AT THE SEPHARDIC COMMUNITY CENTER
SARAH CHREM, LMSW
THE CENTER OPENED ITS DOORS ON NOVEMBER 15TH, WELCOMING THE COMMUNITY TO CENTERED ON HEALTH. THE EVENT, WHICH HAD SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE, BROUGHT PEOPLE TOGETHER TO LEARN, RECONNECT, AND ENJOY THE DAY. CENTERED ON HEALTH BOASTED A ROBUST PROGRAM, ENCOMPASSING A DIVERSE ARRAY OF HEALTH-RELATED PRESENTATIONS.
Our health starts at conception. Genetic screening before marrying and having children is the first responsible decision we can make as parents. Dr. Ditchek of JPatible came in to help us understand more about recessive genes and the importance of genetic testing. As parents, we strive to keep our children safe and healthy. Along that theme, we had an RN at the event who gave presentations on what to do if your child is choking.
Parenting our children is our most important job. Parenting takes planning, education, and strategy. Being proactive parents will allow us to find positive ways to discipline our children, as well as tune in to their needs and advocate for them when they have challenges to meet. We also had a parenting expert, along with an occupational therapist, speech and language pathologist, and physical therapist. All of our therapists spoke to parents of young children about how they can grow as parents by recognizing, understanding, and meeting their children’s needs.
Presentations on both our mental and physical health were given at the event too. We live such full, fast paced lives and give so much of ourselves to our loved ones. We need to learn how to slow down and take care of ourselves as well. Having a life coach come in to discuss how to control the “rush” in our day was eye opening for many. Self care was also addressed by an auriculotherapist, who explained acupressure on the ear and the host of difficulties it can address and alleviate. Since we are always on the move, we don’t always pay attention to our physical well being. Learning about how lower back and knee pain are oftentimes caused by those areas compensating for other areas helped attendees realize that they need to address the less obvious areas in their bodies in regards to exercise and treatment.
As we move from stage to stage throughout life, our health needs shift as well. Everyone was excited to learn about how nutrition and metabolism affect health at different ages and stages of life. As we get older, we want to make sure we are staying strong, that’s why it is so valuable to learn about women’s bone health. We learned about what we can do to build and maintain bone mass, as well as things we can avoid that contribute to poor bone health. Finally, we learned about our mind and memory. Concerns surrounding memory need to be addressed from a wider angle because memory challenges can be a symptom of other medical issues. The full picture will point patients to the best course of treatment. We learned when we should be concerned and address potential issues with a medical provider.
Throughout the day, there were health screenings for participants to utilize. In some cases, screenings can save lives. Preventive medicine can help us understand what our medical needs are. Incorporating screenings into our Centered on Health event was a priority. We were able to include mammogram screenings (with the help of Morris I Franco Cancer Center) as well as hearing screenings (with Audiologist Dr. Jennifer Srour).
Then we moved on to discussing healthy food. Food is often at the center of our homes and families, but we need to be responsible about what we choose to eat. The varied cooking demonstrations approached cooking from different angles. Our cooking demos covered topics that included the medical components of the food we eat, different ways of incorporating new foods into our cooking, how to use what’s in our pantry and fridge for a balanced meal, how to make a smoothie that will help our bodies re-energize after exercising, how to eat well without depriving ourselves, and how to create a healthier version of Shabbat and holiday meals. The variety of subjects, along with the aromas traveling from the stage to the audience, kept everyone interested and hungry.
While the main goal of Centered on Health was to empower people with important information and health related knowledge, unifying the community stands at “the center” of what we wanted to achieve. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Every employee of the Center, as well as every presenter and organization involved, was responsible for the success of our event. We are proud to have collaborated with and owe a debt of gratitude to The Morris I Franco Cancer Center and Medstar, PROPEL Network, The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, Dr. Stuart Ditchek, Dr. Ezra Dori, Dr. Jennifer Srour, Ray Sofer, Evelyn Salama, Laura Kurtz, Renee Zarif, Heather Deutsch, Nazira Chabbott, Sandy Zohni, Stefanie Zakay, Jacklyn Lahav, Frances Palacci, Judith Betesh, Sarah Hanan, Nina Dahan, Mozelle Goldstein, Roz Ben David, and Allison Esses.
Sarah Chrem, LMSW, is a special events coordinator at the Center.
