Jewish Community Housing Corporation of Metropolitan NJ

  In a fast-paced digital world where screens dominate our attention, reading remains an invaluable pastime. Regardless of age, reading holds a special place in our lives. However, seniors who read enjoy much more than some good stories. Engaging in reading, particularly through book clubs like the one at Lester Senior Living in New Jersey , not only sharpens their minds but also strengthens social connections. In this article, our community life coordinators at Lester will take a closer look at why reading is so important for older adults in particular.  Expanding Horizons and Cognitive Abilities. As we age, it becomes even more crucial to keep the mind active and agile. Reading serves as a powerful tool to stimulate the brain and enhance cognitive abilities. It helps seniors maintain mental clarity, memory retention, and critical thinking skills. Not to mention, exploring different genres opens up new horizons. Experimenting with complex narratives and challenging conce...

  One of the most fun and joyous holidays is approaching fast: Purim! Here at Lester Senior Living, we really cannot wait for the festivities to begin. We are starting some new activities this year that weave in the age-old traditions of Purim, like baking delicious hamantaschen cookies . Before we dive into what our senior activity directors have in store this year, it’s important to retell the story of Purim and why it’s so meaningful to our people.  The Story of Purim Purim commemorates the events that took place in the Bible: Book of Esther. The heroes of this story are Esther (of course) and her cousin Mordecai who raised her. Esther was a young, beautiful Jewish woman who was taken to the King of Persia, Ahasuerus, who pretty much fell in love at first sight. His feelings were so strong that he made Esther queen pretty quickly. However, there was a twist (as there always is with great stories)! The king did not know an important part of Esther’s identity, her judai...

February is Heart Awareness Month and you’ve probably heard all about how diet and exercise can keep your heart healthy by now. But, did you know that sleep directly correlates to heart health? REM and non-REM sleep is actually crucial for your heart rate. In this article, we will go over how this affects your heart health and different ways seniors can achieve better sleep.  Heart Rate During The Stages of Sleep  Each cycle or phase of sleep affects the speed of your heart rate and contributes to the health of your heart. When we first drift off to sleep, our heart rate starts to slow down to its resting rate – meaning our hearts don’t have to work so hard to pump blood throughout our bodies. This stage of light sleep (or Non-REM sleep) is how most of us spend half of the night.  When we enter the next phase of sleep, deep sleep, our blood pressure drops and our heart rate slows even more – up to 30% below the resting rate. Then there is an even deeper sleep REM (r...

Food tells the story of our people, and doughnuts are no exception. These delicious, fried dough treats date back all the way to Jews in the New World. Sufganiyot – doughnuts filled with fruit jam filling and sprinkled with sugar – are the signature food of Hanukkah since 1920. Why? Because the Israeli Labor Federation declared them so, and we’re so glad they did because it’s what we look forward to most this holiday.  If you are looking to make classic Sufganiyot with a little less oil and clean-up,  the chefs at JCHC  have got you covered with this air-fryer recipe!  Sufganiyot Ingredients: Your Jam of Choice (We Recommend Strawberry, Blueberry or Blackberry) 2 Large Eggs 3 Cups Flour 2 Teaspoons Yeast ½ Cup Milk (Scalded) 1/3 Cup Sugar 3 Cups Flour 6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature) ½ Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract 1 Teaspoon Salt Confectioner’s Sugar Canola Oil Sufganiyot Directions:  Add yeast, mil...

Selecting an assisted living community for your loved one is a challenging process. After all, it’s an important decision which places the care of mom or dad in the hands of people you do not know. Understandably, this is a major concern for a lot of children of senior parents. How do you know if you can trust an assisted living facility with your loved one? And more importantly, how do you know if you’re making the right choice for everyone involved? In this article, our care team at Lester Senior Living discusses four common mistakes that can easily be made while  searching for an assisted living community , and how to avoid them: Prioritizing your preferences above those of your elderly loved one.  It’s easy to get caught up in your own tastes when looking at a community and become enthusiastic about amenities your senior parent may not actually care for. Since this is where your loved one will be living, it’s important to keep them involved in ...