through the years, and volunteerism on boards and enjoyed a quiet evening together.  A piano player treated us to Fiddler on the Roof songs as well as some Jewish folk tunes!

The staff and the mission co-chairs, Larry Goodman and Bill Gabovitch (two real class acts), gathered all possible intelligence and learned that we were to stay put.  The police were asking everyone to stay inside.  Shortly thereafter they blocked all cell phone reception as a security measure, so we just waited (and learned a lot about the fabulous work done at Chesed).  The rabbi drove across town to speak with us, sharing the knowledge he had gleaned and assuring us we could return safely to the hotel, which we did.  There Francine joined us (she had spent the day at Beit Baruch) and and we reunited with Rachel who had been sick, we could rejoice in being together as a group again.

Many things surprised me about this experience.  Of course, I didn’t expect bombs to go off near us, that’s obvious.  People’s reactions, at least what they showed, were generally calm—could others really not feel as scared as I did?  I guess.  Also, in this part of the world, news doesn’t seem to travel as instantly and completely as it does for us—it was actually hard to get information about how many bombs exploded, whether people were killed, and theories about why people had planted them.  Granted, with no one claiming responsibility it’s going to take a while to uncover the motivation, but surely in the U.S. there would be gobs of experts offering their theories in authoritative voices.  Not so here, which left us feeling uneasy and unable to put the events in a solid place in our thoughts.

OK—back to the programs we saw today.  This morning we visited the Hebrew Day School where 400 students in grades 1-12 study.  Somehow they have negotiated to have this be a public school, so there is no tuition and they receive state funds to operate.  The teachers were universally lovely (the ones we met) and the kids seemed very engaged and adorable.  They have a focus on English language—and they speak well.  The past principal told us that as a boy, he never studied English—he figured why would he bother—New York was, in all practical terms, as far away as the moon!  Today the kids believe they may visit the U.S. or other countries—their sense of possibilities are vast.  And the old principal hasn’t yet traveled to the moon but he was in New York earlier this month!  Beth Moscowitz used the opportunity when we visited the technology lab to describe a Havayah winter camp with American kids to work with Ukrainian counterparts to  practice, in a really fun way, English, as well as a similar English Language Immersion summer camp.  Her kids have participated and loved it and learned a lot.

We then learned about the Action for Post-Soviet Jewry project where there’s a focus on renewal of Jewish culture and traditions for those who longed for, but were denied, this.  They visit elders, bring mobile ones to communal locations for celebrations and learning, and generally support families in deep poverty.  They pointed out a worry that the next generation of elders may do worse than the current ones, since reparations from Germany will die out with those who were actual victims of the Holocaust.

We split up to do the home visits mentioned above.  Our elder was a remarkable, talkative, interesting 83-year-old.  She lost much of her family in World War II, but she and her mother survived the long exile and returned to Dnep after the war.  She always had to work, but managed to also put herself through medical school and become a doctor.  She said many of her colleagues in medical school were also women—it wasn’t unusual at all to have women doctors.  She and her mother were communists, but weren’t allowed to join The Party because they were Jewish. She lives on a very small pension and manages because of the support of the Jewish tzedukah.  She loved to talk—I wonder why she isn’t living at Beit Baruch where I suspect she’d be much happier.  Perhaps we must build senior housing here—the assisted living is great but not for everyone………….

A word about the housing conditions.  The gaps are wide, but proximate.  The apartment we visited today is accessed off a hallway that has seen better days—peeling paint, smelly hallway and stairs that seemed plain dangerous.  Nonetheless, within that same building wealthy (relatively) folks have apartments and have invested heavily in their units—yet are unwilling to redo common areas.  This is parallel to conditions throughout the city—some very beautiful housing near quite rundown stuff—with poor infrastructure (roads and sidewalks) for all.  I actually had an interesting conversation with Marc Cohen about whether this is a 2^nd world country—because of the access to economic activity but the lack of broad distribution of same.  We concluded we didn’t know if that was the right term, but that the conditions are such.

