Mrs. Naomi (Stavsky) Gorelick
Director of Hospital Services
Every family is different. So how can we say that Chai Lifeline takes care of every family’s needs?
That is precisely our strength. We have assembled a team of case managers who are assigned a deceptively simple mission: to take care of our Chai Lifeline families. Our scope of services is nuanced, just like the role of a loved one; we are simply there for our family.
As case managers, it’s our job to identify and care for every family’s individual needs, taking care of the “little things” that often fall to the wayside when dealing with illness or crisis. We familiarize ourselves with the family’s unique preferences and structure and intuit their needs to allow them to focus on the patient. Sometimes we offer food, sometimes it’s a listening ear and a shoulder to lean on; the essence of case management is recognizing and addressing every detail, no matter how insignificant, from kashering the kitchen for Pesach to shopping with the children to picking up dry cleaning.
While many families receive well-meaning offers of help from their relatives and friends, they’re often hesitant to impose responsibilities upon others; they may feel that their roles are being usurped, that their lives are being intruded upon, or that people simply do not understand what to say or how to help. Chai Lifeline pinpoints the family’s needs and steps in subtly and respectfully to relieve the burden without taking over, supporting the family and working with them – on their terms – rather than for them, to restore order to their family.
