Leah Deslauriers

L’Chaim program grows

L’Chaim Adult Day Centre is now open five days a week. (photo from L’Chaim)

L’Chaim Adult Day Centre has received funding from Vancouver Coastal Health to expand its program. It can now offer its services to frail senior citizens in the community on a five-day-a-week, 16-clients-per-day basis.

L’Chaim first opened its doors on Sept. 14, 1985, in the Maccabee Room of Beth Israel Synagogue. At first, L’Chaim operated only one day a week and was run completely by volunteers. A project of the National Council of Jewish Women and the Jewish Family Services Agency, it was able to secure funding from the Jewish Community Fund and Council, as well as NCJW.

Soon afterward, a committee was formed to secure funding from the BC Ministry of Health, which allowed the program to operate two days a week. Ten years later, L’Chaim moved to the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, thanks to a $400,000 grant from the BC government, which enabled the JCC to renovate the premises to meet L’Chaim’s needs. On April 1, 1996, L’Chaim opened at the JCC and, since then, it has been operating three days a week, serving 13 clients a day.

As the Jewish population has grown and aged, the number of clients seeking L’Chaim’s services has increased. Unlike other adult day centres in Vancouver, L’Chaim has a cultural mandate to accommodate Jewish seniors who live outside Vancouver’s geographical boundaries, but prefer to frequent L’Chaim precisely because of the Jewish component of its activities. This has not precluded the intake of seniors in the area who, though not themselves Jewish, want to attend L’Chaim because of its cultural programming and level of care, but demand has been greater than L’Chaim can service and the wait list and wait times are long.

With the recent expansion, under the supervision of L’Chaim’s trained activity specialists, more participants will be able to benefit from the variety of programs offered, including exercise sessions, discussion groups, live entertainment, expressive art and garden therapy, games, and day trips into the community. Participants receive a culturally and nutritionally appropriate meal prepared fresh daily, consisting of a three-course kosher lunch tailored to their dietary needs. As well, L’Chaim has a nurse on the premises who supervises medications, monitors participants’ health status and other aspects. Of course, Shabbat and Jewish holidays are occasions for special celebrations, often in conjunction with other stakeholders and programs at the JCC.

“Old age,” as Tennyson wrote, “hath yet his honour and his toil,” and the longer people can stay at home surrounded by loved ones and visit those places that have become familiar, the better off we all are. L’Chaim is honoured that it can provide care and comfort to the frail elderly and thereby offer support to their relatives and caregivers. Anyone who goes by the JCC will see that it is a hub of activity and being located within its walls makes L’Chaim all the more vibrant. Relatives can drop off their loved ones and take advantage of JCC activities; L’Chaim clients can see people they know who drop by the office.

Now that L’Chaim has obtained funding to expand its services, it looks forward to growing from strength to strength, and this will require time and money. Fortunately, L’Chaim has an active board of committed individuals, as well as day-to-day onsite volunteers, who aid its director, Leah Deslauriers.

Deslauriers was hired by the JCC as the seniors program coordinator shortly after she graduated from the gerontology program at Simon Fraser University. In 2008, she started overseeing L’Chaim, when their administrator went on vacation, and she left her position at the JCC and became the director of L’Chaim in 2017. The position includes intake, fundraising and strategic planning, and it is in large part due to her accomplishments that L’Chaim now embarks on the next stage in its development.

L’Chaim benefits from the financial support of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, several Jewish foundations, and the donations, large and small, of many friends and supporters. To all of them, L’Chaim is grateful.

To see if you or your loved one is eligible for L’Chaim’s services, contact the home and community care office in your local health authority or get in touch with Deslauriers by calling 604-638-7275.

– Courtesy L’Chaim Adult Day Centre

Care for the caregiver

On Feb. 14, Jewish Seniors Alliance presented the third of its 2021/22 Empowerment Series. The event – Care for the Caregiver – was co-sponsored with L’Chaim Adult Day Centre and the Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations of British Columbia, and the program was presented by Royce Shook of COSCO’s Health and Wellness Institute and Leah Deslauriers, administrator of L’Chaim.

Gyda Chud, co-president of JSA welcomed everyone and thanked the agency’s partners for participating.

Barb Mikulec, vice-president of COSCO, explained that COSCO is a nonprofit group for seniors helping seniors and that its Health and Wellness Institute presents many free workshops on seniors issues. She introduced Shook, who has been in the field of education for more than 40 years and has worked in curriculum studies. He advises or serves on various seniors committees/councils.

Shook spoke about the stress and burnout experienced by caregivers. In Canada, he said, there are approximately five million unpaid caregivers supporting family members; an economic value of $6 billion to $9 billion.

