If your loved one has recently moved into an assisted living community, you can still celebrate Hanukkah together – especially if they moved into one of the facilities under the Jewish Community Housing Corporation. One of the greatest benefits of moving into senior living in the Jewish tradition, is keeping all the traditions you know and love going. Here are some ways we are going to celebrate Hanukkah this year with our residents at Lester Senior Living.
Annual Hanukkah Party. Hosted in the Weston Lobby, our annual Hanukkah party is always a big hit amongst the residents – and staff as well! We’re still finalizing the details, but every Hanukkah party always has live entertainment by the TKlez Band, dancing, and delicious, traditional staple foods like Sufganiyot doughnuts – yum. Hanukkah Crafts. Our wonderful Community Life Coordinator, Keisha, hosts an annual Hanukkah crafts class where residents can create a signature piece of decor or symbol that is traditional to this holiday, like Menorahs or dreidels. Speaking of dreidels… Dreidel Tournament. “Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, with dreidel WE shall play!” A good, old fashioned competition is always welcome here at Lester Senior Living, especially a festive one like this. The winner may just have a special prize in store! Cooking Club: Making Latkes. Hanukkah just isn’t complete without some warm, crispy latkes! For those who may not know, Lester Senior Living has many activity clubs, some even started by the residents themselves. Cooking club is one of our more popular clubs at our assisted living facility, so of course it’s a no-brainer to have a seasonal class to make latkes for Hanukkah. Give our signature latke recipe a test run, you won’t regret it! Shabbat, Maariv, Torah and More. Did you know that we have a chapel on site? Residents are welcome to join us for Shabbat every Friday in the chapel. We also host weekly Torah and Maariv services with our rabbi over Zoom. As we mentioned earlier, Hanukkah plans are still in the works, but there will always be a special service held in the chapel for this joyous holiday. If residents have family coming to visit, they are more than welcome to join us for Shabbat. Celebrating Hanukkah at our Assisted Living Facility in Morris County Hanukkah Sameach from all of us at the JCHC communities! If you’d like to know more about senior care in the Jewish tradition, or about how we are celebrating Hanukkah in assisted living, please call the team at Lester today. At our senior community in Morris County, we read the Torah, hold traditional services in the chapel and have Shabbat together every week. Although our traditions are deeply rooted in Judaism, all of our communities’ welcome seniors of all faiths and backgrounds. To learn more about Jewish holidays at our assisted living community in Morris County, NJ, please visit our website at: https://jchcorp.org/ The original blog is posted on - https://jchcorp.org/ways-to-celebrate-hanukkah-in-assisted-living/
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Rosh Hashanah translates to “Head of the Year” and is one of the most joyous celebrations for our people! It is also a time for reflection, where we think about the past year and how we’d like to make more positive changes in the upcoming year. While for many, Rosh Hashanah conjures up hours spent at synagogue, the best part about this holiday is celebrating with family and friends. If you’re looking for ideas, our Lester assisted living staff in Morris County have compiled great ways to enjoy Rosh Hashanah!
#1. Wish your neighbor a happy new year! Perhaps, the easiest way to spread Rosh Hashanah cheer and make a positive change is to wish your neighbor a happy new year! You never know, after wishing someone “L’shana tova!” you might strike up a conversation that leads to a new friendship. There are many different ways to greet someone during Rosh Hashanah. You could stick with a simple “Happy New Year!” like we do on December 31st. Or if you want to practice your Hebrew more, you can give one of the phrases below a chance to shine.
