JHEP Unveils Strategic Plan to Foster Community-Based Services

The Jewish Home of Eastern Pennsylvania has just completed a new strategic plan. Key elements of the organization’s repositioning include:

• Identification as a Jewish-sponsored organization with responsiveness to the larger general community;
• Our 173-bed skilled and rehab facility will remain a central program area but will be integrated more with our assisted living facility, independent living facility, outreach center serving the Pocono market and new community-based services;
• Development of specialty and niche programming to include short-term rehabilitation, dementia, Parkinson’s disease and creative arts programming;
• Expansive development project including facility development to expand geographical market reach; and
• Comprehensive marketing and outreach effort.

Our commitment to community-based service development includes offering healthy aging programming such as pre-retirement planning, healthy eating and cooking, support groups and care management. Covering all aspects of community-based service development as well as programming at our skilled care and assisted living facility will be the development of a comprehensive Parkinson Disease Management Program.

Our program will offer defined Parkinson’s disease community education and support groups. This will be enhanced with dance, exercise and Rock Steady Boxing classes in multiple locations. Key staff and medical staff leadership are to be trained to care for Parkinson Disease patients.

All of that being said, let’s focus on two programs new to our host of programs.

Our healthy eating series is focused on proteins. What better way to learn about a healthy diet? This series starts with a protein lecture from our registered dietician. The series follows with cooking demonstrations of healthy snacks you can make with four to six ingredients you might already have around the house. Our director of dietary services and dietary supervisor will show you how to create these homemade snacks that taste good and are good for you.

OMA, Opening Minds through Art, piloted this spring, will launch in fall 2019. This program was developed at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, by Dr. Elizabeth Lokon. The program’s premise focuses on strengths of dementia residents instead of lost skills. It enables persons with dementia to assume the role of artist versus an arts and craft type program. This intergenerational program includes volunteers from the Commonwealth Medical College who assist the residents during the classes. The bonds formed during the program go beyond art.