Kehillah Housing, a two-story, 14-apartment building for adults with developmental disabilities, will offer residents affordable housing near public transportation and access to an array of social services. The board of Cedar Sinai Park, where Kehillah Housing is being built, expanded its historic mission of serving seniors to include adults with special needs. Major funding for…
Last month when I received a press release from the Joshua Venture Group, I was astonished by two facts. The fact that Portlanders had landed two of the eight prestigious fellowships to “alter the Jewish landscape” seemed incredible given the competition from around the country. Yet, I was also struck by the fact that these…
“My son the doctor; my daughter the lawyer,” declares the iconic Jewish mother, kvelling (bursing with pride). What’s behind this boast? Is it parents’ vicarious pride in their children’s mastery of a challenging and intellectually rigorous profession? Is it about status and material success? Or are there other factors in play? Why do a disproportionate…
When Irina Panova-Proctor came to the United States in 2009 to be with the love of her life, she left 18 years of nursing experience behind in her native Latvia and started from scratch. Though she had worked in pediatrics, neurology and maternity, her license wasn’t transferable. “All around the world, nurses work not because…
Sandi Scholnick was reduced to tears – again. Her 92-year-old mother, Pauline Lecker, had been living at the Rose Schnitzer Manor at Cedar Sinai Park for 5½ years, and, despite her encroaching Alzheimer’s, the situation had been ideal. Then her mother’s condition began to deteriorate day by day rather than month by month. It was…
All seniors should check their Medicare prescription plan (Medicare Part D) and options for Medicare Advantage before the Dec. 7 Medicare Open Enrollment deadline, says Samuel Weiss, who serves as a long-term care ombudsman. As an advocate for residents of senior care facilities, including Robison Jewish Health Center and Rose Schnitzer Manor, Weiss helps seniors…
Dear Helen: I’m 63. My friends range from early 40s to late 70s. In the 60+, I’m beginning to see signs of mental decay. Not so much the common or occasional forgetfulness about appointments or phone numbers but what seem like bigger chunks of their brains becoming less reliable. I don’t know whether to say…
For our Traditions column each month, Oregon Jewish Life typically asks a group of rabbis, cantors or educators a question relevant to the season or a theme in that issue. This month, for our special section on seniors, we decided to ask professionals in the field of elder care to consider how traditional care for…
Walking into Mama Mia Trattoria, customers are immediately transported into the Old World. Sparkling chandeliers hang from the ceiling, flasks of extra-virgin olive oil grace the marble tables and the aroma of simmering meatballs fills the air. Restaurateur Barry Brown, who owns and manages the restaurant with his son Jared, has modeled it after classic…
“All memory is imperfect,” declares playwright Miriam Feder. Her newest play, Ephemory, which will debut in November, explores the fragility and legacy of memory as it plays out in the relationship between a mother and daughter. The mother, Carole, is slowly losing her memory to dementia, while her daughter, Ruth, struggles to capture her mother’s…
