Molly Forrest, CEO-President of the Los Angeles Jewish Home, Elected to Aging Services of California Board of Directors

RESEDA, Calif., Jan. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Molly Forrest, Chief Executive Officer-President of the Los Angeles Jewish Home in Reseda, CA, has been selected by Aging Services of California to serve as its Delegate to AAHSA, the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging.  AAHSA delegates represent the Aging Services membership at the AAHSA House of Delegates.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100114/DC38275)

Forrest was selected by Aging Services' nominating committee, which is comprised of her peers throughout California and is chaired by David Ferguson, Aging Services' immediate past board chair.  Her election was confirmed at Aging Services' November meeting.   "Molly will be a superb addition to the Aging Services Board.  She brings years of experience in California, and represents a client base that has been under-represented on our Board," says Ferguson.  "We look forward to her participation."

Joanne Handy, President and CEO of Aging Services said, "Aging Services of California is honored to welcome Molly to its Board of Directors. Her visionary efforts to transform the field of aging services will be a tremendous addition to this already distinguished group of leaders."

"Molly Forrest is among an elite group of transformational leaders in aging services nationwide. Her appointment to the Board will benefit many other AAHSA and Aging Services' members in California and beyond," noted Larry Minnix, President and CEO of AAHSA.

Commenting on her three-year appointment to the 33-member Aging Services' Board, Forrest said: "It is a great honor to be chosen to serve on the board of this prestigious and important organization during these challenging times. The members of Aging Services of California deliver outstanding programs of care to meet the growing needs of our seniors.  I'm looking forward to collaborating on a local and national level to create innovative solutions to the historic demographic changes facing our nation."

Under Forrest's leadership, the Jewish Home has seen incredible growth and revitalization.   It has expanded independent-living Neighborhood Home accommodations from 17 residents to 50, opened an award-winning 96-bed skilled nursing Alzheimer's special-care facility, and the Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center with a 10-bed acute psychiatric hospital and 239 skilled nursing beds.  The Home is set to open Fountainview at Eisenberg Village, the fastest selling Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in California history on January 31st. To help make all of this possible, the nonprofit Home increased annual donor support from $4.5 million in 1996 to $10.5 million in 2009.

A graduate of Oregon State University, Forrest is active in a variety of community organizations including immediate past Chair of the Association of Jewish Aging Services, the California State University Northridge (CSUN) Professional Health Care Administration Committee, the CSUN Alzheimer's Association Center Advisory Committee, the Geriatric Education and Research Organization, and the council of Agency and Federation Executives. She is a recipient of the Jewish Communal Professionals of Southern California Allan J. Kassin Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement and the San Fernando Valley Business Journal Health Care Leadership Award.  Forrest is a frequent guest speaker regarding geriatric issues for various leading healthcare, eldercare, and nonprofit organizations.

Aging Services of California is the leading advocate for quality nonprofit senior living and care in the state.  The public-interest association represents more than 400 nonprofit providers of aging services – including affordable housing, continuing care retirement communities, assisted living, skilled nursing, and home and community-based care – that collectively serve more than 100,000 seniors.

Founded in 1912, the world-renowned Los Angeles Jewish Home is one of the foremost continuing senior-living facilities in the United States and is the largest single-source provider of senior housing in Los Angeles. Each year, more than 1,700 senior women and men are supported through in-residence housing on two village campuses totaling 16 acres, which feature independent-living "Neighborhood Home" accommodations, residential care, skilled nursing care, Alzheimer's disease and dementia care, or through Skirball Hospice in the community.  Healthcare professionals from around the world consult with the Jewish Home in an effort to improve eldercare in their home countries. The Home is a nonprofit organization that relies solely upon donations from individuals, corporations and foundations to continue its remarkable work. Further information regarding the Home can be found online at www.jha.org or by calling 818-757-4407.

SOURCE Los Angeles Jewish Home