So that brings us back to our Chesed visit—the community welfare center supported by the Joint Development Committee (world-wide Jewish charity)—they support over 7500 seniors at home and have a senior day program where 23 groups of 15 seniors each come for 2 days/month.  We sang songs with them and watched them play Wii bowling—and they made us paper flowers to take home.  Clearly, the space and funding limits their ability to come as often as they would like.  We also saw a day care center for special needs kids (again, limited availability) and a rehab program for young adults with severe developmental disabilities.  In many cases, these young adults had never gone to school or any training programs—here, their potential is recognized and realized.  They also help the families support these adults to grow and develop their abilities.

Then back to the hotel instead of visiting Jewish Big Brother Big Sister—but guess what, they came and waited for us at the hotel!  They made a very moving presentation—introduced warmly and enthusiastically by Karen Sisselman who chairs the Boston chapter and clearly has supported and inspired the Dnep effort (and she’s a big sister herself, so speaks with first-hand knowledge and demonstrated commitment).  We heard from one big brother who came into the program as someone else’s little brother—and gained so much from the experience that he’s not only a big brother but also teaching all the kids about boxing.  A big sister is so committed that she has 2 little sisters—who share information with each other and never show jealousy but only support for each other.  They’ve grown the program here to 60 matches in a relatively short time (I think 6 years, but may be wrong).

Then off to the rabbi’s for Shabbat dinner.  Impossible to do justice to this evening.  Their home is elegantly Hamish.  The entire family—the rabbi and rebitzen and their 8 children were as gracious hosts as I’ve ever experienced—loving and warm and truly welcoming.  When we finally sat down around a table that could seat all ~40 of us, we sang and blessed Shabbat and began eating and toasting.  Honestly, I thought I had a great appetizer spread at my Shabbat dinners, but apparently I’ve been chintzing out!  There must have been 20 different platters on the table, all filled with delicious offerings.  Then the soup and entrée and dessert courses followed.  By the end of the evening every single person had offered a toast—everyone spoke from the heart and with insight, and the rabbi had an apt response to every one and then some.  Clearly a man of great wisdom and insight, he displayed a fabulous sense of humor and spirituality all at once—a feat!  Because we had an Israeli soccer player at the table, he offered an analogy of following religious limitations (like not eating hametz on Pesach) to learning soccer—just as beginning soccer players learn how powerful they can be with only their feet/legs and no hands/arms, we Jews learn at how much is within our capacity by experiencing the limiting rules.  By spending a night with him, I could intuitively understand how he spawned this miraculous rebirth and renewal—phoenix-like in its rise from the ashes of the Soviet regime.  He is as personable, spiritual, wise and menschlik as Rabbi Bill Hamilton at home—the highest compliment I know how to pay.  And the toasts gave me another chance to hear the beauty and special qualities of each person on this mission—every one a dear human being.

It’s now 3 a.m. and I have to get up for Shabbat services tomorrow morning, so I’ll stop although there’s so much more to say………thanks to all who emailed to express concerns about the security situation here.

Started the day with a trip to the Women’s Clinic and Hospital.  The doctors were very proud to show us the mammography and ultra sound machines donated by their contacts in Boston—as common as those are to us, they are rare here.  The visit laid bare the dichotomies here.  On the one hand, the clinic staff were well-trained, smart and motivated—the best of what doctors are—really, I’ve never seen better (OK, Dr. Tabesh, you might be the exception).  But the corridors (and other aspects of the structure) were showing the wear and tear of time without resources to invest in building plant.  The pride in their connections to Beth Israel Hospital was clear—the certificates on the wall, the stories of training and interventions abound. Most significantly, they are using every bit of technology and know how to make a difference.  For example, this clinic focuses on wholistic women’s health including prevention and rapid treatment. Before the clinic opened, 48% of the women diagnosed with cervical cancer were dying from it.  They have brought that rate down to 2.4%--even without fancy statistical tests, we know that’s a very powerful result.

