Updates on positive aging, caregiving and campus news. Powered by Cedar Sinai Park
February 22, 2013 Leave a comment
This year’s Purim Schpiel at Robison Jewish Health Center was again a hit. Life Enrichment Coordinator Jennifer Felberg wrote the original script, repurposed many classic songs for the occasion, and led Robison residents in performing in front of a crowded Living Room on Thursday, February 22, 2013. Resident Care Manager Ronnie Schechter helped lead the singalongs.
Take a look at this raw, unedited footage from the event:
February 21, 2013 Leave a comment
As every year since 1993, LeadingAge Oregon is holding a Creative Writing Contest. Cedar Sinai Park residents participate in great numbers. Winners will be announced publicly on February 28; up to 50 top-rated pieces will also be published in “Reflections: A Collection of Writing and Poetry by Oregon’s Elders.”
We have received notification that the following entries by RSM residents were selected as winners:
Here’s the fifth of 13 submissions we’ll be reprinting here (with permission from their authors).
I write down words, then take them away.
I can find none that will convey
The awful horror of today…
Their young laughter, song,
Stilled suddenly, was no more…
Teachers crumpled to the floor
All, all tomorrows gone.
A boundless rage born of our sorrow
Roars out across the land.
Keening, we bend to comprehend
Evil beyond evil. We cannot understand.
Forever now a shadow lies across our lives,
A tie that binds our agony.
Knot well this ribbon of our grief;
Hold them forever close in memory.
February 18, 2013 Leave a comment
The Life Enrichment staff at the Robison Jewish Health Center spearheaded the Cultural Diversity Week during the week of February 11 through the 15. Many of our employees from around the world shared their culture through dress, talks, song, dance, and food.
Residents sampled Chinese food while celebrating the Year of the Snake for the Chinese New Year. They took a Spanish lesson with Benito and an armchair trip to Thailand and Vietnam with Katy Chappell and her husband Dave. The Ethiopian coffee ceremony and Francoise Kasongo’s stories and songs from the Congo transported residents to Sub-Saharan Africa. Other countries represented with programs were the Ukraine, Guatemala, Nigeria, and India.
In thanking staff for their participation, Robison Life Enrichment Coordinator Jennifer Felberg wrote, “It was wonderful to get to know the people we see every day a little bit better.”
Throughout the week the notice board by the dining room featured photographs from around the world and a map where many employees placed a pin in the place of their birth. Robison staff represent at least 26 countries outside of the U.S.!
February 7, 2013 Leave a comment
As every year since 1993, LeadingAge Oregon is holding a Creative Writing Contest. Cedar Sinai Park residents participate in great numbers. Winners will be announced publicly on February 28; up to 50 top-rated pieces will also be published in “Reflections: A Collection of Writing and Poetry by Oregon’s Elders.”
We have received notification that the following entries by RSM residents were selected as winners:
Here’s the fourth of 13 submissions we’ll be reprinting here (with permission from their authors).
It seems like ages ago, but it was only yesterday,
That under great duress, I must confess
I had my biggest failure:
my mathematical construct-
the quantum physics paradox
where an atom is conceived as both a
particle and a wave-
did not secure a rave,
because that ornery atom did not behave,
and I could not resolve his contradiction-
I was accused of lapsing into fiction-
when my mind became chaotic
this was ironic; for the atoms that were me
began to dissolve into
dancing strings of particles
that fluttered on wings
pretending they were kings!-and went into their
magic act, and viola,
they flowed as wine, and thought they would shine
as waves of light-
and what a sight!-
but not to be outdone,
they switched back into
particles and joined the fun!
and that’s when I had the illusion
that I fell, landing, I think, in
a philosophical hell,
where I humbly learned it is
not enough to think like a cunning fox
when you’re lost in this quantum box,
for physics, at its best,
provides this nightmare of elation and
hope, as you chase Einsteinian elegant
universe to no avail,
but for now all’s discombobulation and
dissonance, and alas, perhaps it’s best,
that for the physicist there is no mental rest,
for the world of physics has a mysterious
unfathomable beauty and the ultimate test is-
yes, to find it, and make the atom act
reasonable: do you want to be a particle or a wave?
alas, I expect no answer, so we physicists must
start over again, keeping the chutzpah-and the burning
hunger to discover, but perhaps,
without the arrogance.
February 6, 2013 Leave a comment
On Sunday, January 13, at Rose Schnitzer Manor, Susan Tolle, M.D., Director of the OHSU Center for Ethics in Health Care, and David Barnard, J.D., Ph.D., Miles J. Edwards Chair in Professionalism and Comfort Care, presented a film and conversation about POLST-Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment. More than 70 guests learned about the form and process to assure their or their loved one’s wishes regarding treatment would be respected.
