DJ

DJ, a 91 year old veteran, has been attending a Jewish Community Services (JCS) congregate meal site in North Miami Beach since March 18, 1999. He rarely misses a day, enjoying the companionship of other seniors, especially working on daily crossword puzzles with other meal program participants. They are determined to complete each puzzle and their success rate is nearly 100%. What is particularly special about DJ is his artistic talent. At the age of 14, he discovered his ability to draw faces and has never stopped drawing for the past 77 years. This ability has brought joy to the children from neighborhood schools who visit the JCS congregate meal site. These children, volunteering each week, socialize with the seniors and get to know a little bit about their life stories. They often perform for the seniors, singing a variety of songs and sometimes dancing. The seniors look forward to these weekly visits. The children clamor around DJ, in the hope that this will be the day when he will sketch their likeness. By the time the school year has been completed, almost every child in the group has had their picture drawn. DJ and the rest of the meal site participants look forward to a new group of children at the beginning of each school year. The fact that JCS encourages intergenerational participation at the Congregate Dining Facilities is very special for the seniors. The older adults not only socialize with each other, but also socialize with the children who participate. Loneliness has been determined to be one of the most serious issues that seniors face as they get older. JCS staff work tirelessly to make sure that meal site participants have a wide array of social opportunities as well as proper nutrition. This ensures that our elderly clients benefit from the social interactions as well as nutritional intervention offered at the JCS Congregate Dining Facilities.