Already behind schedule, we rushed over to Beit Baruch—the highlight of the trip so far for me.  Beit Baruch is an assisted living building housing 51 frail seniors, which has been supported by JCHE since its inception.  We met the very talented, deeply committed staff.  We not only took an instant liking to them, but they engendered enormous respect.  But the best part was watching their deep sense of partnership with and admiration for Francine Godfrey, our fitness director.  She is the rock star of senior care here.  They trust her and value her professional guidance and support.  And, get this—somehow, by following her training and protocols, they have managed to get 100% of their residents to participate in some regular exercise program!  Francine’s husband Anthony is traveling with us and I can see how proud he feels—we share that pride, he just has claim to proprietary rights to the majority of it!

At Beit Baruch we barely got to meet any residents, because now we were hugely behind schedule.  That was a shame.  In the brief encounter, one woman sang a moving rendition of “Yiddeshe Mama” and another demonstrated her embroidery technique (No exaggeration: there were probably 50 embroideries on the wall and she did them all!)

We saw a Jewish Medical Clinic sited adjacent to Beit Baruch specializing in geriatric care for all.  The primary care system completely broke down with the fall of the Soviet Union and most seniors don’t have access to basic medical care.  This clinic is already making a huge difference and hopes to expand to provide even wider portions of the population with sensitive, respectful and efficient care.

We went to Beit Chana Teacher’s College where 150 young women from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) are trained to become Jewish educators.  We saw a very cool map showing all the places that have teachers trained by the college.  The highlight was the luncheon, which is beyond my powers to describe.  Suffice it to say that we all stuffed ourselves on the 12 different entrees that were on the table—only to discover that they were the appetizers and were followed by three other courses!  The food was extraordinary, truly outstanding (even coming close to the quality of our dinners at Shillman House!).

From there we were whisked to The Educational Resources Center, a beautiful school for special needs children.  Prior to its creation, there were no schools for these children and they were not allowed in the mainstream schools.  The teachers are believers in the potential of each child and it shows.  We were privileged to be part of the presentation of a new van to ERC by Women’s Philanthropy Division of CJP.  Penny Goodman, the incoming president, is on the trip. Her remarks were touching and the appreciation of the school staff could not have been more evident.  The kids then performed a play, but being even further behind schedule, sadly we had to leave mid-act.  Loved what we saw.

No, we were not done yet.  Next we heard from the director of a microfinance program that is helping women entrepreneurs start businesses.  All Jewish women are entitled to free technical assistance to prepare strong business plans to justify a small, below-rate loan.  Non-Jewish women are eligible for the loans too.  Remarkably, they have achieved a 100% payback rate.   The organization just pushes every method to keep them successful.  We then went to visit three of the businesses.  The first was a fitness studio run by a lovely 24-year-old dancer.  She teaches everything—dance, yoga, step aerobics, and other exercise regimens—and is already successful.  That visit, of course, put us even further behind so by the time we reached the 2^nd business, a beverage maker, we could only meet her on the street and hear part of her story.  Whoosh—then off to the Judaica store which is a tiny room with mostly imports from Israel. 

We then got a giant one-hour break, so I ran to the nearest supermarket to see what it was like—this is my shorthand way to get a sense of how people live in a place.  It was fascinating—one entire aisle dedicated to vodka!  (Don’t worry, Mitchell, I know I can’t pack that in my already-stuffed luggage to come home.  Sorry, mom.)  Two aisles were for candy.  Meat is only available on request, and most of the options seemed to be salami in different widths.  Potatoes cost something like 60 cents for a 5-pound-like bag (I couldn’t read anything). Fewer fruit and vegetable choices than we are used to, but the ones that were there looked very good.

Then back to dress for the evening with the philanthropists of Dnep.  They are very generous, joyous at our partnership and great partiers.  The food was exquisite and super-plentiful (at least it was all displayed so you knew how to pace yourself).  The various kinds of fish were gorgeous and delicious—everything prepared to perfection.  There was a lively and talented band. Two sons of the bandleader joined the performance.  The younger was just 8 years old and played drums in a way that even almost rivals Carl Zack.  We all listened and watched open-jawed.  He even did a drum solo that made us all stop breathing.  The older son, who looked about 12, played an incredible guitar solo and sang in English, beautifully.  We were entranced—these two young boys are ones to watch (and hear).

