1 million gift will augment a significant Jewish Home program

The Jewish Home’s remodeled acute geriatric psychiatry hospitalfills a definite need in serving the city’s elderly population.Acute Psychiatric CarePsychiatric disorders in the elderly are often the result of illnesses such asdementia and other issues not found in the general population. Having anacute geriatric psychiatry hospital at the Jewish Home, staffed by doctors andnurses who have experience dealing with this population, makes sense.“Working with seniors was taught in a way that was soappealing, worthwhile and rewarding that I was drawnto it. I can’t imagine not doing it.”Dr. Stein spent 33 years in Florida in private practice,providing outpatient and inpatient services to elderlypatients. He decided to make a change because “I hadheard glowing reports about the Jewish Home of SanFrancisco and the work it was doing,” he says.The past president of the American Association forGeriatric Psychiatry and the winner of a number ofawards for his work, Dr. Stein says he finds that whenpeople have lived to be older than 75, the medianlifespan in the U.S., “they’re survivors. They’vedeveloped skills to reach that age. It may take relativelylittle to help them regain their equilibrium or copingmechanisms.“I welcome the opportunity to work with the Home’sstaff and residents, and with the evolution andexpansion of an inpatient psychiatric hospital. I want tobe involved with helping bring it to the next level.”2010/ 2011 Jewish Senior Living17