Grandparent’s Day at Parker Jewish

Mary Salvato, 96, was full of smiles when she was surrounded by her family on the patio of the Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care & Rehabilitation on September 11.
“I regularly attend Grandparent’s Day but my mother comes here everyday. Yes, everyday in the past four years!” said Justin Ephraim, Salvato’s nephew.
Grandparent’s Day is a national holiday and an annual event at the Parker Jewish Institute. Jacob Berlin was responsible for putting the event together with his staff. Grandparent’s Day was celebrated with a patriotic background commemorating the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy.
Everyone was encouraged and invited to attend the public event. There were Polaroid pictures taken and given to the families, a petting zoo, live music, cotton candy, fast pitch for the kids, a clown, temporary tattoo artists, and ice cream. It was a great day for both the families and the residents.
Berlin mentioned that by the end of the day, there will be about a thousand people in and out of the building in the two hour time frame of the event.
“We’re going to take the time to make sure we respect everybody who was involved in the tragedy of September 11. We’re also honoring anyone who is over a hundred years old,” said Michael Rosenblut, chief executive officer and President of the Parker Jewish Institute.
A hearty round of applause permeated when special recognition was given to residents a hundred years of age and older, each of whom received a colorful bouquet of flowers.
Rita Guy, two week resident of the institute, was actually bobbing her head along with the music and seemed appreciative for Grandparent’s Day.
“It’s a nice event. I didn’t expect this; the animals are nice and Rita was enjoying the music,” said her niece, Makeda Guy.