SEPTEMBER 2018—-ELUL-TISHREI 5779—VOL 19 NO 1

President’s Message ........................ 2Resident of the Month ......................3Holiday Schedules .............................4Reflections ...........................................5September Activities .........................6

September Activities, cont. ..............7Health Notes ........................................8Employee of the Month ..................9Dining .................................................10Marketing ........................................... 11

Reflection

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Staff

Emma Davis, Director of Programming 415-345-5098 Adrienne Fair, Assistant Executive Director 415-345-5077Ira Kurtz, Executive Director 415-345-5080Eric Luu, Chief Financial Officer 415-345-5083Van Ly, Business Office Manager 415-345-5073Samson Legesse, Director of Facilities 415-345-5088 Candiece Milford, Managing Director of Marketing 415-345-5072Peggy O'Brien, Director of Resident Services 415-345-5082Corey Weiner, Director of Food and Beverage 415-345-5050

2180 Post Street San Francisco, CA 94115

415.345.5060 415.345.5061 (fax) www.RGPlaza.org RCFE #385600125

Rhoda goldman plaza

Don AbramsonKaren Aidem David DossetterNancy GoldbergDr. Carl GrunfeldDr. Lawrence HillDavid Melnick Bernie NebenzahlRaquel NewmanJaimie SanfordPaul SiegelVera SteinRonna StoneDr. Anita FriedmanKaren Staller

Board of Directors

Corrected Names With Apologies to:Liza Manuilova

Besilda Nalus

Nguyen Tran

Rowena Richie

Also mea culpa for the typos, mistaken punctuation, and questionable grammar which populated our last edition of the Olive Press.

The Editor

Bring It On!As I sit here reflecting on days gone by and days yet to come, I hear the sounds of the wind chimes outside my living room window and visualize the smiling, cheerful faces in the hall outside my apartment door. As I share words and thoughts with

myself, I realize there are over a hundred gentle souls thinking their own thoughts too.

I can look back on a life filled with opportunites to lead groups to successful meetings in my professional life. KQED was that kind of experience in my life as a volunteer. I also hope to lead successful groups here at Rhoda Goldman Plaza. Fostering the various activities and committees, growth is first on my agenda for the year.

Being right on top of questions, answering phone calls promptly, and meeting deadlines is my way of doing things. Also, you can be sure you have my ear.

It’s going to be an interesting year and I invite you all to join me.

Message from the Resident Council President Barry Adler

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Resident of the Month—Dr. Steve Caldwell

“Denmark is a wonderful little country and I feel lucky that I come from there. Both my maternal grandparents came from Denmark. When I was in high school, I learned that the Danes fought the Germans in WWII, resisted the Nazis (the king himself wore the Star of David and wouldn’t take it off), I became more appreciative of Denmark which I saw as a David standing up to a Goliath. After college, when I began travelling, I went to Denmark and met my Danish relatives.

Growing up, I was interested in baseball, basketball, and football and had no plans for the future. In high school, I attended a science camp with outstanding teachers and for the first time, I realized that I had an opportunity to make something of my life. Since I was good academically, I was accepted at Dartmouth where I studied philosophy and mathematics. About that time, I read a Time article about the Action Intellectuals—scholars who left academia, joined Kennedy’s administration, and went to work to make the country a better place. The article raised my expectations for myself and gave me ideas about what was worthwhile. After graduating from Dartmouth, I got a year-long Fulbright Scholarship in India. The extreme poverty of Indian life sparked my desire to do something about it. I was accepted at Cornell University where I received a PhD in mathematics and philosophy. Although I

had focused on mathematics, I became even more interested in sociology and economics.

After graduating, I headed to the Urban Institute, a think tank, based in Washington D.C. that carries out economic and social policy research. I felt I could make a difference as I was looking for ways of developing public policy to prevent inequality of wealth. After seventeen years at the Institute, I returned to Cornell to teach sociology and economic policy, specializing in courses dealing with tax policy. My interest was in teaching how public policy can help the poor and to create a safety net for them. Inequality of wealth in itself is not bad, but when there is no social safety net, the situation of the poor becomes ever so much more dire. A social safety net is the basics of a good life, for example childcare, healthcare, basic transportation, education, and housing. When I went to Denmark, I am hard-pressed to find poor people, but here in the US, the signs of poverty and homelessness are everywhere.

Reflecting on how I have come to my life work, I think it is based on the values of fairness and equality which come from having a Danish heritage. I’d say that, because of this heritage, I have a commitment to fairness, particularly to economic equality.

