Drew Gackenheimer: At the Joseph L. Morse Geriatric Center on the Morse Seniors Campus, the religious beliefs and traditions of the residents are fundamental to the way care is delivered. To truly enhance well-being at a critical time in a person’s life, healthcare professionals must understand the whole person, including their spiritual and core beliefs. To do so requires respect and education. The majority of people served on the Morse Seniors Campus are Jewish; therefore all health professionals and staff at the Morse Geriatric Center and the Kramer Senior Services Agency are educated about Jewish culture, customs, rituals and traditions. Unlike an acute hospital, our long-term care facility is someones home for a significant period. Within that context, we strive to make life for our residents and their families as close to “normal” as possible.
Drew Gackenheimer, executive vice president, Morse Seniors Campus
For many, that means having the comfort of knowing that our culinary staff observes the laws of Kashruth and that our healthcare professionals know and understand Jewish traditions and celebrations. Faith is an important resource on the journey to healing, comfort, and relief from pain. Rabbi Alan Sherman, the director of religious activities for Morse Seniors Campus, is an essential member of our healthcare team. He works with residents and staff to help them understand and cope with physical and emotional symptoms. He offers spiritual support through visits, prayer and religious services. Often, the Rabbi is also a crisis counselor who helps families find comfort and strength during a very trying time.
Religious rituals provide comfort and support. Rabbi Alan Sherman with a Morse resident .
Rabbi Alan Sherman: Our residents have spiritual needs along with physical needs and so we address both. We encourage and assist them to practice their religious beliefs and traditions. As people age and long-term memory becomes more acute than short-term memory, they naturally gravitate toward recollections from the past they find most comforting. Their religious experiences, especially from youth, are among the memories that become most important to them. We have a synagogue on site to provide residents a place to gather as an institutional community and receive strength and support from religion and from each other. The human contact they experience is profoundly beneficial, especially for those who are less social or more isolated by their illness.
