JANAUARY 2018—TEVET-SHVAT 5778—VOL 18 NO 5

The Architecture of Community

JFCS ................................................. 2Resident of the Month ......................3The Architecture of Community .. 4The Architecture of Community ...5January Activities ...............................6

January Activities, cont. ...................7President’s Message .........................8Health Notes ........................................9Dining .................................................10Marketing ........................................... 11

Photo montage of RGP lobby and dining room with residents (left to right) Lillian Finkel, Steve Caldwell, Stephanie DiGiorgio, Roberta Graff, and Shelly Weil

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Staff

Adrienne Fair, Assistant Executive Director 415-345-5077Ira Kurtz, Executive Director 415-345-5080Eric Luu, Chief Financial Officer 415-345-5083Van Ly, Business Office Manager 415-345-5073Ron Martinez, Director of Facilities 415-345-5088 Candiece Milford, Managing Director of Marketing 415-345-5072Peggy O'Brien, Director of Resident Services 415-345-5082Emily Steen, Director of Programming 415-345-5084Corey Weiner, Director of Food and Beverage 415-345-5069

2180 Post Street San Francisco, CA 94115

415.345.5060 415.345.5061 (fax) www.RGPlaza.org RCFE #385600125

Rhoda goldman plaza

Don AbramsonKaren Aidem Carla BuchananDavid DossetterNancy GoldbergDr. Carl GrunfeldDr. Lawrence HillJoan Levison David Melnick Raquel Newman Paul SiegelVera SteinRonna StoneDr. Anita FriedmanKaren Staller

Board of Directors

JFCS—Seniors At HomeJewish Family and Children’s Services (JFCS) is one of the oldest and largest human service agencies in the United States. JFCS is guided by the Jewish traditions of advancing human dignity, community responsibility, inter-generational ties, and repairing the world.

Through Seniors At Home, our award-winning senior services division, we help older adults live independently, safely, and with dignity. Highly trained, compassionate caregivers provide extra support through personal care, assistance after an illness or hospitalization, or just for a little company.

To find out more about JFCS or Seniors At Home, call 415-449-1200 or visit us online at www.jfcs.org .

Jewish Family and Children’s Services and Rhoda Goldman Plaza share the commitment to help older adults live with dignity and work together to promote their quality of life.

Outpatient Rehab Now Available to RGP Residents!Do you want to be as active as possible? Or are you dealing with reduced mobility or chronic aches and pains?

Through Seniors At Home, a division of Jewish Family and Children’s Services, private physical therapy services will now be available to residents of Rhoda Goldman Plaza in the comfort of your own apartment.

Hour-long sessions with an expert Physical Therapist will be tailored to your individual needs and goals. By focusing on balance, strength, and flexibility, rehab will help you manage chronic conditions or pains, increase mobility, and protect yourself against the dangers of fractures and falls.

Seniors At Home rehab services are covered by Medicare and also available for private pay.

To request a consultation, call Seniors At Home at 415-449-3777.

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Roberta Graff: Memories of a Small New England Town

“Our proudest moment was when the first bluebird arrived and nested in Longmeadow,” Roberta said. “The project to reintroduce the native bluebird took about two years, but with the support of bird lovers and other interested residents, it happened. Bringing the bluebirds to nest in our area may have been an Audubon Society’s project to reestablish habitat, but everyone was involved in making it happen. We raised money by holding cake sales, dances, a children’s parade, circus, and cookout.”

Looking back on life in Longmeadow where she lived for twenty years, Roberta spoke about the how the town layout created a sense of community. The centralized town center where people met was in a relatively small area. In the town of 15,000 (2010 census), most of the essential services and meeting places were located at the town center and civic activities took place at the Town Hall. There were three main streets, Bliss and Williams Streets, with Longmeadow Avenue running the length of the town. But what brought people together were the places to eat and socialize at the center of town. The most popular and central was Friendly’s Ice Cream Shop where people would get together for a soda, an ice cream, cup of coffee, or sandwich. There were Chinese and Italian restaurants, a NY-style deli, and an old-fashioned coffee and soda shop. The town was so small that people usually walked to the town center to meet friends.