Finally, back at the hotel for a little breath-catching and presumably sleep (they’ve allotted us 5 or 6 hours, I think).  More tomorrow………..

 By 2050, the population of individuals aged 65 or older will increase 120 percent from 40 million to more than 88 million; put another way, one in every five Americans will be 65+. The numbers of Americans aged 85 or older will more than triple over the same period to 19 million.

• Demand for housing will shift dramatically and the need for services to help older adults age in place will grow exponentially. Older adults are more likely than younger adults to spend more than half their income on housing.
• Cost burdens also increase with age. One in four households 85+ pay at least half their income for housing, as compared with about one in five households aged 65–74 and about one in six households younger than 65.
• The incomes of older adults tend to decline with age — as reflected in rising poverty rates.
• Thanks to changes in lifestyle and technology, both men and women are living longer. It also means more older adults will be living with disabilities. While about one-quarter of older households aged 65-74 include someone with a disability, the proportion climbs to nearly two-thirds among households with a member 85+.
• Housing challenges are particularly severe for older adults with very low incomes, nearly half of whom spend 50 percent or more of their income for housing. Another one in four spend 31 to 50 percent of their income. Only about 24 percent of renters of all ages with housing needs are being reached by federal rental assistance.

In sum, the number of older adults is rising but the available federal funding for housing subsidies is not keeping pace with demand. It’s to everyone’s advantage to find solutions that allow older adults to age in place (or in a community setting of their choice) with appropriate services, avoiding costly nursing home care.

The report concludes with: families of every income category should have access to affordable options; in addition to scaling up programs for low-income households,programs need to be developed to help households that fall between the cracks — their incomes are above the threshold for the low income housing tax credit but below the level sufficient to afford market-rate supportive housing.

This is exactly what we are doing at Shillman House and hope to offer again as we try to get ahead of the community needs.

First, a word about our group.  A fascinating combination of people who have been to Dnep before, others never in Dnep but on other CJP missions, and some new to the whole thing.  What unites the group, in our very short time together, is a genuine openness to explore, a desire to represent whichever agency motivated them to come without any sense of competition with the other agencies represented here,  and a warmth and friendliness to all.  I can already tell that it is a privilege to be among these travelers.

We then went to the Golden Rose Synagogue, a completely new structure built after the resurgence of the Jewish community here.  (For those unfamiliar with the Dnep story, in a nutshell: pre-Soviet Union, there was a vibrant Jewish community that dates back to the late 1770’s.  Post-revolution, the government tore down or repurposed all the synagogues and religious practice all but disappeared.  After the break up of the Soviet Union, residents of Dnep sought to reconnect with their Jewish roots. The Boston Jewish community adopted them with an amazing convergence of Jewish agency partnerships.  Today Dnep has a vibrant, growing Jewish community that is widely understood as bringing benefits to all Ukrainian citizens.  More on the specifics as the week goes on…)

We met the gifted, committed community leaders and had a hard-hat tour of the partially-constructed largest Jewish community center in the world.  With no OSHA or other regulations to curb our curiosity, we took a construction elevator to the top of the mostly-built building and saw spectacular views of the city.  It confirmed my earlier sense that there are many dichotomies in Dnep.  Preserved old buildings; newly-constructed modern ones — beautiful new buildings near ones that are crumbling.  The community center complex will have 500,000 square feet of space—it combines entrepreneurial spirit with generous philanthropy.  It will house a hotel, shops and restaurants, community spaces. A new convention center will be built next door.  The leaders hope to attract non-Jewish users as well as the Jewish ones—all the restaurants will be kosher, but will offer great food attractive to all.  With the revenue from these commercial uses, the building operations will hopefully be self-sustaining.

We were treated to an amazing performance by the Beit Baruch chorus—8 women, 9 men—all well into their 80’s. The sound was truly magnificent and the performance top notch.  They had clearly rehearsed seriously: this was a purposeful performance.  They were good and they knew it—and were very proud of their work.  Then, as often happens, the chorus leader (who, by the way, is fabulous and if we had saints, he’d be eligible) said, “Oh, and when they heard your roaring applause you could see that they all got younger.”  Interesting.  Everyone clapped.  But why is that a good thing?  Why can’t we say, “and when they heard the applause they were proud of what they were able to accomplish by bringing to bear the accumulated wisdom of their years”?

