Message from Maimonides leadership

Transcription

1 NEWSLETTER FAMILY Summer 2004 Volume 10 No. 2 Message from Maimonides leadership Bill 25 to change health care system The current provincial government is bringing changes to the health care system as we know it. Last December, the government adopted Bill 25 which will change the organizational structure of the health care system. Under the Bill, Montreal's CLSC's, long-term care facilities, rehabilitation centres and hospitals will be merged into 12 Health Centres responsible for providing all primary and Summer Bonfire July 13th at 6:30 pm secondary care in their geographic territory. The current recommendation by the Agence de Développement de Montréal would allow Maimonides to be left out of the Local Health Network for cultural reasons. The proposal includes the merger of Maimonides with the Jewish Eldercare and Mount Sinai, all reporting to one board. Our Corporation, Foundation, Auxiliary and Centre Boards are all very Annual Centre-Wide BBQ July 14th at 2:30 pm concerned about the future governance of Maimonides. The proposed re-organization threatens to break this vital connection. As the law gets implemented, we will do everything we can to ensure that you remain involved and connected to Maimonides. Maimonides assures its residents and families that the Centre will continue to provide the highest standards of care. Upcoming Activities **All events will take place in the Garden weather permitting A summer activities animator has been hired and will coordinate garden parties and outings such as visits to the Botanical Gardens, Jazz Festival and Casino for residents. These outings will begin at the end of June. For more information, contact the TR specialist on your Unit. MISSIVE Talent Show August 4th at 2:30 pm Summer Carnival August 11th at 2:30 pm , avenue Caldwell Montréal (Québec) H4W 1W3 CENTRE AFFILIÉ À L'UNIVERSITÉ McGILL / A McGILL UNIVERSITY AFFILIATED CENTRE

2 Interested in sponsoring a 2 The Maimonides Annual Fashion Show Returns! Wednesday August 18th at 2pm In the garden Come one! Come all! For the first time this year, some residents will participate in the show. kiddush at Maimonides? The Maimonides Foundation is now accepting donations to the newly created Kiddush Fund. Monies will be used to purchase fruit cake, gefilte fish, and grape juice for Saturday services. Your gift will be acknowledged during the Kiddush and on the donor recognition page in the Perspective newsletter. A tax receipt will be provided for the amount of your donation. Contact the Foundation office at (514) local 2207 for more information. Grape Juice for Sabbath Residents are now able to get grape juice with their Friday night meal, to welcome the Sabbath. They can fill out the regular meal form or request it through Nutrition and Food Services. Maimonides Geriatric Centre Family Newsletter Summer 2004

3 Elevator Petition gets results Come see an art exhibit of works by residents, staff and volunteers at Maimonides. Vernissage May 19th, pm- 7pm Exhibit runs until August 18th, 2004 There will also be art sessions and workshops. For information, please call ext Residents and family members participated in a very successful elevator petition a few months ago. More than 400 signatures were collected in this resident initiative. The petition was approved by the Maimonides Board of Directors and was sent to the Régie Régionale de Montréal requesting the funds to install two additional elevators at Maimonides. The Régie has yet to give a final response but in a letter, it acknowledged receiving the document and classified it as a Priority 2. Maimonides currently has two general elevators as well as a service elevator and shabbat elevator. The residents who initiated this project felt that that is not enough to meet the demands of our 387 residents and more than 1000 visitors daily. In addition, the elevators are sometimes used for delivery of equipment and supplies and are not always available for residents, most of whom are wheelchair-bound and dependent on elevators to get anywhere in the building. The Social Services department would like to commend the residents and family members who partook in this project. It is important that initiatives such as this one are undertaken in order to provoke change. Maimonides Geriatric Centre Family Newsletter Summer

4 Children from Hebrew Academy's Kindergarten "B" class participated in Purim celebrations with Maimonides residents. Queen for a Day Residents and family members on the 6th floor enjoy afternoon tea to celebrate Mother's Day. 4 Maimonides Geriatric Centre Family Newsletter Summer 2004

5 News from the Users' Committee The Users Committee is a council of individuals composed of residents and family members. Its mandate is to provide ways for residents to communicate their concerns to the Administration and has two representatives on the Board of Directors. For inquiries or further information about the Users Committee, please call (514) ext Leave a message and someone will call you back. Resident Special Visiting Program (RSVP) returns The Users Committee is excited to once again provide the funding for two students this summer in the Resident Special Visiting Program (RSVP). These students take isolated residents for walks outside, to the garden or other activities. This program is coordinated in conjunction with the Social Services department and Volunteer Services. The Users Committee will be holding Information Meetings on each Unit to educate residents and family members about its role. Check your mail for further details! Maimonides Geriatric Centre Family Newsletter Summer

6 Music to your Ears Piano Moves to Lobby Maimonides has moved the grand piano from the synagogue to the lobby for every one to enjoy. For fire-safety reasons, a smaller piano has replaced the grand piano in the synagogue. Residents, family members and staff can be seen enjoying the music while eating in the newly-renovated lobby opposite the coffee shop. We are currently looking for volunteers to play the piano for our residents and visitors. For more information, contact Roz Friend at (514) ext Here is the schedule of performances: Dawn Anthony Brandon Stern Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 2:15 pm - 3:30 pm Tuesday at 3:30 pm Cemetery Visit Some Maimonides residents will get the opportunity to visit the graves of their loved ones and pay their respects in accordance with Jewish customs just before the High Holidays. For the fourth year, the Chaplaincy, Therapeutic Recreation and Social Services departments have organized to bring a group of alert, wheel-chair bound residents to the de la Savane cemetery. The cemetery visit will take place September 1 and 2 at 1pm. For more information, contact the Rabbi at (514) local Maimonides Geriatric Centre Family Newsletter Summer 2004

7 Foundation funds NEW Terrace to be built this summer Aterrace will be built as an extension of the newly-renovated lobby at the Caldwell entrance. We are very excited to let you know that the terrace is expected to be complete by mid-july, in time for your family members to enjoy outdoor activities THIS summer. This new terrace will allow residents to watch all the action in front of the building, in a comfortable, outdoor setting. This project is funded entirely by the Maimonides Foundation with some help from the Foundation's Family Fundraising Initiative. The Foundation has also provided funding for the immediate purchase of a retractable awning for the 1st floor patio, facing the garden. Maimonides is committed to improving the physical environment of the facility and the quality of life for our residents. Since the average length of stay at the Centre is 3 years, creating a warm functional and home-like atmosphere has been a priority. If you would like to support these endeavors or other Facelift projects, please contact Foundation Director Karen Flam at (514) local Maimonides Geriatric Centre Family Newsletter Summer

8 Graduation Ceremony Class of 2004 Happy 101 st birthday! Maimonides resident Katie Caplin celebrated her 101st birthday last month. Family and friends sent flowers and took her out to dinner to recognize this milestone event. Katie has been a resident on the 5th floor for about a year and a half. Happy Birthday Katie! Frima Aronovitch Nathan Brifman Mary Browman Boris Denbow Kenneth Dubrofsky Morris Fishman Wanda Gavsie Mindy Gold Anne Goldenberg Hannah Greenstein Bertha Sara Guttman Libby Hurwitz Jeanette Isaacson Eva Levy Harold Levy Sylvia Lipstein Bernard Litwack Klara Mellinger Joseph Miller Laurie Milliken Zelda Oppen Amalia Perez Eleanor Polger Rhoda Schwartz Sarah Shapiro Marsha Skolnik Dorothy Slutsken Birdie Tessler Marvin Wilansky 8 Maimonides Geriatric Centre Family Newsletter Summer 2004