The event was presented by Cedar Sinai Park in collaboration with Oregon Health and Science University, OHSU Center for Ethics in Health Care, Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, Mittleman Jewish Community Center, Sinai Family Home Services, and Jewish Family and Child Service.
Did you miss the presentation? Download Dr. Barnard’s presentation [ppt] or watch this video about POLST presented at the event:
January 30, 2013 Leave a comment
Due to a high volume of resident and staff illness (respiratory infection or flu-like symptoms), as a preventative measure Robison Jewish Health Center is not allowing outside visitors until the end of this weekend. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our community safe during this challenging time.
January 28, 2013 Leave a comment
The New York Times Opinionator blog has published a moving essay by Tim Kreider about his experience as a family member of an aging elder who decides to move to assisted living. The essay begins:
My sister and I recently toured the retirement community where my mother has announced she’ll be moving. I have been in some bleak clinical facilities for the elderly where not one person was compos mentis and I had to politely suppress the urge to flee, but this was nothing like that.
Continue reading at New York Times >
January 25, 2013 Leave a comment
As every year since 1993, LeadingAge Oregon is holding a Creative Writing Contest. Cedar Sinai Park residents participate in great numbers. Winners will be announced on February 28; up to 50 top-rated pieces will also be published in “Reflections: A Collection of Writing and Poetry by Oregon’s Elders.”
Here’s the third of 13 submissions we’ll be reprinting here (with permission from their authors).
The colors of the early dawn changed softly. The sun seemed to be ashamed to announce a new day in Auschwitz. We stood in line outside the barracks since early in the morning…the cold intensified our hunger and pain.
“I was married just two years ago.” The woman next to me whispered softly. “Last night I gave birth to our son–to my first child. There in the barracks of Auschwitz. My first child they took him away even before I could touch his soft skin and say to him, ‘Welcome to the world my beloved son…your Father would have been so proud of your round cheeks and long gentle fingers. Welcome to the world.”’ She muttered to herself, her tears falling on the unpaved ground mingling here with her slowly oozing blood.
We stood there to be counted like sheep by the white-gloved, well-groomed S.S woman. Her hair coiffured in the latest style. Her perfumed scent intensified the feeling of our own neglected bodies.
“I so wanted to be a mother”, the woman continued through her tears… “Care, patience and love would have been our child’s diet. I would have nourished him with the tales of the past. He would have grown to be a good man.” She paused a bit and whispered even more softly.
“If I survive…I want to love the world around me. The spring. The forest and people. All people.” She whispered, almost like reciting a prayer and clearing her soul from hate and revenge.
Her face turned toward the sky. Her alabaster skin looked translucent in the early morning light. The mystical rays of the dawn mingled with the smoke of the crematorium.
January 24, 2013 Leave a comment
This year’s benefit gala is featuring Portland Cello Project. The event again promises to be a sellout, so reserve your seat now!
6:00 p.m. Havdalah led by Rabbi Michael Z. Cahana & Cantor Ida Rae Cahana
6:30 p.m. Cocktails & Dinner
614 SW 11th Avenue, Portland
Call 503.535.4422 or reserve via email. Seats are $100 per person.
“Before the elderly rise, and show honor before the aged.” –Leviticus 19:32
Heartstrings is made possible with support from these generous sponsors
Cedar Sinai Park provides residential and community-based care to our elders and adults with special needs, allowing them to live with comfort, independence, and dignity in a manner and in an environment based on Jewish values.
Since 2007 Portland Cello Project has entertained audiences with unique performances that span generations, mix classical and contemporary styles, and defy expectations: no two shows are alike. With music you wouldn’t normally hear from a cello, expect to be delighted!
January 23, 2013 Leave a comment
New Robison Jewish Health Center Administrator Lesley Sacks
Robison Jewish Health Center witnessed a not-so-solemn ceremony on Friday, January 23, 2013: the certificate affirming Lesley Sacks as the new administrator was placed on the notice board in an act dubbed ‘The Changing of the Paper.’ The ceremony completed 8 months of Lesley’s transition into her new role.
A Portland native, Lesley has been with Cedar Sinai Park since 2005: she served as Admissions Coordinator/Social Services Co-Director and previously as the Adult Day Services Director.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to serve our elders and grow within the organization. I have a strong affinity for this community and a special connection to Robison because many of my family members lived here, including my grandpa, great uncles and great aunts,” Lesley said.
Outlining her vision, Lesley said she wants to ensure Robison continues to enjoy strong leadership, particularly as Cedar Sinai Park moves to a new phase of its development. Short-term, she wants to make the transition smooth for residents, family members, and staff.
‘The Changing of the Paper’ ceremony – new Robison Administrator Lesley Sacks on the left, previous Administrator, now Chief Program Officer Kimberly Fuson on the right.
Lesley Sacks’s Nursing Home Administrator license
Cedar Sinai Park Blog 