We have work to do—to change the image of aging as necessarily a negative.  Indeed, keep your “will do” list of things you’ll master or engage in when you have time—and when you come to live at JCHE, we’ll be sure you get those opportunities.

They also found:

• Across all HUD-assisted housing programs, the average age at which elderly households leave assisted housing is 78 years.
• The average age at end of participation is highest for the Section 202 and other assisted multifamily program types and lowest for vouchers.
• The proportion staying until at least age 85 was highest in the multifamily program type (30 percent) and lowest in the voucher program type (21 percent).

The data supports what we do—and confirms our observations that providing a supportive, service-rich environment especially geared to the needs of seniors extends the time people live independently in housing. 

I love to read and do it a lot, which means I have a big basis for comparison for new ones.  Well, I read a great one!  It’s by Mickey Cail and it’s called “I Hate Bad News” and it’s part memoir, part chronicle of the life and times of the major Jewish community organizations in Boston, and part entreaty to life one’s life with gusto, spirit and a commitment to tikkun olam (repair of the world).

One of my favorite aspects of the book is it reads like you’re having a conversation with him in your living room.  It’s warm, direct and inviting in terms of language and tone.  By tracing his life back to his childhood, you can really see how his indomitable spirit was born.

The advice he gives is so relevant—don’t wait, make things happen.  And his story illustrates how powerful that imperative can be—Mickey has made a huge difference in our organization, at Hebrew College, at Combined Jewish Philanthropy and many other places.

He also always says “communicate” (and not through email or text only) and remain optimistic no matter what—it’s a self-fulfilling prophesy.  I remember these nuggets at all key moments and they are great guides.

Thanks Mickey.

 We know it is happening—the Census Bureau has projected a more-than-quadrupling of Americans over 90 years old by 2050—yet we are not planning to address this onslaught of needs!  While the article advised on an array of supports for people who want to provide care for their aging relatives at home, we know that living in a senior housing community, where some of the supports are built in, can allow the family caregivers to spend their time with elder relatives more meaningfully—leaving the more mundane tasks to the professionals and using the family time for reminiscing, planning outings, visiting with friends and other family members, etc.

Senior housing offers a very viable option that addresses the needs of adult children and their elderly relatives. It's time for this country to build!

Passover is a lot of work which yields a lot of spiritual reward.  In going through the preparation process this year, I thought:

1.   Rituals are important.  For one thing, I would never completely clean out my kitchen without the external demands of Pesach!  It also marks where we are in the annual cycle and that’s comforting.

2.  Old friends are important.  Of course I don’t confuse plates with people, but bringing out the dishes, which I haven’t seen since last year, evokes a sense of reconnection and reminds me to reconnect to people with whom I have slipped out of regular contact.

3.  Renewal is important.  We go on at our hurried pace all the time, moving from meeting to meeting, phone call to phone call, chore to chore.  We need moments to stop and refresh.  The Jewish calendar sets aside the high holidays for moral/ethical renewal and Passover for physical renewal, coinciding with the coming of sprint.   Of course, one type naturally leads to the other.

4.  Striving is important.  The seder reminds us to engage in the struggle for freedom everywhere.  We cannot sit idly by; we must work for social justice.  We all need that regular push to keep that focus!

Chag Sameach!

This is very exciting, because without this “proof” it is hard to capture a share of the savings that we know are inherent in supporting people in affordable housing.  We, in the field, believe that this is a rare area where doing best for the person aligns perfectly with cost-effectiveness.  Yet as a country, we continually minimize our investment in this type of housing.  Perhaps with hard data that shows the substantial savings of supporting seniors in independent housing rather than in more institutional settings, we can overcome this barrier.  Dr. Robyn Stone, the director of the LeadingAge Center, is well qualified to produce a rigorous study with credible results.  Stay tuned!

Rabbi Hirschfield began by talking about an unprecedented shift in our society, from an exclusive focus on the quantity of life to concern for quality of life.  For most of human history, he argues, the need to survive dominated; in this era we want to thrive. 