Asked about what advice he would he give to young people, Dr. Caldwell believes “Try to make something of yourself. Develop and use your talents. Don’t waste your life.”

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Dining Services and High Holy Day Service Schedule

Cafe Holiday ScheduleThe Cafe will be closed for business:September 9 Sun Erev Rosh HaShanah 2:00pm 10 Mon Rosh HaShanah All day 18 Tues Erev Yom Kippur 2:00pm 19 Wed Yom Kippur All day

Holiday Special OrdersApple Cakes $15.00Honey Cakes $15.00Round Raisin Challahs $7.00Rugalach $9/dozen

Please place your orders in the Cafe. Everything must be pre-ordered by Tuesday, September 4th. Your order needs to be paid for before the holidays, and picked up by noon on Sunday, September 9th.

Guest Holiday MealsRosh HaShanah Dinner $18.00

Reservations required.

5779

Rhoda Goldman Plaza management and staff wishes our residents, families, and friends a happy and healthy

New Year

High Holy Days ServicesAll services will be officiated by Rabbi Meir’a Illinsky. All services—Erev Rosh HaShanah, Rosh HaShanah, Kol Nidre, and Yom Kippur—will be held in the Olive Room.

Erev Rosh HaShanah ServiceSunday, September 9th 4:00 pm

Rosh HaShanah ServiceMonday, September 10th 10:00 am

Kol Nidre ServiceTuesday, September 18th 4:00 pm

Yom Kippur and Yizkor ServicesWednesday September 19th 10:00 am

Break the Fast DinnerWednesday, September 19th 5:00 pm

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Reflecting on Reflection

R eflection—reconsidered—is the theme of September’s Olive Press. The theme of meta-reflection includes ideas that reflection is an action-process and that reflection bonds the past and the future.

Despite the idea that reflection is only a mental process, the completed reflective processes generates action. The reflective cycle, graphically represented as a spiral, involves reflection, observation, planning, and action. As a result of reflection, people decide on their direction and make changes in their lives.

Reflection on action—looking at actions after they have been done—is what John Dewey an American educational reformer elucidated upon when he said “people do not learn from their experience, but they learn from reflecting on their experience.”

Research has shown that the reflection process—reflection, observation, planning, and action—assists people to achieve their goals and builds their self-confidence to achieve more goals.

Reflection, also a Rosh HaShanah theme, includes the present and the cosmic past. On Rosh Hashanah, the world is reborn; the special prayers for the yearly rain begin. “Yom Kippur, the day of atonement and repentence is the day when “Moses received the second set of Ten Commandments.....” (and) “the Israelites were granted atonement for the sin of the Golden Calf; hence, its designation as the Day of Atonement.” (Wikipedia). On Sukkot, the forty--year sojourn in the desert is remembered and celebrated in a sukkah.

So whether we are reflecting on personal decisions or events of the Jewish People, on significant or seemingly insignificant actions, we have the ability to learn from them and redirect our life course.

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September A

ctivities

Special Events 3 Mon 10:30 Film -- Harry Bridges: A Man and His Union 4, 5, 6, 7 Tues-Thurs 1:00-4:00 Open Photo Studio 9 Sun 10:30 Solidarity Sunday 17 Mon 7:00 RGP Book Club 22 Sat 10:30 Nails with Julia 23 Sun 11:00 Gardening with Elizabeth and Decorating the Sukkah 26 Wed 10:00 Creative Writing with Dorothy 27 Thurs 3:00 Songs in the SukkahOutings 4 Tues 10:45 Contemporary Jewish Museum 6 Thurs 1:00 Crab Cove Visitor Center and Aquarium 11 Tues 1:00 Wells Fargo History Museum Tour 13 Thurs 1:00 Peninsula Museum of Art 15 Sat 11:45 Legacy Film Festival on Aging 18 Tues 12:00 Lunch at Dyafa 20 Thurs 1:00 Pacific Coast Highway—South of SF Scenic Drive 25 Tues 1:00 Muir Woods 27 Thurs 1:00 Chinese Historical Society of America MuseumLectures/Discussion 2, 16, 23, 30 Sun 4:15 Current Events with Jim 3, 17, 24 Mon 3:00 California in a Gilded Age 6 Thurs 3:00 Lessons from Nature: Fighting Cancer by Assaf Zinger 7 Fri 10:30 Roberts Court and the First Amendment 12 Wed 10:30 John Rothmann 12 Wed 1:00 Sports Memories with Ira 13 Thurs 10:30 Make ‘em Laugh with Bonnie Weiss 14 Fri 10:30 Pain Awareness Month Presentation by Dr. Larry Hill 20 Thurs 10:30 Veiled Meanings Lecture 21 Fri 10:15 Fall Prevention: Stepping Out Strong with Hope Levy 24 Mon 10:30 John Rothmann 25 Tues 2:00 Sukkah Reminiscing with Melanie 27 Thurs 10:30 Eastern European Jewry with Ken Blady 28 Fri 10:30 Venice, Veneto & the Middle East Saturdays 3:30 History of European ArtClasses Committees/Resident Council/Clubs 5 Wed 1:00 Activities Committee 12, 26 Wed 3:15 Memory Loss Support Group 18 Tues 10:30 Movie Committee 21 Fri 1:30 History Committee 25 Tues 2:00 Siddur Committee 26 Wed 2:00 Resident Council 28 Fri 10:00 Dining Room CommitteePoetry and Drama: 5 Wed 10:30 Storytelling with Bruce 14 Fri 1:00 Greg Pond Poetry Reading 16 Sun 11:00 Poetry with Elizabeth 25 Tues 10:30 Script Reading with Lauren

