blue - 300 c gree n - 362 c brown - 1535 c ORDER YOUR Call today to place your JNF PURIM CARDS Passover Greetings! VISIT ISRAEL WITH JNF: JNFOTTAWA.CA [email protected] 613.798.2411 Call 613-798-4696, ext. 256 Ottawa Jewish Bulletin FEBRUARY 24, 2020 | SHEVAT 29, 5780 ESTABLISHED 1937 $2 ‘My favourite day of the year’ More than 450 people gathered on the Jewish Community Campus to spend the morning doing good deeds on Mitzvah Day. Dana Simpson reports. eople perform mitzvot (good deeds) all year round, but on February 2, more than 450 people of all ages, gathered together at Pthe Soloway Jewish Community Centre (SJCC) and Hillel Lodge to take part in the Jewish Federation of Ottawa’s annual Mitzvah Day, a special day when good deeds are performed and celebrated. The Sunday morning proceedings began with a breakfast buffet followed HOWARD SANDLER by the opening ceremonies which saw Ottawa Redblacks mascot Big Joe shares a moment with a group of Mitzvah Day participants, Federation leaders and VIP guests – February 2, at the Soloway Jewish Community Centre. including Ottawa City Councillor and Deputy Mayor Laura Dudas; Ottawa HOWARD SANDLER City Councillors Rawlson King and Jean Mitzvah Day Co-Chair Leslie Feldman saw Lodge residents moving and groov- was only part of the fun. Cloutier; Nepean MPP and Ontario welcomes participants to a day of performing ing with some of the youngest kids. Asked why she participates in Mitz- Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and good deeds, February 2, at the Soloway “We try to have new activities every vah Day, Hillel Lodge resident Sheila Culture Industries Lisa MacLeod; Orle- Jewish Community Centre. year,” said Federation Vice-President Bahar responded without skipping a ans MP Marie-France Lalonde; members (Community Building) Sarah Beutel. beat. of the Ottawa Redblacks Cheer and And alongside activities old and new “It’s because there’s so many kids Dance Team and mascot Big Joe – march An annual event since 2005, Mitzvah stood both first-time and returning par- here,” Bahar said. into the social hall at the SJCC in the Day 2020 saw 13 mitzvah activities at ticipants. Kids who, like four-year-old Shmuel Mitzvah Day Parade. the SJCC and Hillel Lodge. Ottawa City Councillor and Deputy Caytak, came to learn about mitzvot Also on hand were several Ottawa Among the activities – some new, Mayor Laura Dudas fondly remembered and get to the root of the more personal Police Service officers and Canadian some long-time favourites – were the taking part in challah braiding last year meanings behind a mitzvah. Armed Forces soldiers. Great Jewish Adventure Scavenger Hunt; during Mitzvah Day and said she was While patiently waiting for his herbs First time co-chairs for Mitzvah Day Can-gineering, a team activity to build happy to see the community come to grow at the Sprouting Knowledge sta- were the husband-and-wife duo of Leslie structures using cans and boxes of food together year after year for Mitzvah Day. tion, Shmuel talked about what Mitzvah Feldman and Mike Klein. which were then donated to the Ottawa “We always see so much about the Day means to him. “Giving back is a Jewish tradition,” said Kosher Food Bank; Furrever Homes, bad and it’s so great to see a community “It’s special because it’s Jewish and it Feldman. “Mitzvah Day is such an import- which recycled single socks into catnip of people who want to do better,” said makes the bad dreams go away,” he said. ant event for children in our community toys for foster cats; and the ever popular Dudas. Whatever the motivation for attend- to get to know what a mitzvah is.” Dance-a-Tonne at Hillel Lodge which For other participants, giving back See Mitzvah Day on page 8 Hillel Lodge is deeply committed Jewish women in Ottawa to celebrate Limmud Ottawa 2020 preview > p. 4 inside: to person-centred care > p. 2 International Women’s Day > p. 10 February 24, 2020 2 OTTAWA JEWISH BULLETIN Hillel Lodge is deeply committed to person-centred care I, and all of us at Hillel Lodge, take this responsibility GUEST COLUMN very seriously and look forward to implementing this approach to the benefit of all our residents.” TED COHEN Hillel Lodge decided to adopt the best elements HILLEL LODGE from the person-centred care models we evaluated. We are adapting them to our unique situation at Hillel Lodge. Working in partnership with the prominent and anada is facing unprecedented demands on our well-respected Research Institute for Aging, Hillel Lodge healthcare system. Nowhere are these pressures will preserve the unique features that make the Lodge felt more acutely than in seniors’ services and a valued resource to our community while evolving to long-term care. With an aging population, more respond to the changing needs of today’s residents. Cvulnerable people than ever require long-term care. Hillel Lodge is home to 121 