COMMUNITY SERVICE TOUR OF THE ADLER APHASIA CENTER

Front L-R: Mike Adler, Henrietta Wolfeiler, Bea Podorefsky, Barbara Savetsky, Phyllis Betancourt Back: L-R: Karen Turner, Elaine Adler, Carole Benson, Roberta Lew, Marcia Levy, Ruth Seitelman, Roxanne Reff, Fran Einiger, Elaine Pollack, Barbara Simon, Lisa Goldstein

On June 16, 2015, Bergen County Section held the first of several community service tours. Twelve members visited the Adler Aphasia Center and the Center for Hope and Safety.

At the Adler Aphasia Center Elissa Goldstein, Director of Development and Communications, and Karen Tucker, the Executive Director, spoke to us and gave us a tour of the Center. Mike and Elaine Adler, founders of the facility, joined us for lunch.

Aphasia, a language disorder, robs a person of their ability to communicate. As a result people are cut off from their family, their friends and everyday life. “Aphasics need more than speech therapy,” Ellisa Goldstein said. “They need to learn how to be heard in a very verbal society.”

The Adler Aphasia Center offers hope and help by providing a therapeutic environment in a non-clinical atmosphere. The strategy is to teach their members (not clients or patients) how to cope and engage within their community. We spoke to members. Walter, who was very eager to speak with us, is ninety-two and an active participant. Some of the Center’s activities include a technology center, mock trial, rehearsals for their annual musical, creative arts, and a thriving gift shop where they sell the jewelry and handmade pieces that they create. The building was alive with a community center spirit. The members were expressive, enthusiastic, and enabled.

New NCJW BCS member Barbara Savetsky said, “I had a wonderful day with NCJW BCS when we visited the Adler Aphasia Center. Who knew such a wonderful facility existed here in Bergen County? People who have suffered stroke and other brain injuries have many courses available to them. The one I found most interesting was a computer class where members type what they want to say and the computer says it for them. These people can return to interacting with their family and community after the loss of such an important faculty.”

We all came away with a much better understanding of aphasia and, more importantly, the amazing ground-breaking work the Adler Aphasia Center is doing for their members. We left understanding why the NCJW BCS volunteers are dedicated to the center.

Click each photo to enlarge.