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September A

ctivitiesArt Classes 4, 11, 25 Tues 3:30 Painting with Kimberley 6, 20, 27 Thurs 9:00 Ceramics with Jeannie Fridays 2:00 Knitting with Max 26 Wed 11:00 Flowers with BethanyMusic 2 Sun 2:00 Yakov Violin Concert 9 Sun 2:00 Moonglow Duo Concert 16 Sun 3:00 Gary Zellerbach Jazz Concert 23 Sun 3:00 Ben Brussell Concert 24 Mon 1:00 Sam Reider and The Human Hands Concert 29 Sat 2:00 Mark Levy Concert 30 Sun 3:00 Presidio Jazz ConcertGames Sundays 1:00 Cards with Eric 3, 17 Mon 1:00 Bingo 3, 17, 24 Mon 4:30 Crossword Tuesdays 1:00 Rummikub 4 Tues 7:00 Blackjack with Ira 5, 12 Wed 2:00 Scrabble 7, 28 Fri 10:00 Dominoes 7, 28 Fri 1:00 Scattergories Saturdays 1:30 RummikubExercise Classes 2, 9 Sun 10:00 Exercise with Caroline 5, 12, 26 Wed 9:00 Klezmercise! with Bruce 5, 12, 26 Wed 11:00 Open Gym with a Trainer\ Thursdays 9:00 Exercise with Carl Thursdays 1:30 Chair Yoga with Ilya 7, 14 Fri 9:00 Exercise with Caroline 7, 21 Fri 2:00 Klezmercise! with Bruce 16, 23, 20 Sun 10:00 Exercise with Phil Tuesdays 9:15 Tai Chi with Janet 21, 28 Fri 9:00 Exercise with Phil 14, 28 Fri 2:00 Musical Theater with Bruce Saturdays 10:30 Chair Yoga with Ilyareligious Services 9 Sun 4:00 Rosh Hashanah Service with Rabbi Me’irah 10 Mon 10:00 Rosh Hashanah Services with Rabbi Me’irah 18 Tues 4:00 Kol Nidre with Rabbi Me’irah 19 Wed 10:00 Morning Service and Yizkor with Rabbi Me’irah 26 Wed 4:00 Tea with BAJHC Rabbi Fridays 4:00 Shabbat Service with Rabbi Me’irah

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Adrienne Fair, MSN, RN, Assistant Executive Director

Health Notes

Reflection-in-Action

The RGP health services team, in a certain sense, is in a constant state of reflection-in-action as we adapt to new challenges each day. We organize and assist with medications for nearly one hundred residents, assist with care and emergencies 24/7, provide ancillary services, and coordinate with physical therapists, hospice providers, case managers, home health nurses, and family members. In addition, we need to provide proper documentation and reports to the state of California Department of Social Services. To do all of this, we need to be extremely organized, recognize any potential problems, and adapt to them quickly.

Beyond reflection-in-action, we strive to reflect on the efficacy and quality of our care. We ask ourselves, do the residents and families feel supported? Is there something we could do better? Are there solutions to a problem that will improve care for a certain resident? No two bodies (or minds) are alike and wellness is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor.

One of my favorite nursing theorists is Dorothea Orem who frames the kind of reflective questions we ask ourselves (as nurses) as the theory of self-care. She emphasizes how important it is to get each person to understand their healthcare needs and to participate in their plan for wellness:

• People should be self-reliant, and responsible for their care as much as possible.

• People are distinct individuals.

