Message from Barry Berman, CEO of Chelsea Jewish Lifecare

February 13, 2023

Dear Residents and Families,

I am very pleased to be spending more time on our Peabody campus. Both Kaplan Estates and Brudnick Center for Living are near and dear to my heart.

The first weekend in February brought record-breaking temperatures well below zero and our maintenance crew worked tirelessly day and night throughout the weekend. They ensured that all our heating systems were operational. I’d like to extend a big thank you to this wonderful team for keeping us all safe and warm despite the severe weather challenges.

Looking forward to meeting many of you personally in the coming weeks.

Warm regards,

Barry Berman
CEO
Chelsea Jewish Lifecare

Message from Megin Hemmerling, North Shore Regional President

February 13, 2023

Dear Residents and Families,

Our Meet and Greet with CEO Barry Berman on February 15 was a huge success. Mr. B, as he is fondly called, has been instrumental in the growth and expansion of Chelsea Jewish Lifecare. He will be spending more time on our Peabody campus getting to know each of our residents and families. We hope you had a chance to stop and say hello!

Brudnick Center for Living families came together for a Town Hall meeting on January 31st. The feedback indicated that this forum was helpful to all attendees. Going forward, we plan to hold such meetings quarterly throughout the year.

Sons of Israel in Peabody and Kaplan Estates Assisted Living have been working together on exciting partnership opportunities. We held our first combined Shabbos service recently. It was very well received by both the Sons of Israel congregants and our residents. As COVID restrictions ease, we will expand our partnership to benefit the entire campus.

Stay warm, safe, and happy!

All the best,

Megin

Megin L. Hemmerling
Regional President, Peabody
Chelsea Jewish Lifecare

Look What’s Happening on Our Peabody Campus

February 14, 2023

There’s a lot going on in Peabody this month. Kaplan residents and congregants from Peabody Synagogue’s Sons of Israel prayed jointly in our community room. The Service was also Zoomed so that even more congregants were able to take part in the service. Led by Cantor Seth Landau, Sons of Israel’s spiritual leader, congregational members jointly participated in readings and aliyot. The day marked the first joint service between the two and we are looking forward to more in the future.

Our Sweethearts Day celebration was a huge success! Residents enjoyed a medley of songs from Ann Lamphear, followed by delicious homemade strawberry shortcake layer cake. There were a lot of laughs, smiles and satisfied appetites!

In addition to Kaplan Estates daily fitness program that focuses on flexibility and strength training, every Friday fitness trainer Rachelle Bruzzese provides exercises for cardio and strength training. Rachelle also leads residents in Zumba Gold, great seated Cardio workouts, and strength training for seniors, which increases stamina, muscle, and bone strength. Residents have so much fun they forget they are taking an exercise class!

Thank you to our local Trader Joe’s for their generous floral donations. The company frequently donates flowers to Brudnick Center for Living for our flower arranging activities on our memory care units. These types of craft classes help residents create seasonal arrangements that decorate both our common spaces and residents’ rooms. Ceramic craft pieces add bursts of vibrant colors and are perfect for gift giving. Items like bird houses will grace our garden patios in the spring as well as help attract local birds for visits to our campus.

Many of our residents enjoyed camping when they were young, so we recreated their experiences with a Campfire Party. This event brought back cherished memories that they were eager to share with others. Singing songs around the campfire, playing Charades and telling stories from our past resulted in a most enjoyable time. The s’mores made it even better!

New and Improved Chelsea Jewish Lifecare Website!

February 7, 2023

A new version of the CJL website (www.chelseajewish.org) launched in mid-January. It is user friendly, informative, and easy to navigate. Our goal: to give you all the information you need in one place.

You’ll notice there are more videos and photos than before. Our organization is special because of our residents, families and staff members, so visual aids are a wonderful way to show who we are and what we are all about. We also tried to simplify the site by using less copy.

Take a look at resources such as activities, care options, scheduling resident visits, staff member videos and more. There are also contact phone numbers and emails, so please feel free to ask questions and or provide comments. We want to hear from you!

Meet the Newest Member of the Kaplan Estates Food Service Team

February 7, 2023

There’s a new face in the Kaplan dining room. Servi, an electronic food service robot, is helping to lighten the load for our hardworking dining team!

The three-tiered food runner makes trips to and from the kitchen to deliver food and bus tables, allowing employees to remain with residents in the dining area. Currently we are testing Servi and, if successful, we will use more robots in our dining rooms on other campuses. The versatile robot, who can hold up to 66 pounds, has an eight-to 12-hour battery life. Servi travels approximately one mile per dinner service and is capable of making 20 deliveries per night.

“Utilizing this new technology enables us to devote valuable staff time to caring for our residents,” said Andrea Hillel, Executive Director of Kaplan Estates. “We are using technology to supplement the more mundane parts of dining service, while keeping our hands and hearts tableside with our residents.”  In effect, Servi will facilitate better meal service with less hands on deck, thereby providing a higher quality of service and enhancing the overall dining experience for our residents.”

Loaded with innovative technology, Servi was designed to be safe, quiet, and as washable as possible. The compact size of the robot means he/she never gets in the way. Today Servi is being used in US restaurants as well as in a handful of assisted living residences across the country.

“We are excited to have Servi on our campus,” remarked Hillel. “Although he/she he is currently acting in more of a ‘supporting” role, there is definitely potential to expand the job description.” Added Andrea, “Servi is attentive, efficient, and friendly; the robot fits perfectly into our community.”

In addition to bussing tables, Servi possesses many other talents, such as greeting guests as they arrive in the dining room using a warm voice and pleasing gestures. Servi can also be loaded up on one of her two top platforms to deliver food to the table, navigate to the selected table, carefully avoiding people and obstacles along the way. At the end of the meal, Servi can return to the table to remove the dishes. For Servi and CJL, the path seems remarkably clear!