individuals. Each has Like others in the sector, the Bess and Moe Greenberg their own history, interests, and preferences. Per- Family Hillel Lodge is experiencing these pressures, but son-centred care demands that we continually seek because of outstanding professional staff, deeply com- new ways to meet the individual needs of our resi- mitted volunteers, and generous contributors, Hillel dents. As we implement this approach, residents can Lodge is very well positioned to meet the needs of our expect new services, care options, and activities that residents, whose care and safety remain our number respond to a wider variety of interests and capabilities. one priority. Through consultations with stakeholders, it became This year, 2020, marks an exciting time for Hillel clear that the person-centred care approach is wanted Lodge. In 2019, we held extensive consultations with and will be well received in our community. While our residents, their families, and community leaders to we will implement these changes as quickly as pos- learn everything we could to ensure we are prepared Ted Cohen is CEO of the Bess and Moe Greenberg Family sible, we must acknowledge that person-centred care to meet the evolving long-term care needs of our Hillel Lodge – Ottawa Jewish Home for the Aged. is a journey of continuous incremental change that community. During the consultations, we shared how will not only impact the services we offer but also Hillel Lodge and other leading long-term care homes will begin to change how aging is viewed and how to are embracing new ways of meeting the unique and Lodge, stated recently, “Developing the person-centred honour and empower our seniors. We will implement individual needs of each resident. This care approach care approach for our residents is the main reason I these changes responsibility and as quickly as possible. is called “person-centred care.” embraced the opportunity to serve as president. It is As CEO of Hillel Lodge, it is an honour to help Person-centred care received enthusiastic endorse- an honour and enormous responsibility to be a leader those requiring long-term care live full and engaged ment from our stakeholders and has been adopted and proponent for a model for change in our long- lives. I view the adoption of person-centred care as as the cornerstone of our vision and strategy at Hillel term care community. Adopting this approach is crit- critical as we strive to remain at the forefront of long- Lodge. As Arlene Rosenbloom, president of Hillel ical because of the increasing demands on our sector. term care. Rekindling memories of special life experiences Hillel Lodge has introduced room on the second floor of the Bess and Moe Greenberg Family Hillel Lodge looks Comfort Therapy, a new pro- like a park, complete with park benches, wall images of trees and recorded sounds of birds gram for residents with de- Achirping. mentia. reports. The room also has a cradle, a laundry basket of Louise Rachlis baby clothes, life-like baby dolls, and mechanical dogs and cats. And there are happy expressions on the faces of the residents who are rocking the dolls and petting the animals with heart-warming expressions of wonder, recollection, joy and contentment. It’s all part of a new therapeutic program, Comfort Therapy, made possible by a special $10,000 donation to Hillel Lodge. Realistic-looking baby dolls help reduce anxiety, loneliness and agitation among residents with Alzhei- mer’s and other kinds of dementia. Since residents began accessing the dolls in Novem- THE TRADITION CONTINUES ber, their family members have told social worker Rideau Bakery Bread is available at all Carrie Connell that the program has made a Farm Boy locations. Made with the same Allan Taylor big difference to their ■ GROUP PLANS demeanor. LOUISE RACHLIS starter, same recipes and same Hillel Lodge residents care for dolls in the new Comfort ■ LIFE INSURANCE “It gives them a warm Team Members as before. Therapy program to help stimulate memories of early ■ feeling to see the content- DISABILITY INSURANCE parenthood and foster attachment through the comforts of ■ PENSION and RRIFs ment on their relatives’ touching and holding. 613-244-9073 faces,” said Connell. [email protected] Caring for a doll on Visit FARMBOY.CA to find a day-to-day basis helps the comforts of touching and holding. a location near you! stimulate memories of “It’s a way to engage people,” said Connell. “They www.taylorfinancial.ca early parenthood and fos- have memories of all these life experiences. We try to ters attachment through See Comfort Therapy on page 3 February 24, 2020 OTTAWA JEWISH BULLETIN 3 Comfort Therapy brings joy Continued from page 2 make it relevant to our real world experiences.” When a recreation aide sang from the storybook Old MacDonald had a Farm, across the room, a resident named Donald began to smile.