Seniors

Handmaker resident Karen Green and Activity Assistant Ariana Canez visit vendor booths at the Handmaker Healthcare Fair on May 12, 2026. (Photo: Nanci Levy)

On Tuesday, May 12, Handmaker welcomed healthcare professionals, community partners, residents, families, and guests to a successful and informative Healthcare Fair held on campus — the first event of its kind at Handmaker in recent memory. The fair brought together a wide variety of healthcare providers and organizations, offering… Read more »

Handmaker has hosted countless events and programs in the Great Room. For the last several years, attendees of programs held there have frequently commented that the program was good, but the speaker was difficult to hear or the image on the screen was hard to see. This was… Read more »

Some years ago, I had a 93-year-old client who was depressed. Try as I did to interest her in attending programs in the medical day care program where I worked, she resisted. One day, in response to my encouragement, she made a comment that has stayed with me ever… Read more »

Studying with Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin from Chabad Tucson is a great way to spend an hour at Handmaker. And if you add in a Reuben sandwich, you have an unbeatable combination. Handmaker residents have been enjoying learning from Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin over the past few months and, thanks to… Read more »

The Better Together website reads “Who said senior citizens and teens/tweens have nothing in common? Help teens in your community learn from the wisdom of elders and give senior citizens a chance to forge new connections.” Handmaker residents have had the opportunity to experience these connections with teens for… Read more »

The Jewish community of Southern Arizona will host its second AgeWell Day on Tuesday, May 7. The event brings together community members aged 60 and above for activities and camaraderie. Positive relationships and social connections are the keys to happier, healthier, longer lives, according to a multi-decade Harvard study.… Read more »

Under the leadership of Amy Dowe, Sr. Director of Wellness and Linda Travis, PsyD, Aging Adult Program Specialist, the Tucson J’s Healthy Aging suite of programs is growing to meet the diverse needs of older adults in Tucson and Pima County. With one in five people over 65 years… Read more »

Handmaker was recently awarded a half-million-dollar grant for updates to both the Rubin and Tynan Assisted Living Neighborhoods to enhance the health, safety, and overall experience of residents living in these neighborhoods. Handmaker CFO, Travis Wissinger, applied for and received an ARP AHCCCS (Adult HealthCare Cost Containment System) Grant.… Read more »

The eight days and nights of Hanukkah were filled with much light, song and dreidel playing at Handmaker. Even before Hanukkah began, residents were treated to a pre-Hanukkah Concert by David Wien and Rabbi Avi Alpert of Congregation Bet Shalom in the Grand Foyer. Hanukkiah were lit in every… Read more »

Thanks to a grant from the Jewish Community Foundation, Handmaker, in collaboration with Jewish Family and Children’s Services (JFCS), began hosting a monthly Shabbat Lunch and Learn program in October, free of charge to older adults. The intention of the program is to give aging adults a no-cost opportunity… Read more »

Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona (JFCS) is partnering with Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona on a new endeavor—Project Shalom. Project Shalom is a volunteer-based holiday program for Jewish older adults and adults with disabilities. “We came up with the idea for Project Shalom as a result… Read more »

P. Elayne Poston, Handmaker VP of Operations, attended her first ever Israel Festival at the Tucson Jewish Community Center on April 30. It was a wonderful introduction to the Tucson Jewish Community. She met so many people and had her very first taste of falafel too! Elayne was joined… Read more »

For many years, Handmaker Passover Seders were large events with children and grandchildren joining parents, grandparents and great-grandparents for this wonderful holiday celebration. The Handmaker Seders for the last several years have been more intimate events, due to COVID restrictions, but not so much this year. For the first… Read more »

Handmaker residents and staff enjoyed eating many hamantaschen during Purim this year! Staff were greeted at the main entrance to Handmaker with a basket full of hamantaschen on Purim, alongside a sign with information about the holiday. These delicious cookies were made by Executive Chef Claire and Pastry Chef… Read more »

Handmaker residents are grateful for the chesed (loving kindness) that they receive from the Tucson community. And lately, they have received a lot! For the last year, the Congregation Bet Shalom Chesed Group of volunteers, led by David Wien, have been joining Handmaker residents monthly for a “virtual tea… Read more »

The idea for Handmaker to host Brandeis Lectures in their Great Room originated about five years ago when Brandeis Lecture Coordinator Ellie Eigen was visiting a friend of hers at Handmaker, Carol Zuckert. Eigen had been coordinating the Brandeis Tucson Museum of Art Docent Talks and was looking for… Read more »

Thanks to Better Together, Handmaker is the beneficiary of two Intergenerational Programs that began this fall. Rabbi Cantor Emily Ellentuck from Tucson Hebrew Academy (THA) applied for and received a Grant from Better Together to plan four, year-long Intergenerational programs with THA’s 7th and 8th Grade classes and Handmaker… Read more »

This last month has been a whirlwind of activity at Handmaker. Beginning with the special festive meals and holiday services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, followed by the joyous celebrations of Sukkot and Simchat Torah during which residents experienced near perfect Sukkah dining weather. The holidays began a… Read more »

With the Jewish New Year of 5783 just around the corner, Handmaker staff, volunteers and residents have been busy preparing for the holidays logistically, as well as spiritually. Handmaker’s wonderful Executive Chef, Claire Ferguson, has planned some delicious festive meals for residents for the holidays, beginning on Erev Rosh… Read more »

Residents in the Rich Long Term Care Neighborhood at Handmaker have been enjoying watching the transformation of their home over the last few months as the unit goes through a major renovation. Handmaker’s Administrator, Steve Hunt, has been doing his best to ensure that the work gets done, while… Read more »