“Longmeadow was first settled in 1644, and officially incorporated on October 17, 1783” (Wikipedia), and today’s town political structure reflects its early colonial beginnings. There is no mayor. “The town government consists of a Select Board with five members, elected by the town. The public school system is governed by the School Committee.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Longmeadow,_Massachusetts ). The many civic committees, chaired by volunteers, oversaw town affairs. Town residents were highly involved in town affairs. “I volunteered at the library; others volunteered to run meetings. The town newspaper was written by volunteers and included information about town residents—weddings, births, deaths— upcoming meetings, announcements, and local school news. “The gathering place for events, activities, and political news and updates was the Town Hall”.

Roberta described life in Longmeadow. “There were restaurants where people could sit and talk, have a cup of tea, talk politics. We talked about everything—city, state, world politics, school events, and upcoming town events. Sometimes our husbands met up with us—they knew where to find us.” At the clean-fill dump, one weekend monthly, there was an informal junk swap; people brought

their thermoses of hot coffee, brought their junk, and hung out in the meadow. The men, too, had their gatherings— Kiwanis, Rotary, and political rallies. The biggest event was the Fourth of July with a Revolutionary War re-enactment, art show, booths; almost everyone participated.

Although Longmeadow did not develop along the lines of a European city and didn’t have a town square, per se, the Town hall provided opportunities for civic participation and working together. Sidewalk cafes, so prevalent in France, Italy, and other European cities, were replaced by local eateries. “RGP, in some ways, reminds me of Longmeadow, “Roberta said. “The cafe reminds me of the places we met in Longmeadow and the time I spent with my friends. Here we have an informal breakfast, lunch, and ice cream gathering (club) where resident gather and discuss everything under the sun.”

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The Architecture of Community

“Something is different here,” a comment many visitors make when coming to RGP. Is it the light, or a liveliness, of laughter-filled coversations, or the authentic art, or un-senior-like activity? Did this atmosphere occur by accident, or by design? We asked Paula Krugmeier, the architect who designed RGP twenty years ago.

“I think of every endeavor as a mini-city,” Paula said. “When I approach a site plan, I think of what the elements are of a city that create a community and neighborhood. I design the spaces. This approach—Architecture + Urbanism which emphasizes how people interact in an urban environment and how to design for social interaction, was central to the MIT School of Architecture and Planning where I studied for a masters’ degree.”

Rhoda Goldman Plaza began as a joint project between Jewish Family and Children‘s Services and Mt. Zion who contributed the land. Configuring Mt. Zion’s parking lot into a 155-room

assisted living facility and JFCS administrative offices was not easy, but combined with building regulations, and existing buildings, the project became even more challenging. “Designing this project was a series of complex puzzles, both challenging and rewarding,” she said. “There were many constraints. In spite of these, we managed to realize architectural and space planning concepts which were employed to take advantage of the site.

The parcel of land, an odd-shaped parking lot, faced on three streets, included a historic building with vertical challenges. The street levels of all three streets were different. In addition, the Sutter-facing part of the building lay in one city planning zone, while the other part of the building lay in another. Proposition K prohibited shadows of a nearby building from impinging on a park, necessitated setting back from the street the seven stories on the park-facing side of the building.

Paula explained that one of the main goals was to get light into the building, the second was to plan for space. Each apartment was designed for maximum light; every apartment has a large window. Hallways were designed to have light on the circulation routes, so that people are always walking towards the light. Additionally, soft internal light was planned to balance the natural light because backlighting makes it hard for older adults to negotiate space.

A second goal was to design space where people congregate, socialize, and hang out, where community evolves. As in any public space, large or small, there are areas within the space where different kinds of people can feel comfortable. “There are introverts and extraverts who use space in different ways; we planned spaces for both of them,” she said.