Caregivers provide both physical and emotional support, he said. This role could involve home management, such as bill paying, grocery shopping, driving to appointments, cooking and cleaning. For the caregivers, they may benefit from a sense of personal satisfaction and a sense of purpose. They learn more about their inner strength and gain a purpose in life by the act of helping. They can help pull family and friends together, but there will be changes in family dynamics and relationships. At times, the recipients of care may be resentful at their loss of independence and privacy.

There is an emotional impact on the caregiver in that they may worry about not being strong enough to carry the load. At the same time, they may avoid asking for help, and this could lead to burnout, Shook warned. There are a number of warning signs to watch for, such as a loss of energy, the neglect of personal needs, trouble relaxing, irritability with the senior and isolation. To avoid burnout, he advised caregivers to learn about the disease or condition plaguing the senior and take any help that is offered for that condition. Know your limits and specify them to others, i.e. family and friends, sharing the burden with them. Make sure to have regular breaks, and talk with others about your feelings.

Communication is very important, he said. Keep up to date on information from the health team. Let the recipient of the care lead, try to be a good listener and maintain eye contact. Always remember that the person has changed, so avoid giving advice or quarreling over minor issues. Do not say, “I know how you are feeling,” but instead say, “How do you feel?” Have a consent form so you can accompany the recipient to the doctor and have questions ready and take notes. There are three major areas of decision-making that need to be arranged with the recipient and not for them, said Shook. These are medical, the need for a representation agreement; legal, power of attorney; and financial, also covered by power of attorney.

Always remember to take care of yourself by accessing, for example, adult day care for respite, home help and community support groups. There is no such thing as a perfect caregiver. Always remember to respond to the present situation and not to the person you once knew. If you don’t care for yourself, you can’t care for others, he said.

After Shook completed his presentation, Eireann O’Dea introduced Deslauriers, who, prior to joining L’Chaim five years ago, was the coordinator of the seniors program at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver. She has also been active in seniors housing issues and is a family caregiver for her parents.

L’Chaim is one of 12 adult day centres in the region funded by Vancouver Coastal Health. Referrals are made by a caseworker at the health unit and the programs provide stimulation for the recipients and respite for the caregivers.

At L’Chaim, clients arrive about 10 a.m. and have a light breakfast after which the programs begin. The morning may consist of word games, followed by news and a discussion. A full lunch is served during which socialization is encouraged. The afternoon consists of a guest speaker and/or a musical program. Clients are usually picked up about 3 p.m. Any pertinent information is passed on to the caregivers.

L’Chaim is similar to other centres but it is culturally Jewish. It is funded for 13 clients/day, three days/week and costs $10/day. More information is available at lchaim.ca.

A list of resources for caregivers will be made available on the JSA website, jsalliance.org. Also watch the website for information on the next Empowerment program, April 26, in co-sponsorship with Jewish Family Services, and the Spring Forum on May 15.

Shanie Levin is program coordinator for Jewish Seniors Alliance and on the editorial board of Senior Line magazine.

Bridge thriving at the JCCGV

There were 28 tables of four playing on June 7 at the annual bridge event honouring Marjorie Groberman. (photos by Cynthia Ramsay)

More than 100 people gathered to play bridge at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver on June 7 at a special annual event in honour of Marjorie Groberman, who passed away in 2011.

Leah Deslauriers is the former coordinator of JCC Seniors, which is now called Adults 55+ and headed by Lisa Quay.

“Marjorie Groberman was a driving force behind the JCC Seniors department for many years,” Deslauriers told the Independent. “She, along with some other ladies, started a duplicate bridge club at the JCC in 1995. When Marjorie passed away, [her daughter] Hildy Barnett and I created this event in her memory. We named the bridge club after Marjorie, as well.”

Barnett sponsors the meal and door prizes for the annual lunchtime event, and covers extras the club might need, said Deslauriers. For the lunch, “many players baked or brought dessert items for everyone.”

“There were 28 tables of four, so there were 112 people in attendance,” she said. “The club generally has up to 20 tables during regular play, so this was a very large event.”

The bridge club at the centre started in 1995 with four tables, explained Deslauriers. “Some of the original ladies, who still play today, subsidized the club so it would continue. The original club director was Connie Delisle, who taught many people how to play the game. Then Cathy Miller became director in 2006, when Connie had to retire. Cathy retired at the end of last year and the current director is Bryan Maksymetz, who is a Canadian bridge champion.”

Anyone who knows how to play duplicate bridge may attend. “It is very special,” said Deslauriers, “as many of its regular players are over 80, and many are over 90. I believe Ethel Bellows is the oldest player at the moment. Many of the players come 30 minutes before game time, to socialize over coffee and cookies, and it’s a very warm and friendly game, as far as bridge goes.”

The Marjorie Groberman Open Duplicate Bridge Club currently has more than 350 members, Quay told the Independent. Play takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays. “The JCC also offers an array of bridge lessons for beginners on up, as well as practise opportunities for skill-building,” she said.