• Nursing is a form of action: it is an interaction between two or more people with the goal of resolving self-care deficits.1

Reflection includes my personal role models, my grandparents—Billie and Leonard Fair—with whom I have a particularly close relationship. I have been travelling back and forth to Missouri this summer to assist where I can with my grandfather’s care and transition to hospice. He passed away in August, and I was there providing comfort care along with my aunts, father, brother, and grandmother. It was a very emotional time for all of us, and ultimately brought us together as a family. Reflecting on this experience still brings tears to my eyes, but it is also a source of inspiration for my efforts as part of the RGP community.

My grandfather, William Leonard Fair a.k.a. “Doc”, was a family physician and surgeon for many years in a small town where he also volunteered after his retirement, providing free medical advice to the community. After he passed away, my grandmother was deluged with cards and notes from his former patients, telling their personal stories about how much he meant to them.

Like my grandfather, each member of the RGP community—residents, staff, families, friends—is a distinct individual with their own unique history and accomplishments. It is truly an honor to be surrounded by such amazing people and I hope to honor my grandfather’s memory through my dedication to this community.1Orem, D. (1971) Nursing Concepts of Practice

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Employee of the Month-—Rafaela Arauz

September Birthdays

Milka Rols 1Maxene Greenspan 2Lola Wiesner 5Lillian Finkel 7Dorothy Cooper 9Eleanor Miller 13Marilyn Hartwell 22Muriel Price 27 Bob Erickson 29Jack Leibman 29

Rafaela has been at RGP since it first opened. She began as a housekeeper when there were only three employees in the housekeeping department and twenty-five residents. Rafaela initially

began working in the lobby, but after a few months, after more residents moved in, she began housekeeping on the fifth floor. Over the years co-workers, supervisors, and schedules have changed, but for the past eight years, Rafaela has worked on the seventh floor.

“Housekeeping is not just about cleaning rooms,” Rafaela explained, “It’s much more than that. In my country Nicaragua, older people stay with their families and are surrounded by family throughout their life. Here in the US, I see older people living alone, sometimes with family and friends living far away. I try to make residents’ day happier. It is my mission, so to speak, to greet residents with a smile, with happiness to see them; we should bring happiness into the room when we come to clean each day. Everybody needs love and so I try to give residents a special love that they know ‘when I see you, I am happy.’

Many residents tell me about their lives, and I am glad to listen. I see that everyone has their own share of troubles, sadness, celebrations, and happiness, and I can help them by listening. Many residents’ stories—about the Vietnam War, World War II, new grandchildren, and growing up in Europe—I have heard histories much more interesting than any history book.”

Rafaela was born in Nicaragua and graduated from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua – Managua with a degree in chemistry. She taught high school chemistry for thirteen years before coming to the US with her husband in 1999. She worked in a hotel for a few months, then heard about an opening at RGP, and has been here ever since.

“I like working at RGP,” she said. “My co-workers are very nice, and Paulo, our supervisor helps whenever we need help. Staff is very friendly, as is the new Director; everybody helps out each other in many different ways.

Flu ShotsOctober 17th from 8:30-11:30

October 18th for Kaiser members

Please contact Melanie in 324 if you have any questions

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Corey Weiner,Director of Food and Beverage

Dining—Eat to your heart’s content

Why apples? Why talk about apples? Why on this holiday do we eat apples rather than oranges? (After all, oranges are called ‘apel’sin’ (Chinese apples) in Russian .) Why don’t I approve of apples? Why should I even try to write about them? Arghhhhhh.... Ok, for Apete’s sake, I’ll change a rant to a reflection.....

Why apples?? Maybe because everything starts with apples. At the very beginning, in the Garden of Eden, the APPLE was The Fruit, although others say that the story is non-specific when it comes to Gan Eden’s forbidden fruit. AND why blame Eve (isn’t that just like men?) Back in ancient times (when exactly was that?) figs and dates were the big crops and were often used for Rosh Hashanah. Why the switch? Neither the Bible nor the Talmud dictates the custom of dipping apples in honey. .