The third goal was to create the simplest circulation possible; walkways were designed to navigate easily and destinations made easy to find. Long hallways were broken up with sun-filled set-back alcoves where people could rest and relax before continuing along the halls.

Paula stated that RGP was the most complex project she has tackled in thirty-five years. Thanks to Paula, RGP’s special organization and atmosphere happened by design.

Paula has a Masters of Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture with highest honors, University of California, Berkeley. Cahill Contractors, the company which constructed RGP was awarded the PCBC Gold Nugget Merit Award, Best Senior Housing Project Assisted Living - 2001

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What I love about this building is that I can be as social or as quiet as I want. If I want to be social, I go to the cafe or, a little less social, but connected, I’ll go to the library. If I want to be quiet, I stay in my apartment.

Stephanie DiGiorgioRGP resident Marcella Nardi reads in the third floor community area

RGP residents Morris Spector and Carl Kerwick work on puzzles in the foyer.

RGP residents enjoy breakfast and conversation in the cafe.

West

Rhoda Goldman Plaza

dining room

apartments

Sout

h

Nor

th

East

cafe

lobby

libraryapartments

apartments

activity room

front desk

mailboxes

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January Activities

Special Events 8, 29 Mon 2:30 Technology with Emily 2 Tues 10:15 Tigges Jewelry Repair 10,11, 12 Wed, Thur, Fri 10:30 Portrait Painting with Mike 12 Fri 5:00 Tisch Dinner with Rabbi Me’irah 17 Wed 10:00 Creative Aging Symposium 18 Thurs 6:00 Outing: MegaChallah Bake at JCCSF 21 Sun 2:00 Resident Art Show 10, 31 Wed. 3:15 Memory Loss Support Group 23 Tue 10:30 Gardening with Elizabeth 28 Sun 10:30 Nails by Julia 31 Wed 10:30 Tree DedicationOutings 2 Tue 1:00 McEvoy Arts 4 Thur 1:00 Berkeley Art Museum 9 Tue 10:45 Temple Emanu-el & Fine Museum 11 Thur 1:00 FOG Design+Art 16 Tue 1:30 Exploratorium 18 Thur 1:00 Mountain View Cemetery drive (Oakland) 23 Tue 11:00 Buckeye Roadhouse for Lunch 25 Thur 1:00 Society of California Pioneers 30 Tue 3:00 WuYeePreschoolLectures/Discussion 1,8,15,22 Mon 3:00 New Light on New Deal** 5,19,26 Thurs 10:30 Brief History of Russia** 6,13,20,27 Sat 3:30 Understanding Inventions that Changed the World* 14,21,28 Sun 4:15 Current Events with Jim 16 Tue 10:30 Poets of Broadway with Bonnie Weiss 17 Wed 10:15 Becoming Life Change Artist 17 Wed 11:00 Telling Your Story 17 Wed 1:15 Elderhood with Dr. David Goff 17 Wed 2:00 Writing with Shirley Krohn 17 Wed 2:45 Enact Change with Cindy Weil 18 Thur 10:30 Exotic Jewish Cultures with Ken Blady 18 Thur 3:00 20th Century Jewish Women 24 Wed 1:30 Five Fabulous Women Artists of the 1800s 24 Wed 3:30 Jewish Film Festival Screening 25 Thur 10:30 John Rothmann LecturePoetry, and Drama 4 Thurs 11:00 Greg Pond Poetry Reading 6,20 Sat 4:30 Joke Telling 12, 26 Fri 2:00 Musical Theater with Bruce 17 Wed 1:00 Greg Pond Poetry Reading 17 Wed 10:30 Poetry with Elizabeth

* Great Courses Plus – video course ** Frommcast – video broadcast from Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning at USF

