Group Still Serves the Diverse Needs of Seniors

Photo: Maureen McGettigan

Thoriterva Auge plays the tambourine while Leiviiz Tofin plays the drum.

By Dmitry Kiper

An unassuming peach-colored building stands on Judah Street in the Outer Sunset District. Inside is a senior center that earnestly strives to improve the lives of its clients.

"Our goal is to make their lives easier,"' says Julia Kagar, who works as a medical social worker for the center. "I want them to be satisfied with their present lifestyle and to continue living independently."

Six years ago, L'Chaim Adult Day Health Care - then known as L'Chaim Senior Center - was located at Congregation Chevra Thilim on 25th Avenue and Balboa Street. When the center moved to the Sunset District five years ago, more changed than just its name.

'The center on 25th Avenue was a social program," explains Anna Borovik, the program director at L'Chaim. "There was socializing, lunch and bingo. The idea for the new center originated when we saw that the people who were attending our program were getting older and needed more attention."

The center caters to 263 clients and offers social, psychological and medical services with the aid of a specialized staff. Many of the people who use the services live in the Richmond District and commute across the park.

A doctor supervises the program and reviews the clients' charts on a regular basis. There are also three registered nurses, a dietician, physical therapist, occupation therapist, speech therapist and pharmacist, who checks medications that the center orders for the seniors.

The services provided by the social workers at L'Chaim are of equal importance. All clients are native Russian speakers and most speak little or no English. The social workers help clients write letters to landlords, politicians and phone companies - clients often get a big bill only to find out that because of their poor English they mistakenly signed up with a telemarketer.  

The social workers also provide psychological counseling and can refer a client to a psychotherapist.

"Depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder" are not unusual, according to Kagar, since the majority of the clients at L'Chaim are Holocaust survivors. 

In addition to paid employees, there are also volunteers at L'Chaim, who do everything from working in the kitchen to taking seniors on walks, picnics and field trips. They also provide daily entertainment by giving concerts, lectures and leading trivia games. Some of last year's events included lectures on former English Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Jack London and Alexander Pushkin and concerts, which showcased Jewish, Russian, American, Ukrainian and Yiddish songs and dances.    

But one of the most important activities at L'Chaim is its English class.

"English is their way to independence," says Natasha Marselly, the center's activity coordinator. "It can provide them with an ability to talk to doctors, neighbors and shopkeepers."   

The services and activities aim to improve the seniors' physical and psychological health both inside and outside the center. The staff at L'Chaim - l'chaim means "to life" in Hebrew - wants their clients to take something with them every time they leave a session. 

"The goal of activities is to push up their self esteem," Marselly elaborates. "Self esteem keeps people stay active. We want to prolong their active life and give them the ability to do it themselves."

All of the seniors are from the former Soviet Union and most are Jewish. Aside from Russians, there are also Armenian, Ukrainian and Georgian clients. The diversity of their life experiences, combined with a commonality of lived-through hardships, creates a bond among the clients and a mutual respect among clients and staff.

"The clients are really thankful for what they have. We get everlasting attention from them," Marselly said. "We do our best to help them and they do their best to thank us."

All clients have Medicare, and therefore get all services funded by the federal program for free. Jewish Family and Children's Services provides most of the additional funding for L'Chaim, but the center is also sponsored by private donations.

Joining the center is done by referral: Individuals can refer themselves or their doctor can refer them, which is usually the case.

Events are well organized and most clients are there a few times a week for several hours at a time.

Although the center is located in the Sunset, membership is not limited to those living in the neighborhood. L'Chaim offers free transportation to all clients.

If one was to take a tour of the center, one would see a clean facility with offices for the staff, a gym where seniors exercise, a classroom for teaching English - which displays many paintings done by the seniors - and a main activity room where lectures, games, concerts and dances take place.

However, there are two important services that a tour will not reveal. The first is the help given to the family members of clients. L'Chaim not only gives them more free time, but it also educates them on what to do when their loved one's health is declining.

Equally important, is how much L'Chaim has improved the lives of its clients when they are not at the center. They feel better about themselves and feel good about going back; it gives them something to look forward to.

"When you're getting ready to go, you know you will feel good when you get there," says 86-year-old Gudel Penek, who has been going to L'Chaim for the past two years. "When you get there, everyone greets you wholeheartedly."    

L'Chaim is located at 2534 Judah St. It is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Staff is available from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (415) 449-2900.