Page 16 - The Jewish Voice - June '22

Page 16, The Jewish Voice

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Mental Health Is Everyone’s support those at MorseLife 18th century that the markings became common enough to be

Business: A Partnership who are receiving treatment associated with domestic cats and, in the 19th century, cat fanciers
began to select cats with certain traits to create specific breeds.
for the disease. Participants
Between The Breakers Palm enjoyed a walk around worldwide. This may be due to the independent feline tendencies
Cats are increasing in popularity as companion animals
MorseLife’s picturesque
Beach and Alpert JFS lake, from Tradition assisted as compared with dogs aligning more with the modern lifestyle.
living to Levin Palace No matter if you are a dog person or a cat person. Pets bring
For the past four years, Ferd & Gladys Alpert Jewish Family independent living. us companionship and many positive health benefits. For those
Service has partnered with The Breakers in Palm Beach to MorseLife recently began offering specialized Parkinson’s of us who have a feline friend, it is fun to look back and know
provide Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training to the resort’s therapy on an outpatient basis throughout Palm Beach that they are still very similar to those wild cats that decided
management team. MHFA teaches critical communication and County. The expansion of Parkinson’s Therapy at MorseLife to befriend us humans and enrich our lives thousands of years
support skills that empower participants to identify and extend broadens access to the effective and evidence-based Lee ago. Just make sure to bring your feline companion in for yearly
initial assistance to individuals who show signs of substance use, Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) therapy program and veterinary check-ups to ensure they stay healthy! After all, we
as well as mental health and/or substance abuse problems, or are offers highly individualized Parkinson’s treatment plans led need them with us for many years to come.
experiencing a mental health crisis. by certified therapists. Established in 1981, Palm City Animal Medical Center is
The training, which is research-based, provides the skills Florida has the highest percentage in the nation of people dedicated to providing the best possible care for your pets. With
needed to reach out and extend initial support to someone diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Research conducted by focuses on compassionate care in surgery, physical therapy and
who may be developing a mental health or substance use MorseLife reports that its program participants have shown rehabilitation, preventative medicine, extensive diagnostics, and
challenge and help connect them to the appropriate care. significant improvements in daily functioning. Remarkably, 100 emergency service, Palm City Animal Medical Center combines
Ideal participants include community members, social percent of patients report that their balance function has either exceptional medical care with a caring philosophy for pets and
clubs, faith communities, private/public-sector employers/ improved or maintained, while 92 percent report improved fine their owners. For more information, call (772) 283-0920, visit
employees, police officers and first responders, medical staff, motor skills, 95 percent report improved muscle strength, and 83 www.palmcityanimalmedicalcenter.com or find us on Facebook
organizations, and caring individuals. percent report increased success in completing daily care tasks. at www.facebook.com/PalmCityAnimalClinic.
Following the success of the MHFA training for The Breakers’ Parkinson’s Therapy at MorseLife was created to meet the
management team, Alpert JFS asked participants what specific distinctive needs of MorseLife’s long-term care residents who Financial Focus
lessons they felt would benefit the rest of their employees. With suffered from Parkinson’s disease or other movement related
one in five Americans suffering from some form of mental illness disorders. Since its launch in 2020, the program has had a positive Market Decline Offers Buying Opportunities
in their lifetime, The Breakers recognized the need to expand impact on the lives of many MorseLife patients.
MHFA training to its entire employee population. To learn more about the Parkinson’s Therapy Program at By Sally Sima Stahl
In collaboration with the resort, Alpert JFS then created a MorseLife, visit www.morselife.org or call 561-472-2900. The financial markets
condensed version of MHFA for The Breakers’ non-managerial Photos courtesy of MorseLife have gotten off to a rocky start
staff, dubbed Mental Health Is Everyone’s Business – a virtual this year. What’s caused this
training initiative that raises awareness of the role mental well- Tip of the Tail volatility? And does it present
being plays in both work and non-work lives. Led by an Alpert The Domestication of the Cat opportunities for patient
JFS-certified instructor, the course reduces the stigma around investors?
mental health challenges, giving insight and encouraging True to feline form, First of all, several factors
participants to help others by emphasizing self-care. it is thought that cats are behind the market volatility,
To date: domesticated themselves! including the war in Ukraine,
• 400 managers at The Breakers have completed MHFA Those of us who have pet higher inflation, rising interest
training and 335 non-managerial team members have cats know that cats do rates, and the lingering effects
completed “Mental Health Is Everyone’s Business” what cats want to do! In of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Breakers is the only company contracted in fact, we often joke that cats are very good at training us humans However, while these factors may be specific to the recent market
partnership with Alpert JFS to facilitate these ongoing sessions to serve them. decline, volatility itself is a common feature of the investment
• Alpert JFS works with other for-profit companies on a Cats began their unique relationship with humans around environment. In fact, history shows that corrections of 10% or
project basis 10,000-12,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, which is the more happen about every year, and declines of 15% or more have
Morselife Residents, modern-day region of West Asia. This was the area where some happened every other year, on average. Furthermore, while 2022
has thus far been challenging for investors, it was preceded by a
of the earliest human developments were located. As people
Staff Raise Awareness for abandoned their nomadic ways and settled down to farm, grain long period of strong markets, with the S&P 500 averaging more
than a 20% return over the past three years.
was stored, and rats and mice became a problem. Middle eastern
Parkinson’s Disease wildcats (felix silvestrus lybica) took advantage of the food source Knowing the typical frequency of market volatility and
and started hanging around humans. These cats evolved over reviewing the results of the past few years may make the current
MorseLife Health System residents and staff recently thousands of years into the modern-day cat Felis catus. situation seem less shocking. But you don’t have to simply
participated in a campus-wide Parkinson’s Walk to raise awareness Studies of DNA from more than 200 cats spanning 9,000 “ride out” the downturn — because a down market may give
for the one million Americans living with Parkinson’s and to years show that two main lineages contributed to the domestic you the opportunity to buy more investment shares at good
feline we know today — the wild cats of West Asia and the prices. Specifically, you can expand your holdings in companies
African cats that dominated Egypt. History tells us that cats that have good growth prospects due to strong management
spread from Asia into Europe as early as 4400 BCE. Egyptian and products or services that provide sustainable competitive
cats then spread into the Mediterranean and most of the rest of the advantages. And this type of opportunity is important, because
world around 1500 BCE. As cats chose to hang around human one of the keys to building wealth is to increase the number of
settlements, they likely became attractive to humans as pets due shares you own in your various investments and hold them for
to increased sociability and tameness. Humans began taking the long term. While the market will always fluctuate, the long-
them on ships and other transports for rodent control. Thus, they term trend has been positive, particularly for well-diversified
traveled around the world! portfolios built with quality investments.
Surprisingly, wild and domestic cats show no major Of course, while it is a good idea to boost your share
differences in their genetic makeup. One of the few traits
that changed is the tabby coat marking. It was only in the late Lifestyles on page 17