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January Activities

Art Classes Mondays 10:00 Ceramics with Jeannie Tuesdays 3:30 Painting with Kimberley 4,11 Thur 3:30 Weaving Baskets with Emily Fridays 2:00 Knitting with Max 9,23 Tue 2:00 Beading with Melanie 10, 11, 12 Wed, Thur, Fri 10:30 Portrait Painting with Mike 25 Thur 4:15 Flower Mandalas with Emily 31 Wed 1:00 Flowers with BethanyCommittees/Resident Council/Clubs 3 Wed 4:00 Activities Committee 19 Fri 1:30 History Committee 25 Thurs 10:00 Dining Room Committee 30 Tue 10:30 Movie Committee 31 Wed 2:00 Resident CouncilMusic and Dance 7 Sun 3:00 Gary Zellerbach Jazz 10 Wed 3:00 Yale Women’s Acapella NewBlue 11 Thur 3:00 Frank Cefalu Sing A Long 14 Sun 2:00 Yakov Stanislavsky Violin Concert 27 Sat 2:00 Youth Classical Piano Concert 28 Sun 2:00 Lovin Harmony Trio 31 Thur 7:00 Ian Scarfe Piano ConcertGames Sundays 1:00 Card Games with Eric 7 Sun 4:15 Bingo Mondays 1:00 Bingo Mondays 4:30 Crossword Tuesdays 1:00 Rummikub 3,17 Wed 2:00 Scrabble Saturdays 1:30 RummiKub Exercise Classes Sundays 10:00 Exercise with Phil 1 Mon 9:00 Walking Club 8,15,22,29 Mon 9:00 Exercise with Rowena Tuesdays 9:15 Tai Chi with Janet Wednesdays 9:00 Exercise with Diana Wednesdays 11:00 Open Gym with Trainer Thursdays 9:00 Exercise with Carl Thursdays 1:30 Chair Yoga with Ilya Fridays 9:00 Exercise with Phil 5, 19 Fri 2:00 Klezmercise! with Bruce Saturdays 10:30 Chair Yoga with Ilya 6 Sat 9:30 Walking ClubShabbat Services Fridays 4:00 Shabbat Services with Rabbi Me’irah

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RGP Resident Council President Hal Auerbach's Message January Birthdays

Rita Tikofsky 7Freda Reider 10Stefanie Eder 14Renate Wunschkowski 17Gloria Lyon 20Barry Adler 23Shelly Weil 27

Thanks to all of you who generously contributed to the Employees Appreciation Fund. We set new records for the number of contributors and the amount contributed. Your president and your treasurer were at the employees’ holiday party where the checks were distributed. We received from the employees and pass on to you their heartfelt thanks not only for the

checks, but for what they represented: our recognition of the extra effort they put in to keep us safe and comfortable.

For many of us, our first impression of Rhoda Goldman Plaza was the understated elegance of its lobby and reception area. Moving further into the building, we found its design comfortable and welcoming. It just seemed right somehow. Although we could not put it into words, we recognized what the architect writing elsewhere in this issue explains as architecture for urbanization, or architecture for community. Here the right combination of welcoming facility, caring staff, and thoughtful management have created an atmosphere in which residents indeed become part of a unique community.

As 2017 slips into history and 2018 rises before us, let us hope that it will be a year of good news, much joy and peace, as we wish each other a Happy New Year!

Bake your own Challah with SF Jewish Women. Thursday, January 18, 20186:30 PM Refreshments and Light Dinner7:00 PM Program BeginsTransportation will be provided to SF JCC.

The Highly-Anticipated Annual Resident Art Show Returns!

Please Join Us for an Energizing Art ReceptionSunday, January 21 • 2:00–3:30 p.m.

Wine & hors d’oeuvres

Hurricane Collage – Shelly WeilLittle Houses – Hedy Krasnobrod

Ceramic Cat – Roberta Graff

Residents’ Revenge: Portrait Painting with MikeJanuary 10, 11, and 1210:30Learn how to paint portraits. RGP artists will paint Jean Henry School of Art students who have painted them. All levels are welcome. Art supplies provided. Please sign up with Emily in advance.