“Choose life” is a central tenet of Jewish philosophy, which affirms our responsibility to treat all with dignity and respect.  It is not just about preserving physical existence: it’s about adding purpose and dignity to every moment.  Thus the special “value add” of Jewish elder care is that we seek to add greater meaning, greater dignity, greater purpose and greater joy.  We are at once the answer to people’s greatest fears and their greatest prayers.  In doing so, we have created sacred institutions.

Chapter 71, Book of Psalms, “Do not throw me out in my old age” could be seen, he suggests, as setting a very low bar!  Yet it is really an expression of how vulnerable people feel about how they will be treated when they are old and in need.  In meeting this obligation, we as Jewish institutions must shift from simply serving Jews to serving everyone “Jewishly”.  For a long time we had to care for Jewish elders because no one else would.  Now we can set the standard for how all elders should be cared for.  Thus we embody the Jewish way:  excellence, professionalism, dignity and maximizing the human experience.  Our true challenge is to combine clear-eyed professionalism with menschlikite.

The way we will navigate through a changing context is to be driven by our values.  The Passover story (the holiday most celebrated by Jews worldwide) is that we will leave no one behind.  Logically, it made no “sense” to take the elderly &/or sick on a long journey through the dessert.  However, it was not the efficiency of the journey, but the dignity of it that matters.  We were seeking not only freedom from oppression, but freedom to flourish.  And that freedom is exemplified by institutions like ours that help every person make the most of life from wherever they are.

Rabbi Brad Hirschfield is president of Clal - The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, a leadership training institute, think tank and resource center committed to religious pluralism and the healthier use of religion in American public life. An Orthodox rabbi, he is an expert on religion and public life, an interfaith activist, author, Washington Post columnist and regular contributor to Lou Dobbs Tonight on Fox Business Network.  He has been listed for many years in Newsweek as one of America's '50 Most Influential Rabbis.'"

This bill has been in the works for years, and the joining of advocates for family and senior housing has been notable.   Sadly, the two groups are often seen as competitors for the scarce resources.  This bill recognizes the importance of the services-enriched housing model for both popuations.

Kudos to CHAPA (Citizen’s Housing and Planning Association) for spearheading this drive and bringing together all the parties.  The cost effectiveness of this model is compelling.

There are some specific elements of Purim that are worthy of note. As with most Jewish holidays, we spend a good amount of time recounting the tale to our children and each other—such that we pass down our story—in this case the book is long and called the Megillah (hence, the expression in my home whenever I tell a story, “don’t give us the whole megillah!”).  We also allow—actually encourage—rowdiness during the reading.  We blot out the name of the villain with noises and cheer the heroes and heroines (yes, that makes the reading even longer).

Then to honor this triumph over the threat of annihilation, the Book of Esther says we should: enjoy feasting and gladness, send delicacies to one another and gifts to the poor. 

So the “let’s eat” part has a special component—we make sure to give food to those who have trouble affording it.  We are supposed to give two charitable donations, each equivalent at least to the food or money spent on a typical meal.  At a time of great celebration, we are commanded to remember those who are facing economic challenges.

This is a good time, then, to remember the people we serve at JCHE and the ones who wish we could serve them, but remain on our waiting list—sometimes for 5 or 6 years.  We need more apartments—and that need will become more acute in the years to come as we experience the staggering growth of the 90+ population in the near future.

We are able to offer our specialized array of programs and services all year round, which transform our housing into supportive communities, because many people donate generously to us, so that our elders may age with dignity and grace.  We need more of that, too!

This is not news to anyone working in the field of aging services—we see it every day as we ask 75 year olds to wait 1-6 years for an apartment despite immediate need. Also, years ago UMASS did a study for the Department of Housing and Community Development that identified seniors as the group with the largest housing cost burden—it said fully 53% are paying more than they can afford for their housing.

And we are all aware that this age group is growing dramatically—according to the U.S. census bureau, the number of seniors over 90 years old will more than quadruple by 2050.  Poverty is correlated with advanced age.

