L’Orech Yomim – A Profile of Newsworthy and Breakthrough Initiatives

The hallmark of our organization is fostering consumer self-advocacy and cultural competence in service delivery
through state-of-the-art knowledge and integrating religious guidance with professional expertise. For over a decade
L’Orech Yomim has been advancing the needs of Orthodox Jewish consumers and those interested in serving them.

1999: Introduced first “Caring for Our Elders” community education
seminar program, “Choosing a Nursing Home: Cultural Competence, Religious Issues, and Practical
Considerations.”

• 2000: Hamodia reports “Queens Seminar on Hospice, Home Care Attracts Large Crowd.”
• 2001: Developed Jewish Hospice program to comply with Orthodox tradition for geriatric center. Wrote and obtained project grant.
• 2002: Introduced program, “Memory Loss, Aging, and Alzheimer’s Disease.” Jewish Press wrote story, “Panel of Experts Discuss Preserving Memory, Alzheimer’s Disease.”  Presented “Serving Orthodox Jewish Elders and Their Families: Guidelines for Development of a Hospice Program” at national scientific conference of health professionals.
• 2003: Published “Mitzvas Kibud Av V’Aim: A Compendium, ” a book focusing on issues relating to the adult orthodox population.
• 2007: Organized and presented seminar on, “Maintaining Safety and Indepedence at Home.” Five Towns Jewish Times, Hamodia, and Jewish Press all report the event. Also note, ‘Home Depot Joins L’orech Yomim in support of home safety.’
• 2008: Hamodia observes again that topic “Halachic and Legal Eldercare Seminar Draws Large Crowd.” Jewish Week wrote, Symposium on Caring for Elders with Respect,” Five Towns Jewish Times wrote, ‘Nursing Homes and Home-Care Agency Sponsor Kibud Av Va’eim Program.” Also invited and organized community-wide event, “PROMINENT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR COMES TO QUEENS: SHARES STUDY ON CAREGIVER NEEDS, END OF LIFE CARE.”
• 2009: Initiated first National Research Study of Orthodox Jewish Caregivers. Yated Ne’Eman reports “A Call to Caregivers.” Presented at national scientific conference on topic, “Eldercare and caregiver burden – has the Jewish  community response met the challenge of culture and religious practice?”
• 2010: Researched and prepared book for publication, “You Are Your Parents’ Keeper – Hashkafic and Halachic Insights into Elder Care and Kibbud Av Va’Eim”. Met with Vice President Community Services, Agudath Israel of America on his request at suggestion of Associate General Counsel to learn about L’Orech Yomim renowned activity, experience and insights in the area of End-of-Life care, review book manuscript in advance of publication, giving birth to Agudath Israel’s Chayim Aruchim project.
• 2011: Launched Kol HaKavod News Magazine,  An independent news magazine published for the education of individuals, professionals, businesses, and elected officials interested in the needs and concerns of Orthodox Jewish elders, active adults and their families.
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  About The Book

  2012: John Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions recognized significance of Jewish Orthodox Caregiver Study and featured research findings  in its monthly newsletter. Released You Are Your Parents’ Keeper, deemed the complete caregiver’s manual for the Orthodox Jewish community with approbations by Rabbi Noach Isaac Oelbaum, Khal Nachlas Yitzchok, Rabbi Herschel Schachter, Rabbi Isaach Elchanan Theological Seminary, Mordechai Biser, Esq., Agudath Israel of America; reviewed by Young Israel Viewpoint Magazine and Yeshiva University Chavrusa Magazine.

• 2013: Introduced specialized recreational programming to meet the needs of frail seniors and their families practicing Orthodox Jewish tradition; advised senior programs regarding duplicating its content.
• 2014 and Ongoing: Information and Referral:
  Assist families regarding service delivery, access to care and financial matters.
  – I was told that I reached my maximum allowable visits for therapy after surgery but I’m not better, do I have any recourse with Medicare? – If I didn’t apply originally for prescription Part D benefit can I enroll now? – Do you have an elder care attorney you can recommend? – What is your opinion regarding this hospice program-is it acceptable according to Jewish tradition?– I am caring for my father who is in fourth stage of Alzheimer’s disease and need to speak to a professional, who would you recommend? – Can you research and advised me regarding the suitability of — nursing home for my mother? – Do you have home attendant aides you can recommend-we will pay privately. – My mother-in-law is in a nursing home. We are concerned regarding care management; do you have any suggestions for us? – My mother is in —– Hospital and we are considering transferring her out and there’s also the issue with her regarding palliative care and intubation is there a Rabbi you can recommend? – Can you recommend a support group for caregivers? – For widows? – I need to reconstruct my parent’s living space so that it is all on the walk-in level. Can you recommend someone who can build a shower for us with the needed safety features – Are you familiar with the concept of a “pooled trust”? Can you recommend one?
• 2015 and Ongoing: Public Health Education
  Educate and correct misinformation among practitioners, policy makers, and academicians regarding Orthodox Jewish traditions as they relate to care management, compliance and outcomes.  Ongoing need is highlighted by the slide below, presented at a recent workshop attended by L’Orech Yomim discussing factors concerning health care decisions for elderly. This was a prestigious scientific conference attended by 13,000 professionals.
  