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Adrienne Fair, MSN, RN, Assistant Executive Director

Health Notes

Health and Community

It is not a new scientific revelation that social isolation is bad for your health. The National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, for example, has been collecting data since 2005 with their National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP). They are currently in their third “wave” of interviews which will total over 10,000 participants from the ages of fifty-seven to eighty-five. The interview and medical data of the participants has been analyzed by many different researchers to reveal that being isolated has a negative effect on your health.

Cornwell and Waite (2009) used the NSHAP data to show that both situational/physical isolation and perceived isolation take a toll on physical and mental health. “In other words, if you are physically isolated or just mentally isolated, you are much more likely to have poor “self-rated physical health”.

Living in a community like RGP is good for your quality of life. You can meet new people, have interesting conversations, listen to lectures and music, and enjoy outings and activities. All of these things are fun, but also good for your health. I would point out that it is possible to feel isolated even when surrounded by other people. Thank you to everyone who goes out of their way to chat with a resident who may be sitting alone or feeling shy.

Did you know that JFCS next door is working with RGP to bring a select few seniors from the community to join some RGP activities? We are still in the planning stages, but it will be a way to bring in a few isolated seniors to meet RGP residents at certain events. I would also like to mention that RGP and JFCS work together for Kosher Meals on Wheels to bring food and social interaction to isolated seniors in their homes.

When I feel overwhelmed by modern internet-based culture and see all the hipsters bent over their iPhones, I really appreciate all the personal interaction we have with each other at RGP. What a vibrant, smart, socially amazing group of residents! You can strike up a conversation with anyone and learn something new about them and the world we live in. We truly benefit from a wealth of community.

Sources: National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) (2017). University of Chicago NORC. http://www.norc.org/Research/Projects/Pages/national-social-life-health-and-aging-project.aspx

Cornwell and Waite (2009). Social disconnectedness, perceived isolation, and health among older adults. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 50(1): 31-48.

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Corey Weiner,Director of Food and Beverage

Dining—Eat to your heart’s content

The Architecture of FoodThe architecture of this building is designed for one purpose—eating. Being the center of the universe myself, I know that this is true. You walk in the front door and what do you hear? The hissing of the espresso machine, hinting at hidden energy supplies. The clatter and chatter of casual dining pervades the first and second floors calling one in for a cookie and coffee. Or, the sounds of the yogurt machine churning announces sweet temptation for comfort and pleasure.

Food is there when you leave the dining room, so you never really have to stop eating. After lunch, who doesn’t need a small snack from the café? The café (in my humble) opinion is one of the centers of The RGP Universe. The others being the dining room and kitchen. We’ll get to that later. First, the café. When we opened, it was rarely in use. Now, it is a social hub; individuals, couples, and groups gather for news of the day, social ties are forged, celebrated, and occasionally dissolved. In some-ways cozier and more intimate than the dining room, the café is a multifunctional hotspot. Missed breakfast? Head for the café! Don’t like the look of lunch? Our tuna sandwich seems to be the best in town. Need a present? How about some of Kelly’s candies or cookies. (We sold sixty plus pies and cakes this year for Thanksgiving.)

Also close to center, or just off the town square, if you will, is the stately and elegant, dining room. Kind of like the best restaurant in town (back in the days of small towns and cowboys). While we don’t have a stable for horses, we have places to stash walkers and wheelchairs. It really is THE place to eat. You can come in and be guaranteed

a table, perhaps not the one you wanted, but a table nonetheless. The dining room is designed for flexibility with expanding tables, small tables for intimate conversations or for single curmudgeons. Corner tables for the introverts, larger and central tables for socializing and talking to your neighbors. Broken into sections, the dining room doesn’t feel like a dining hall. Those who like sun sit near the windows, and those of us who like the parade of diners and more warmth sit closer to the front. I have had some residents who plot their seating in order to have the right temperature of the food. A former resident always sat right next to the kitchen on Kasha Varnishke days, so she could get it as hot as possible.