With these statistics in front of us, you’d think the public discourse would be heavily focused on addressing the current elder poverty and the impending explosion of need. 

It’s not.  Housing costs are generally the single biggest part of a senior’s budget, so providing subsidizing housing can make the most significant difference.  It takes years to build, especially since real estate development is often opposed by neighbors.  So we need to plan more affordable housing for seniors and move the plans into construction.  Meanwhile, the federal government completely eliminated funding for new senior housing in last year’s budget, and the state allocates tax credits with a strong preference for family housing (at the expense of senior housing).

Thanks to the Globe for covering this issue and let’s hope these cold, hard facts are enough to keep this issue front and center until we can muster the collective will to solve it.

The first phase ended by an announcement of a modified reporting structure and the articulation our Principles of Practice. In addition to the reporting groupings, we also form communities of practice so that staff with similar concerns can together solve problems, generate creative ideas and share best practices. We are focusing on opening up communication and striving for maximum mutual support.

The benefit of a reorganization process that involved extensive front-line feedback is that it reflects so many people’s good thinking.  The risk, of course, is that while everyone had good input, we couldn’t do what everyone wanted on everything.  There is a natural disappointment that everything suggested wasn’t implemented.  We hope that overall, everyone can see their contributions in the outcome and we all commit to ongoing engagement and collective reflection.

Hopefully, it’s clear that:

1. Everyone was heard.  Loud and clear.  I personally read every set of notes from every staff listening session, re-read them and helped consolidate them into shorter, easier-to-share pieces that ultimately formed the foundation of both the structure and the principles.
2. Everyone wants to be heard again.  And again.  We will incorporate staff listening sessions into our annual cycle.
3. We will become a community of reflective practitioners—meaning we will evaluate and adjust as we go. 
4. The vast majority of issues raised in the listening sessions related to HOW we work together, rather than who reports to whom.  The Principles of Practice will be the governing document for us—and collaboratively, we will make these principles, the foundational one being mutual respect and mutual accountability, the reality of our work environment.

Phase II has already begun.  A CORE (Creating an Open, Respectful Environment) has accepted the challenge of implementing the Principles of Practice the operating norm for JCHE.  More on that and the principles themselves soon.

The Census Bureau recently projected that the number of seniors in the U.S. over 90 years old will more than quadruple by 2050.  The study also reported a direct correlation between advanced age and poverty.  Just a few years ago, at the beginning of the Deval Patrick Administration, DHCD commissioned a study from the UMASS Donahue Institute which showed that 53.5% of people over 75 experienced a housing cost burden—more than half—and the HIGHEST percentage for any age group.

The trajectory could not be more clear.  We will be overwhelmed by the number of seniors needing support—financial and physical.  What hasn’t followed is a “call to arms” to aggressively plan to handle this demographic tsunami.  JCHE takes seriously our role in combating this apathy.  Stay tuned……….

We were treated to a chorus of men and women, all in formal garb (beautiful red jackets on the women, suits and red ties on the men) singing several songs in Chinese; two dance troupe performances; a solo dance and another solo tai chi demonstration; and an explanation of the significance of the year of the dragon.  One gentlemen impressed everyone by doing his own translations—speaking first in Chinese, next in Russian, then in English—to great applause from an appreciative crowd.

We had fabulous spring rolls, egg drop soup, lo mein noodles, fried rice, chicken stir-fry and fruit and fortune cookies—all prepared exquisitely by JCHE’s talented chefs.  Quite a celebration!

What struck me most was the attentiveness and eagerness of our non-Chinese tenants to learn from their neighbors—unlike other performances, no one whispered anything to their tablemate during showtime, no one just focused on the food (despite its excellence).  And from what I observed, the Chinese residents were so proud of their performing neighbors—showing that by taking photos and strong applause.

At this café, I drank in more than good coffee or tea—I absorbed an even deeper appreciation for what true sharing and mutual respect.

Enjoy lovely images from the Cultural Cafe 2012 here!

Somewhat true with life, of course—but in making decisions about how to spend one’s senior years, it turns out there’s a lot more predictability.  Living in a setting where you have both privacy (your own apartment) and community (such as in a JCHE building) extends life and deeply enhances the quality.  In a JCHE setting, increased frailty does not inhibit your ability to engage in face-to-face conversations or pursue new endeavors (art, music, book clubs, mah jong, etc.).

