Page 4 - Healthcare News 2023 Senior Planning Guide

Wellness for Life
Sharing a Life
Journaling Is a Therapeutic Exercise for All Involved
BY GEORGE O’BRIEN Lobrien@businesswest.com
isa Berezin acknowledged she was moving out of her comfort zone.
“Completely out of my comfort zone,” actually. Indeed, she had never done anything remotely like the
assignment she agreed to take on. But when her good friend, Susan Jaye Kaplan, asks for help with something, it is her policy to say ‘yes.’
In this case, she was agreeing to a request to create a journal chronicling the life and times of one of the residents at Ruth’s House, an assisted-living facility in Longmeadow. For Berezin, who earned a degree in elementary education before segueing into business, and someone who had volunteered mostly with young people, this was a going to be an exercise in learning while doing, but she was willing and able.
So was John Scalia, a 64-year-old resident whose life has been dominated by four passions
— his family, his friends, his
love of music (especially doo-
Liz Berezin, who recently completed a journal for John Scalia, described the experience as one that was rewarding on many levels.
Staff Photo
wop), and an obsession with the New York Yankees. Family
Journaling
Continued on page 24
413.664.9382 www.bfair.org
771 South Church St North Adams, MA 01247
Serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities & their families through:
Residential Services Day Habilitation Clinical Services
Adult Family Care/Shared Living Employment Services Community Living
Mission: To enrich the lives of people of all ages and abilities by providing positive life experiences and advocacy through distinctive, individualized, quality service
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AUGUST 7, 2023
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