  Presented the halachic perspective at conferences and workshops:•Negotiating Information Needs in End-Of-Life Care • Are We Doing Enough in Managing Emotional Stress: Impact on Patient Symptoms At End-Of-Life?  •A Health System’s Approach to Improve Care for Advancing Age and Advanced Illness.Shared the the customized advance directive designed by rabbis, Halachic Advance Directive, explain its features, rationale for its need at conferences and workshops.
• 2016 and Ongoing: Assist Orthodox Jewish Community in care delivery and interventions
  Designed and distributed bookmarks containing special prayers to assist children in their caregiver duties, provide  guidance and solace, reduce the incidence of elder abuse, and to readily fulfill their obligations under the Fifth Commandment (Thou Shalt Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother); acknowledging caregivers for the great value of their efforts.

  Drafted toolkit flyer for pediatricians to encourage family adherence to immunization preventative regimens spurring the development and distribution of a detailed brochure throughout the community. -Didn’t your mother care for you? Give of herself to protect you from sickness and disease? -As a mother shouldn’t you do the same for your kinderlich?

  

  Ask the doctor you are seeing today whether he immunizes his own children.

  Advocated for health equity, culturally appropriate programming for Orthodox Jewish community needs to public health policy leaders and professionals.

  

  FULFILLING THE MISSION (left)

  Rabbi Becker, L’Orech Yomim founder advocating for health equity of Orthodox Jewish Community needs to Duane Proctor PhD, Senior Advisor to the President, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Director of RWJF’s Achieving Health Equity Portfolio

 

• 2017 and Ongoing: Advanced Healthy Aging and Self-Care Programming. Initiated Social Media Campaign Presented Healthy Aging and Self-Care programming to senior centers.Posted articles on MailChimp, LinkedIn and Facebook. Titles of campaigns included:
  • People of the Book: A Call to Action
  • Are You Being Pressured by the Healthcare Team to “Let Go”?
  • A New State Law: Is It Helping Caregivers or Shifting Blame?
  • Would You Hail a Cab with a Flat Tire?
  • Evaluating Nursing Home Quality: Why I Can’t Rely on Medicare’s Five-Star Rating System
  • Hats Off to the Long-Term Care Coalition
  • Measuring Nursing Home Quality: What Happened to the Lessons of Our Fathers?
• 2019 CARE Act Follow Up
  Subsequent to LOY’s article and posting of A New State Law (The CARE Act): Is It Helping Caregivers or Shifting Blame? as well as inquiries to leadership at AARP and The United Hospital Fund as to its effectiveness, AARP and UHP jointly applied and received a John Hartford Foundation Grant to evaluate the program’s impact across the country.  

  Findings supported LOY’s concerns: Caregivers were being asked to assume duties traditionally performed by trained professionals. Neither hospitals nor family caregivers were fully aware of the act’s regulatory requirements. Nor were discharge personnel training caregivers in home caring procedures.

  Their study of 2000 caregivers Home Alone Revisited: FAMILY CAREGIVERS PROVIDING COMPLEX CARE includes the following major findings: : ■ Caregivers are taking on responsibilities that used to be the purview of health care professionals. ■ They are providing complex care that they often find difficult to perform. ■ Caregivers remain largely alone in learning how to perform medical/nursing tasks and manage the complexity of care. ■ Health care and social service professionals are not yet fully attuned to caregiver needs for information and support and how to deliver it in ways that allay anxiety. ■ The Caregiver Advise Record Enable (CARE) Act has been enacted in 41 states, yet there is more to do to ensure that the intent of the act reaches family caregivers across the nation.

  Fed Responds to LOY Nursing Home 5 Star Rating Concerns

• 2020 Updated the Kosher Adult Day Care Survey and campaigned for an increase in programming. Provided consultant support to organizations considering their development.
  • Fill the Void for Orthodox Jewish Seniors and Their Families

  Provided consultant support to organizations considering their development.