Like Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah is more of a synagogue holiday. What makes this synagogue service different from others is the playing of the Shofar. This is one of the oldest known wind instruments, played only during Rosh Hashanah. Symbolically, the blowing out of air through the Shofar symbolizes how we must turn inward to fix ourselves so we can then burst out and contribute to the world. One hundred notes are played on this big horn to create a special rhythm that is symbolic to the holiday. The distinct sound of this instrument signals the start of the ten ‘Days of Awe,’ leading up to Yom Kippur. #3. Eat traditional Rosh Hashanah foods! Food is an important part of any holiday, but this is especially true for Rosh Hashanah. We celebrate the positivity of the upcoming year with staple foods that are usually sweet. Some examples are apples dipped in honey to symbolize a sweet new year, as well as, challah bread, tzimmes, kugel, fish and sweet potatoes. Here is the detailed significance behind some of these foods:
If you’d like to know more about senior care in the Jewish tradition, or about how we are celebrating Rosh Hashanah, please call the team at Lester Senior Living today. At our senior community in Morris County, we read the Torah, hold synagogue services and eat Shabbat together. Although our traditions are deeply rooted in Judaism, all of our communities’ welcome seniors of all faiths and backgrounds. To learn more about Jewish holidays at our assisted living community in Morris County, NJ, please visit our website at: https://jchcorp.org/ The original blog is posted on: https://jchcorp.org/traditional-ways-to-celebrate-rosh-hashanah/ Like exercising our bodies, exercising our minds is just as important as we age. Seniors who engage in memory-stimulating activities regularly have a greater chance of strengthening their cognitive abilities and keeping memory disorders at bay. What’s great is It’s not hard to incorporate these activities into anyone’s daily schedule. And the best part is: they’re fun to do! With that being said, our memory care advisors in Morris County, NJ have put together a list of some memory stimulating activities to keep senior minds sharp.
Trivia: With a variety of topics to choose from, trivia never loses its novelty. Playing different topics like music, history, movies and current events can do two important things for seniors. For one, it can help them tap into different parts of the brain to recall the answers. And the second, it can strengthen short-term memory by giving them something new to learn (we’ll expand more on this later). Not to mention, trivia is also a great way to gather with friends and socialize – which we do a lot of at JCHC’s Lester Senior Living. At Lester, we hold group trivia sessions every week that all of our residents are welcome to participate in. Sudoku: If you haven’t heard of Sudoku and are good with numbers, you’re really missing out! This game works by filling in a 9 by 9 grid using the numbers 1 to 9, never using them more than once vertically, horizontally or within the 3 by 3 subgrids. Sudoku is a great way to practice patience and strengthen pattern recognition. If you or a loved one is looking to play, you can find Sudoku puzzles in your local newspaper, online, or you could purchase a Sudoku book filled with puzzles ranging from easy to difficult. Crossword puzzles: There’s nothing like a good ol’ crossword puzzle with your morning coffee. These puzzles help a ton with memory recollection and your problem solving skills. Just like trivia, there are many different themes to choose from like sports, science, entertainment and art – to name a few. Alongside Sudoku, crossword puzzles can also be found in your local newspaper or you can download the Crossword app to your smartphone or tablet for free. Arts and crafts: One of the best memory-stimulating activities that seniors can take part in are arts and crafts. Keeping their hands busy helps to maintain dexterity, and being able to explore their creativity supports the imaginative parts of the brain. This activity is a win-win because seniors could also use it as an opportunity to make unique, handmade gifts for their friends and family. Learn a New Skill: As we’ve mentioned earlier, learning a new skill is key to keeping your memory sharp. At Lester Senior Living, we encourage memory care residents to attend guest lectures, enroll in different classes and clubs, and read new books in our community library. All of these activities support the brain in creating new neurological connections. Memory support in our senior community in Morris County Lester Senior Living has a designated unit to care and treat those with Alzheimer’s and dementia diagnoses. Our professional staff on-site are available at all hours of the day to assist memory care residents and provide many opportunities to engage in memory-stimulating activities. Our specialized facility also offers dementia-friendly apartments with 24-hour supervision in a beautiful, suburban setting in local Morris County. To find out more about memory care in Morris County, please visit our website at: https://jchcorp.org Original blog is available on: https://jchcorp.org/memory-stimulating-activities-for-seniors/ |
AuthorWe offer seniors a range of options in terms of housing, services, amenities, location and cost, all within the Jewish tradition: independent living, assisted living, memory care, respite, affordable housing, enriching programs, and on-site services for our residents, many of whom have special needs. Archives
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