The Patriots should have won—if only because the team owners are such generous, loving people (I confess to not knowing them personally, but you can’t work in a Jewish organization in Boston and not be aware of their commitment to social justice).  But only one team can win the Super Bowl in any given year.  Fortunately, with 1200 apartments, many seniors can win by living at Ulin, Genesis, Leventhal, Golda, Coleman or Shillman House!

Given the demographic tsunami that is about to hit us, this level of attention should be an every day reality for politicians and community leaders alike:  by 2050, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans over 90 years old will quadruple--from about 1.8 million to over 8 million.  This is going to have a huge impact, and we should be planning now to address the vast needs this age distribution will inevitably create.

Granted, every senior regardless of age is unique.  But it’s fairly easy to predict 2 things: (1) with that many people over 90, the level of frailty on average will be higher than for those in younger age brackets; and (2) the economic challenges will be great--poverty is correlated with advanced age, as people’s retirement savings are eaten up with housing, energy, food and medical costs far in excess of what they predicted in an earlier time.

The JCHE model of supportive housing affordable to all makes sense from so many perspectives.  By having an affordable home, seniors don’t have to choose between filling prescriptions and paying rent (and sadly many do face that dilemma).  The supports allow people to remain in their homes rather than submit to institutional care--preferable when viewed from both a quality-of-life and a cost-of-care lens.  And, significantly, seniors won’t face the loneliness that can so easily ensue when frailty limits mobility.

Those of us who care about the respect our elders are due need to work to keep a focus on seniors at the forefront of the national conversation.

As always, I welcome your comments!

Warmly,

Ken’s response was an efficient 3 words: “Love conquers all”!  I thought that answer was as perfect as the original message. 

Some might say “love” has no place in work.  I disagree.  Working at JCHE, or probably any truly mission-driven organization, is indeed a labor of love—love for the cause, for the people we serve, for the task of tikun olam (repair of the world).

To sustain the necessary effort in the face of the odds (too little money, too little time, too much need) is draining.  The best way we can make it through is to give each other that unconditional support we all crave.  It may seem contradictory to assert (as I do) that there’s nothing inherently incongruous about unconditional support and mutual criticism and sharing thoughtful reflection about how to do better work.  We believe in each other—and that we all can improve from both self-reflection and the insights of our colleagues.

We’re engaged in a major culture change and reorganization process, which has had its share of discomforts for all.  But at the end, we’ll recognize the strength each brings to the table and hopefully feel free to express that love for our shared values and commitment.  Today at one of the concluding reorg meetings, the sentiment was:

“Everyone here [meaning all JCHE staff] is fantastic.  We all want to do our jobs well.  We all make some mistakes along the way; the more we can know about each other’s responsibilities and challenges, the more we can support each other through.  And we all want to do that.”

As always, your comments are welcome!

This is the day when a team of inspectors spends the day in our building checking every door jamb. It’s not a bad concept -- public funded housing should adhere to the highest operational standards. We do.  However, the nature of inspectors is to find problems, so they come intent to do that. We recognize the importance of doing well, so we prepare, worry, prepare and repeat the cycle.

The inspection went very well, thanks to a great deal of teamwork on site and with guidance from central office.  That level of collaboration is not unusual.  What’s worth noting is that Maxine, Golda’s Executive Director, took the time to write a note to Ken, our organizational director of maintenance, to thank him and to copy me.  Here’s what she said:

Ken: On behalf of Richard and the GMH staff I want to  thank you SO MUCH for being at the REAC inspection today, and supporting us through the past few weeks. As you and I acknowledged, we've been through a lot of ups and downs together in the past 12 years, but when push comes to shove we always manage to pull together for the common goal.  Thank you. 

I haven’t spoken to Ken yet, but I’ll bet he shares my view--getting a note like this one is what makes it rewarding to do our very best.  The return on investment--the amount of good feelings generated compared to the low level of difficulty in writing it--is off-the-charts high.