The kitchen is the secret heart of RGP, where dreams are spun (or shattered) as the case may be. The kitchen is the source of all things chocolate and caramel too. Our kitchen staff, about twenty-five people, work hard to cook, bake, and serve their way into your hearts. It’s a happy close community back there. I have some of the kindest people in the universe on my team, I am always amazed at how they take care of residents, families, and each other.

Just outside of the dining room is the foyer. Residents who can hardly wait for the dining room doors to open at meal time, sit there. Currently the jigsaw puzzle brigade has taken a part of the foyer. Which while eliminating a few parking places has formed another social hotspot.

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Candiece Milford,Managing Director of Marketing

Notes from the Town Square: The Sounds of Community Being Lived

My office is located just off the lobby where I usually arrive about 7:00–7:30 a.m. during the week. As the day dawns at Rhoda Goldman, the hissing of the cappuccino machine in the cafe, people talking, dishes clanking, and laughter become my background music. And as the day goes by, depending on what is happening, I hear the music in the lobby, live performances in the Library and best of all on Fridays, the smell of fresh challah hot from the oven. These are the sounds of our community and people living life at Rhoda Goldman Plaza. For me, it’s like sitting in a town square and hearing and watching life in action.

Everyone passes by my office on their way to a walk in the neighborhood, to the park or library, to the van for an outing, or a medical appointment. People stop by and comment on the flowers I arrange for our residents’ benefit, or to ask a question, favor, information or simply just to chat. New visitors often pop in to see the wall full of photographs of some of our residents and salivate over the west wall full of photographs of the food our talented kitchen creates. And while this could be considered intrusive, I love it. I meet so many people and stay in touch with those I know. That is, afterall, one of the many reasons I feel so blessed to have the position—Managing Director of Marketing—because of the interaction with the very interesting, warm people who live at and visit RGP.

Then there are those delightful, extemporaneous acts of community for which this building both inspires and provides the opportunity. For example, when we had our recent employee party to celebrate the holidays and year-end bonus from the Resident Appreciation Fund, residents received box dinners in their rooms instead of a meal in the dining room. This arrangement allows kitchen and dining employees to attend the party. While many people opt to dine in their apartments, not the third floor! No, several people on this floor put a couple of tables together in the community area just off the elevator lobby, brought their boxes, a couple bottles of wine and, voila! Dinner with friends after all.

So, when I fractured my foot not long ago while delivering a flower arrangement I made for the dining room, I was not looking forward to days at home in isolation. I was given the opportunity to take time off; to the great surprise of the doctor I chose to come to work! Why would I elect to stay home alone when I can enjoy being on the “town square” and enjoying life and the comforting sounds of life being lived at Rhoda Goldman Plaza?

Rhoda Goldman Plaza

Rhoda goldman plaza 2180 Post Street San Francisco, CA 94115

415.345.5060 415.345.5061 (fax)

www.RGPlaza.org RCFE #385600125

Founded by Jewish Family and Children’s Services and Mount Zion Health Fund

The appeal of Rhoda Goldman Plaza is undeniable. Older adults and their families prefer our unsurpassed assisted living and memory care community enriched by culture and tradition.Residents enjoy superb, “made-from-scratch” cuisine that is always well reviewed by our most vocal critics; our residents! While our dining selections please the appetite, accommodations showcase spacious, private apartments designed to maximize space and comfort. In fact, we’re re-defining your life as Living Well With Assistance — we believe our community is every bit as good as a five-star hotel. And, professionally trained, courteous staff promotes your health and well-being with choices of activity programs both on and off-site.

Our Terrace Memory program provides specialized memory care to residents through therapeutic activities that enhance physical, mental, and emotional health. Both privacy and companionship are afforded on our self-contained Terrace. Living Well With Assistance is more than a promise, but a way of life for our like-minded residents and staff who share the vision of our upscale community.

Visit Rhoda Goldman Plaza today by calling 415.345.5072.

Founded by Jewish Family and Children’s Services and Mt. Zion Health Fund in 2000, Rhoda Goldman Plaza (RGP) was established as a non-profit assisted living facility to provide a better and more secure life for older adults.