Where did my dis-approval, dis-approbation, or just planning dissing of apples originate? I think it’s because they are just not punny. After reflecting, I’m observing and planning how to app-ly some humor even though it’s just not apple-icable. It’s just not an apeeling topic, not really appleasure. What’s so funny Honey (Crisp (an apple))? There is a Fameuse Empire, a cluster of apple orchards, run by the lost tribe of McIntosh-Gold (remember dear departed Aunt Dinah

Gold and her children—Ginger Gold, Jonagold, and that little apple-of-my-eye, the yenta we called Golden Delicious). The Empire’s apples must meet strict quality standards—AOC, which refers to appellation d’origine contrôlée or controlled term of origin. Bad apples made the Maiden’s Blush (an apple). After a successful harvest there was always a Gala (an apple). An average American eats sixty-five apples a year, that is 650 cyanide filled seeds. “Honey Bun “I love you a bushel and a peck (of apples),”… and please core my apples and remove all those cyanide-infused seeds.” Did you know it takes an apple tree five years to bare fruit—an appreciable period of time. Isn’t there an app for that?

As Jews we prize study and we question, debate and argue, about almost everything. It is one of our most apple-laudapple traits. At this time of the year, it’s our role to repent our foolish puns, reflect, and begin a new year. So, after reflection, I will dis-dis-approbate apples. However, it would help, if the apple season were longer, so the parade of heavenly heirloom apples, the apogee of the apple season, lasted a few months instead of a few weeks. By October all of our little non-heirloom friends (Gala, Fuji, Delicious) go into cold storage to sustain us until the next season. As I reflect, I am appalled by the mushy, tasteless, cold-storage apples, and yearn for the real thing. So, this year, I suffer, I question, I ponder, I study.

You can please and aptly have a sweet, healthy and happy New Year.

WHY, WHY, WHY, Why? I ask you, why?

A is for apple

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Candiece Milford,Managing Director of Marketing

Becoming Who We Are

One of the many joys of my work at Rhoda Goldman Plaza is to meet the very interesting people who come to learn about RGP as they consider a move. While each person presents a unique life experience and world view, they all are reflecting on “what’s next” at this time in their life. Admittedly, some come to my office with “smoke on their heels,” being accompanied by well-meaning adult children, or more willingly, having reflected on the wisdom of aging in place in their current homes.

All residents arrive with a lifetime of experience and definition of what is important to them. As I listen, I learn about these priorities and help people understand how by living here, they can still be true to themselves. This is a bridge that we walk together as I filter expectations, desires, and choices and align them with the offerings of our program. All of which means that you can still be “you” when you change your address.

It’s taken a lifetime to become “you,” over bumpy roads and smooth sailings. We learn from those experiences and over time, sail our little ships in a myriad of different paths into who we are today. The happiest people I encounter are those that have been able to survive these fluctuations with a bit of humor, self-understanding, willingness to change and soul-search when needed. This is not an easy endeavor, particularly if you stand at the

portal just having experienced a health event, loss of mobility or eyesight, or have found it harder to reach out to others.

The good news is that with one hundred and forty-five fellow “travelers” (residents) who are like-minded with many different backgrounds, you can come to rest in a community that embraces who you are today. Some people continue to develop when they try out new skills, such as art, and discover latent talents even they did not know they possessed. Others discover that they enjoy the company of others and find courage to test new waters in their company.

Which is all to say that while we stand at the “two roads that diverge in a yellow wood,” you have a choice whether to stay in the home we know or to adventure forth into the gracious and inviting community of Rhoda Goldman Plaza. Stasis or change? It’s up to you. Being true to yourself will always provide the right decision, even if you need a little nudge from those who care for you.

Rhoda goldman plaza 2180 Post Street San Francisco, CA 94115

415.345.5060 415.345.5061 (fax)

www.RGPlaza.org RCFE #385600125

Founded by Jewish Family and Children’s Services and Mount Zion Health Fund

Rhoda Goldman PlazaThe appeal of Rhoda Goldman Plaza is undeniable. Older adults and their families prefer our unsurpassed assisted living and memory care community enriched by culture and tradition.Residents enjoy superb, “made-from-scratch” cuisine that is always well reviewed by our most vocal critics; our residents! While our dining selections please the appetite, accommodations showcase spacious, private apartments designed to maximize space and comfort. In fact, we’re re-defining your life as Living Well With Assistance — we believe our community is every bit as good as a five-star hotel. And, professionally trained, courteous staff promotes your health and well-being with choices of activity programs both on and off-site.

Our Terrace Memory program provides specialized memory care to residents through therapeutic activities that enhance physical, mental, and emotional health. Both privacy and companionship are afforded on our self-contained Terrace. Living Well With Assistance is more than a promise, but a way of life for our like-minded residents and staff who share the vision of our upscale community.

Visit Rhoda Goldman Plaza today by calling 415.345.5072.

Founded by Jewish Family and Children’s Services and Mt. Zion Health Fund in 2000, Rhoda Goldman Plaza (RGP) was established as a non-profit assisted living facility to provide a better and more secure life for older adults.