We are developing a great relationship with dentists in the area to provide much needed attention to some of our older adults in need.

Margarita Frolichman, a Serving Older Holocaust Survivor Case Managers, recently told me of this example.

“One of our older Holocaust survivors desperately needed dental work. Not only did she have ongoing dental pain, but she was a full-time caregiver to her husband who has dementia. She wasn’t able to eat regular food, because it hurt too much to chew. Because of the pain, the gaps in her mouth, and the inability to eat properly, she became depressed and rarely went out in public. If this had been less than a year ago, JFS would have referred her to Denti-Cal. But when the Denti-Cal program closed, JFS had no other resources.

Luckily, one of our board members referred us to Dr. Ian Aires who stepped forward and offered to provide the dental work she needed pro bono. We are so grateful to Dr. Aires! Our client now proudly wears beautiful upper dentures that allow her to eat normally and live pain free. It is such a privilege and a blessing for me to witness one of my clients receive the care she needs from such a selfless community member. Nothing is more satisfying than seeing a Holocaust survivor live in dignity.”

What a beautiful story. Dr. Aires not only helped our client, but a weight has been lifted off our staff’s shoulders, too.

We are also very thankful of the services provided by Dr. Craig Rubicoff, Dr. Graham Simpson, and Dr. Kenneth Berrin. Dr. Rubicoff and Dr. Simpson very generously volunteered to provide dentures to a man in his mid-60’s who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The man had severe bone loss in his jaw which left him unable to speak clearly or chew food without severe pain. Dr. Rubicoff also provided implants to secure the dentures in place. Now the man will be able to successfully communicate with others. Dr. Berrin helped a 95-year old survivor who was in tremendous pain after a front tooth broke off. She was only able to eat soft food, but Dr. Berrin repaired the broken tooth and did some other work that improved the survivor’s quality of life immeasurably.

It is so hard to know what our clients need, but not be able to provide it to them. Thank you to Dr. Aires, Dr. Berrin, Dr. Rubicoff, and Dr. Simpson for stepping up and improving the quality life of our clients.

Get your dentist involved! Help provide vital dental services to JFS older adult clients. Contact Dana Toppel, Director of Older Adult Centers, JFS Fix-It and Volunteers, at (858) 637-3247 or danat@jfssd.org.

Jasmine & Matt Commerce

Our JFS Older Adult Centers held the Shir L’Chaim benefit concert on Sunday, May 23, 2010, where they honored older adults, celebrated life and built community. May was Older Americans Month and this year’s theme was Age Strong, Live Long. According to Aviva Saad, Program Coordinator at University City Older Adult Center, JFS’s Older Adult Centers focus every day, all year long, to make sure that their members age strong and live long, and music is an important component in their programs. That is why they wanted to share some of their favorite monthly entertainers with the whole community. We had an incredible turnout–more than 300 people of all ages showed up, raising more than $7,000 for our older adult centers!  People who attended loved the show and several people hoped it would be an annual event.

Melinda Wynar, Program Coordinator at the North County Older Adult Center, said “We’re getting such great feedback from our participants; they really enjoyed the show!” Several of the participants in attendance expressed being proud to be a part of JFS that day.

The show had a variety of musical entertainment. It opened with Matt and Jasmine Commerce, a brother and a sister who showed their love and passion for music and for our older adults. They where followed by Yochanan Sebastian Winston a flutist and saxophone player, who played classic, jazz and Latin music. Alisha Zalkin, a native San Diegan, came specially for the show from New York to sing for the community. Pianist Joan Kurland added humor to the show, the whole audience was laughing when she sang about her quest to find a nice single Jewish man. The show ended with Kavannah a teen band from Temple Solel, who energized the audience with their Jewish rock and roll music. It was an afternoon to remember and be proud of!

Thank you to all of our attendees and performers who helped make this event a success. We couldn’t have done it without you!

We have such an important volunteer campaign going on for On the Go right now. We’re trying to recruit 60 volunteer drivers in 6 months. Can you imagine what it’s like to be stuck at home, without being able to drive anywhere? I’d hate it. That’s why I decided to let you know about this campaign. Why is this program so important? It provides transportation to older adults. But even more than that, it provides independence, freedom, socialization. It provides happiness. What does this mean to the riders? Nothing tells it better than their own words:

“I have a wonderful driver. She is delightful, charming, just a joy to be with. She has brightened my life.”

“I am very impressed with the kindness, patience and positive attitude from all of the volunteers. This program is fantastic!”

“I am so very thankful to be a member of Rides & Smiles—everyone is so helpful. You are a real blessing to me in my “golden” years (85). Thank you, Thank you, each one.”

“You do a wonderful service—I can still live again!!—And I am 92!!”

“Thank you for giving my mom her independence. What you provide is amazing.”

Read more about On the Go & volunteering: www.jfssd.org/onthego

Last Thursday (Dec. 3), was my 25th anniversary at JFS.  I can’t say it seems like yesterday, but it does seem like it’s gone by pretty quickly.  When I started here, JFS was essentially a counseling agency.  We were much smaller and much more focused on helping people with their psychological/emotional problems.  We needed to expand our services to be more community-based (we opened several branch offices to be more accessible) and we needed to figure out ways to address some tough issues like child abuse, teenage pregnancy, isolated elderly, the mentally ill.  Looking back, it’s really quite amazing how the agency has grown.  We now have individual programs to address all of those needs, and that’s just scraping the surface. See a list of all of our programs>>

Last Friday, I went to our annual thank you brunch for our On the Go volunteers.  Two quick stories: one driver, a retired police detective, told me his job was always enjoyable, but by the time he became part of the homicide division (the pinnacle in a detective’s career), it wasn’t much fun anymore.  He looked me in the eye and said, “Driving seniors is the best job I ever had.”  The other story is from one of the other volunteers who was recently asked by her rider which shul she belonged to and she answered “the Catholic one!”   This is why I love my job: working with people (volunteers, staff, board) who do amazing acts and show amazing commitment to help people……and always finding something to smile about too.

This just in from Brenda Bothel, Director of Older Adult Transportation:

When Bette W. signed up for a ride to High Holy Day services at Temple Adat Shalom with On the Go, she never anticipated we’d be writing a blog entry about her. But Bette W. has a very distinct honor–she’s the 1,000th rider to enroll in the program since On the Go started last September! This program has grown much more quickly than we had projected. Our goal was to have 675 enrolled riders at the end of the first year. We never anticipated 1,000! This growth shows the obvious need for transportation services in the Jewish community. On the Go provides life enhancing rides to older adults, designed specifically with their needs in mind. The program provides shuttles to and from Older Adult Centers and shopping destinations; Group excursions to exciting destinations such as museums and performances; and individuals rides to medical appointments and synagogue services through Rides & Smiles®. Bette W. now has access to an entire menu of transportation services, a fleet of vehicles, and hundreds of valuable volunteer drivers—all because of one call to receive rides for High Holy Day services. Visit our website for a current schedule of On the Go Shuttles and Excursions and a Rider Enrollment Application.