WHAT SETS US APART
By Jo Strausz Rosen
When someone asks what I do for a living, my short “elevator speech” is that I work at Jewish Senior Life of Metropolitan Detroit. I tell them that, for 116 years, we have been the provider of choice for outstanding residences and compassionate services that enable older adults to live healthy, joyous, and purposeful lives.
If I’m asked how we do this, my answer is “superlative staff.” Our JSL team does everything in our power to create lively programming and encourage close friendships and communities of healthy seniors. We challenge bodies and minds with a wide range of exercise and enrichment activities. Life enrichment coordinators, dieticians and dining services, administration, and social workers collaborate to deliver engrossing programs with something for everyone.
Residents stay actively engaged with programs such as reader’s theater, creative writing, music, jewelry making, art instruction, cultural programming, educational lectures, and a variety of exercise and wellness programs. Transportation services for shopping, well stocked libraries, fine dining, hair salons, boutiques, grab and go bistros and pantries with Kosher-to-go foods and snacks provide the amenities that make communal living comfortable and easy.
We collaborate with sister agencies, congregations, and local day schools to offer volunteer activities to the greater community and allow residents to connect with community members of every age. We call our volunteer corps FRIENDS of JSL. Our greater Detroit Jewish community steps up and takes care of JSL mothers and fathers with charitable support for the programs and services we provide to the 850 residents living on our West Bloomfield and Oak Park campuses.
Additional services within our communities include the Dorothy & Peter Brown Jewish Community Adult Day Program for people living with dementia and their care partners; the Jewish Community Chaplaincy & Outreach programs that connects everyone who desires spiritual inspiration; The Program for Holocaust Survivors & Families, which continues to provide for and enrich the lives of survivors who live with us and around us.
And if my listener is still listening, I tell them how proud we are of Jewish Senior Life’s I CARE CORE VALUES:
Integrity – We act with honesty and uphold the highest ethical standards. We respect and maintain confidentiality.
Compassion & Collaboration – We demonstrate concern for those we serve and each other. We treat everyone with sensitivity and empathy. We build strong, inclusive, and vibrant communities where no one feels alone.
Accountability & Advocacy – We are responsible to those we serve, those we employ, and each other for our actions and their results. We are accountable to our donors and are effective stewards of their investment in JSL. We advocate for public policies that support older adults. We bring together services to promote aging with dignity and choices that maximize independence.
Respect – We show honor, consideration, and kindness toward those we serve and each other. We embrace and appreciate diversity.
Excellence – We provide outstanding residential communities and services. We focus on continuous improvement through introspection and professional development. We participate with leaders in our field to innovate and shape the future of aging services. We support the personal growth and development of our residents.
At our warm and inclusive agency with world-class services, JSL nurtures a sense of community and provides for older adults to stay physically, mentally and emotionally healthy, while embracing Jewish values and celebrating life. Come live with us!
Shabbat Shalom
