Jewish New Year High Holiday Service for Michiganders Living with Dementia, Oct. 6

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Dementia-Friendly High Holiday Service Celebrating the Jewish New Year to be Held Oct. 6 in West Bloomfield!

 Service is available free on Zoom for participants not able to travel.

The Dorothy and Peter Brown Jewish Community Adult Day Program will be holding its award-winning, dementia-friendly service to celebrate the High Holidays at the Fleischman Residence chapel (6710 W. Maple Road in West Bloomfield) on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 11 a.m.

This is the 8th year

that the Brown program has hosted the Yom Kippur/Kol Nidre Service which lasts just one hour with many accommodations being made to ensure the experience is both enjoyable and as stress-free as possible, while still providing a meaningful High Holiday experience for families and their loved ones living with dementia. The service is free and open to the community and is also suitable for other adults who have physical restrictions which would make a traditional longer service uncomfortable; for example, rows are arranged with easy access to bathrooms and there is plenty of room for wheelchairs.

After the service,

there will be a kiddish with honey cake and participants will also be gifted a one-pound challah and a small jar of honey. The Brown Program is a joint initiative of Gesher Human Services and Jewish Senior Life and provides innovative and engaging activities and care for those living with dementia along with support for their families at its two centers in West Bloomfield and Southfield. Jewish Senior Life also operates the Edward I. & Freda Fleischman Residence. To register for the program, which is both in-person and on Zoom, visit brownadultday.org/highholiday2024. For images of the 2023 Dementia-Friendly High Holiday Service click here.

“We welcome anyone in the community who would prefer a shorter service in an environment where there is no pressure to dress a certain way, sound a certain way or behave in a certain way,” said Director of the Brown Program, Debi Banooni. “Although our program is less formal than a traditional service, we include all the familiar songs beloved by the community during the High Holidays.”

Cantor Pamela Schiffer, who is Cantor Emerita of Congregation Shaarey Zedek, in East Lansing,

has conducted the service for a number of years and will be doing so again. Banooni said that Cantor Schiffer is adept at modifying the service depending on the response of participants and highlighted a situation from the 2023 program where an elderly participant continued singing additional verses of an abridged version of a song.

“Afterwards I got a note from his wife saying that at first she had thought she needed to redirect her husband, but when he had been encouraged to continue singing it had ended up making the service even more meaningful to both of them,” said Banooni. “Our aim is to always encourage people to find their voice. Oftentimes the melodies, prayers and songs from the High Holiday Days evoke strong memories for people living with dementia, giving them the opportunity to participant and reminisce.”

The High Holiday service

is made possible through a generous gift from the Dee dee and Michael Perlman Caregivers Fund housed at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. For more information on the Brown Program, visit brownadultday.org.

About Gesher Human Services

Gesher Human Services is a non-profit organization providing a bridge to hope and opportunity for people at work, at home and in the community. It is dedicated to helping people across metro Detroit lead more stable and fulfilling lives through workforce development, career mobility, behavioral health, inclusion programming and residential services that serve all metro Detroiters while meeting the needs of the Jewish community.

The organization works with job seekers, people with disabilities, older adults, and the community at large to provide skills, support, and equitable opportunities for people to succeed. Uniting two of metro Detroit’s most influential Jewish human services agencies, JVS Human Services and Kadima, Gesher brings over 110 years of combined experience facilitating equitable employment opportunities and better mental health outcomes for residents. With a network of more than 400 employees and volunteers across 25 locations in southeast Michigan, Gesher delivers a continuum of services and support that directly impacts the lives of over 26,000 individuals and families annually. More information at www.geshermi.org.

About Jewish Senior Life of Metropolitan Detroit

Founded in 1907, Jewish Senior Life of Metropolitan Detroit (JSL) provides six inclusive residential communities with a continuum of care on two campuses in West Bloomfield and Oak Park, Michigan. JSL enhances the lives of older adults, embraces Jewish values, nurtures a sense of community, and celebrates life through innovative enrichment programs and services that support the social, physical, cultural, and spiritual wellness of all participants. JSL is a nonprofit organization that welcomes people of all beliefs and faiths. Visit https://jslmi.org/.