For more information, contact Quay at 604-257-5111, ext. 208.

By adapting our habits, we can live safely at home for longer

From left: Leah Deslauriers, Devorah Goldberg, Lisa de Silva, Donna Cantor, Julie Hirschmanner and Charles Leibovitch, with Debbie Sharp in front. (photo by Karon Shear)

All of us fervently wish that, as the years gather, we will be able to gracefully embrace and be embraced by them. On Jan. 22, an overflow crowd at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver Dayson Boardroom learned how to do just that.

Shanie Levin, Jewish Seniors Alliance of Greater Vancouver (JSA) coordinator of the event, called Aging in Place, welcomed everyone. Co-hosted with the JCC Seniors, the session – which was moderated by Donna Cantor, senior outreach counselor at Jewish Family Service Agency – featured a panel of experts on the subject.

The first to speak was Debbie Sharp, field supervisor for the United Way’s Better at Home program, which offers support by paid staff and unpaid volunteers for seniors 55 and older who want to remain at home while aging, with the ability and dignity to do so. The United Way offers programs that are funded by the B.C. government in up to 68 communities across the province, and can offer help in a range of non-medical services on a sliding fee scale. Some programs are even offered at no charge.

The specific services offered reflect the different needs of each community, explained Sharp. Among those offered are yard work, minor home repair, light housekeeping, grocery shopping, friendly visiting, snow shoveling, and transport to appointments. The program is intended to help seniors play an active role in their communities and continue living at home surrounded by family and friends.

The next panelist was Julie Hirschmanner, occupational therapist at Vancouver Coastal Health, who listed ways in which seniors can stay at home safely. VCH can provide the services of health-care providers such as nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and care managers to help with bathing. Hirschmanner recommended equipment that would make each step of aging easier – grab bars and raised toilet seats, for example – and general advice. In stressing that prevention is the best tool seniors themselves can use, she listed certain hazards we tend to overlook in prevention of falls: rushing to get things done, rising too quickly from a seated position, getting overtired, carrying too much in both hands so being unable to use rails, climbing onto furniture to reach for things, wearing slippers with no backs (hence, no support), dimly lit areas, incorrect or overuse of medication, and clutter in pathways or stairs. She also reminded attendees that people can call 911 if they have fallen and cannot get up, and highly recommended a medical-alert bracelet if one lives alone.

The JSA’s Charles Leibovitch spoke about the many important services offered by JSA peer support counseling graduates, who have passed an intensive 11-week training course. This program, initiated by JSA and set up by Leibovitch in 2011, offers peer counseling, in which trained individuals are matched up with clients requiring the service; friendly home visits, which involve a trained graduate visiting the home of a senior, usually one who is too frail to venture out on their own, and assisting them with shopping, light errands, banking or getting to medical appointments; Shalom Again friendly phone calls, where the loneliness and isolation of individuals is alleviated by someone keeping in touch with them on a daily, weekly, bimonthly or monthly basis. It is important to allow time for conversation, some socialization and perhaps even to encourage a slow reintroduction into community activities. These services are at no cost to the client receiving them.

There have been three graduating peer-counseling classes, with about 13-15 graduates in each. A new class is underway and there are 30 clients at present, with a waiting list. The clients are matched with the counselors, and followed up by Leibovitch and Lynne Moss, his assistant, after the initial introduction. The client also receives Leibovitch’s cellphone number to be used if anything urgent arises. Cantor remarked that she has met many happy clients of these match-ups.

Lisa de Silva, a private occupational therapist, spoke next. Her four staff offer the services required pre- and post-surgery, and can be booked as needed, and not on an ongoing basis, as this type of care can be quite costly – though it may be covered partially by Blue Cross or another insurance provider. De Silva and her staff also offer general at-home care services – and, between them, they speak four different languages, which may be helpful to non-native-English-speakers in times of stress.

The last presenter, Devorah Goldberg, is an interior designer. Specializing in design for seniors, she incorporates function and beauty, using ergonomics to ensure that each client has a home best suited to his or her needs. Her suggestions include cupboards built lower down, no gas stove, labeling items or color-coding them so they are easily identifiable, sensor lamps beside the bed, a large dial phone with numbers (and even the faces) of dear ones for speed dialing, grab bars in the bathtub and by the toilet, extra shelves to house toiletries within easy reach, and no soft sofas (as it is too difficult to stand up once seated).

JCC Seniors coordinator Leah Deslauriers, who contributed her wonderful sense of humor throughout the presentations, thanked the panelists and presented each of them with a token of appreciation on behalf of the organizers and attendees. Many questions were asked during the presentations, which showed the audience’s keen interest in the topics that were being discussed.

Binny Goldman is a member of the Jewish Seniors Alliance of Greater Vancouver board.