Inside CJE August 2025
We are thrilled to present Inside CJE! Our digital digest is packed with exciting news about CJE SeniorLife’s various communities, programs, and services—and delivered straight to your inbox. Find out what’s happening at CJE!
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Family caregivers are among the unsung heroes of our community. They sacrifice so much to care for their loved ones, especially older adults, frequently with minimal support and training. CJE SeniorLife recognizes their efforts and helps by offering both training and support for this very special group of people.
To this end, CJE has developed a bundle of programs, all created to support family caregivers. “We have a vision of becoming a hub of resources for those touched by dementia,” says Sarah Cohen, Cognitive Wellness Manager at Adult Day Services. CJE offers multiple programs to help family caregivers. Each one has its own unique purpose and will take place quarterly.
Dementia Reality
Dementia Reality started as a virtual reality program to help train professional caregivers who work with persons living with dementia. But it soon became clear that family caregivers could benefit enormously from similar training. CJE adapted the professional caregiver program to create a curriculum that was relevant to family caregivers. The training gives caregivers an opportunity to experience the world from the perspective of someone living with dementia. It also imparts caregiving techniques and strategies, to ease the caregiving process and help foster greater connection between caregiver and the person they are caring for. This two-and-a-half-hour program takes place at Adult Day Services on Howard Street, and is offered at other locations as well. It costs $35, although scholarships are available. Register for the next event at DementiaReality.org/family-caregivers or by calling 847.492.1400.
Caregiver Toolkit
The Caregiver Toolkit is an in-person presentation on various practical aspects of caregiving. In the first session, Dasha Kipper, clinical psychologist and experienced caregiver, explained the science behind how caregiving actually changes the caregiver, impacting the caregiver’s neurological wiring in a way that mirrors that of the care recipient. Future sessions will cover necessary documents such as advance directives, how to troubleshoot your stressors before they become overwhelming, and many other topics related to family caregivers and their unique situations. Caregiver Toolkit seminars are offered at no cost but require advance registration at cje.net/cjes-caregiver-toolkit-series or call 847.492.1400 for more information.
Care Collective
The Care Collective, geared toward family caregivers of persons living with dementia, is about sharing resources, experiences, and ideas in a relaxing, supportive space. The Care Collective takes place quarterly at the Evanston Public Library, with the next one scheduled for November, 2025. Participants will enjoy light refreshments while they meet and learn from others in similar situations. This event is free of charge and is facilitated by caregiver volunteers. “We’re just there to be together, to share resources, share stories, and support each other,” Cohen says. The Care Collective is a drop-in event. Participants can register in advance at cje.net/the-care-collective-a-social-hour-for-family-caregivers, or they can simply walk in.
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It’s almost time to celebrate CJE SeniorLife at our annual gala! This year’s Celebrate CJE, the 20th to date, takes place on Tuesday, September 16, at 5:30 pm at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie.
Celebrate CJE supports all the vital programs CJE runs to help older adults throughout the Chicago area, from those experiencing food insecurity, navigating depression, living with dementia and other related conditions, to those simply in need of companionship or a place to live. All told, it runs over 35 different programs and services to support older adults.
This year, some 500 people will gather together to eat, kibbitz, laugh, and take pride in CJE’s accomplishments. The evening will feature a reception with delicious small plates from Zelda’s Catering, for all to enjoy. After that, guests will enter the main auditorium and take their seats to the joyous sounds of A Duet Maxwell Street Klezmer Band. The program will feature remarks from CJE President and CEO Dan Fagin and Board Chair Ken Lorch, videos highlighting CJE’s year, and a paddle raise. Finally, American-Israeli comedian Modi Rosenfeld with entertain the crowd. Born in Tel Aviv and raised in New York, Modi’s sharp wit and knack for reading an audience has made him a successful fixture in New York’s vibrant comedy scene. Often doing bits that incorporate his heritage, Modi is a hit with diverse Jewish audiences as well as fans of all backgrounds and beliefs. Besides his stand up and comedy shows, he has appeared on numerous television dramas, including The Sopranos and Madam Secretary.
What makes CJE different than other fundraisers? “This event is critical to supporting our mission,” says Director of Development Lisa Weinstock. “It’s an uplifting night, it’s a night of celebration, and it reminds all of us—our guests, our donors, our staff and our board—why it’s so important that we do the work that we do. It’s a reminder about how we can support the older adults who come to us.”
There are several ways to participate in Celebrate CJE. One, of course, is to buy tickets and bring your family and friends, to inform them about CJE and its important work. Another is to sponsor the event, either as an individual, a family, a business, or a foundation. For more information about the various levels of sponsorship, click on the link or contact Lisa Weinstock, CJE Director of Development, at 773.508.1025.
Celebrate CJE is more than a fundraiser. It is a mizvah to honor the most vulnerable members of our community, and support our vital work on behalf of our elders. It is a celebration of our clients, as well as our amazing, dedicated Board of Directors, employees, and volunteers. Come celebrate CJE with us!
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Food has always been an important part of culture and belonging, and Weinberg Community for Senior Living is no exception. The Dining Services staff at Weinberg Community understand this intuitively. They make an enormous effort to bring the highest quality, best tasting kosher meals to Weinberg residents and their guests, and to ensure a comfortable, happy and inclusive dining experience for all.
For new residents, Weinberg staff help them feel at home from their very first visit to the dining room. “We try to seat them at a nice table, with friendly residents who are willing introduce them to others. Day by day, they begin to make friends and start a nice relationship with other residents,” says John Palacio, Dining Services Director at Weinberg.
Weinberg is CJE Senior Life’s only kosher facility, and because of that, it bears extra responsibility to uphold high daily standards and to serve the larger community for special holidays and events. Weinberg provides kosher catering for the broader community for pick up on Jewish holidays. The staff also caters special events for residents and their guests upon request. Weinberg Dining Services even provides meals for the student body at nearby Rochelle Zell Jewish High School. Kashrut is monitored closely, with rabbinical visits three times a week.
For Shabbat and holidays, both Jewish and American, such as July 4th, Memorial Day and Labor Day, Weinberg dining staff work hard to bring holiday joy and new memories to residents. Depending on the day and the occasion, they might prepare a brisket, a rib eye steak, a Cornish hen or a delectable salmon dish. “They love salmon here,” notes Palacio, who has an extensive background in hospitality services.
While this may look easy, it’s not. The Weinberg dining center prepares approximately 500 meals a day for Gidwitz Place and Friend Center residents and Adult Day Services clients, between breakfast, lunch and dinner. It provides healthy choices at every meal, with options for those on special diets, whether low salt, gluten-free or for diabetes. The Weinberg dining team attends monthly food committee meetings, listens carefully to the discussions and tries to incorporate as many suggestions as possible. The team also collaborates with Life Enrichment for special events like baking cookies with residents.
All these efforts point to the same goal: to make sure every resident and visitor is comfortable and happy during mealtimes. “We try all the time to help the residents, give them whatever they ask for, try to make them feel like they are in their home,” says Palacio. “To take a good care of them, that’s the point.”
