A heartfelt thank-you to the 2025 Caregiver Award nominees —pictured left to right: Maimah Sumo of Serving Spirit Home Care in Ardmore, Lisbeth Hernandez of Lions Gate in Voorhees, and Shakira Perry of Arbor Terrace in Mount Laurel — for their outstanding dedication and compassion in caring for seniors in our community. Congratulations to Lisbeth Hernandez, the recipient of this year’s Caregiver Award, whose spirit of care truly shines. We want to share the excerpts of the Symposium's opening remarks by Jerry Rothkoff. A full recap of the Symposium will be forthcoming. Jerry Rothkoff's opening Symposium remarks: “Welcome to the 8th annual Rothkoff Law Elder Care Symposium. We look forward to a wonderful day of learning and sharing important ideas. This Symposium is an important part of Rothkoff Law's commitment to being a resource for the professional elder care community, older adults, and their care partners throughout the Philadelphia and South Jersey areas and beyond. We are so grateful to all of you who are participating either in person or virtually. We are so thankful for your support and your time today. It certainly takes a huge effort to have this day all come together. I would like to thank a number of people who are responsible for today. This includes our wonderful marketing and outreach team of Laura Nelson, Alida Rowe, Michele McLaughlin, Donna Daciuk, Stephanie Fisch & Jennifer Cohen. Also, I thank my partner, Bryan Adler, and our entire Rothkoff Law team for their tireless advocacy on behalf of older adults and those living with disabilities. Behind the scenes, on a personal basis, I want to thank my wife Erica, who always inspires me. To bring this Symposium to life, we need your assistance and support. Thank you to our presenting sponsor, New Vitae, our lunch sponsor, Haddon Home Care, the Caregiver Award sponsor, Suburban Solutions, and the Breakout sponsors, Rosette Senior Living. We also thank our Gold Sponsors and all the vendors. A complete list of all sponsors and vendors is in your program. A very important thank you to all of the esteemed speakers who have donated their time and energy to bring their expert knowledge to you today. Today, our theme is Trail Blazers of the Industry. We will spend the first part of the day through lunch, addressing issues associated with mental illness and older adults. This includes the keynote by Dr. John Brose, then a panel discussion on mental health challenges for older adults, and a presentation by Dr. Jennifer Bush on mental health interventions and suicide prevention for older adults. In the afternoon, we will have our breakout sessions. The breakouts include updates on Medicare by David Lipschutz, the co-director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy, based in DC & CT. Additional breakout sessions include pharmacogenomics in elder care by Dr. Chana Hershkop, and the future of death care with Nancy Goldenberg & PA State Representative Mary Jo Daley. We end this fabulous day discussing innovative dementia living concepts with Mary Pitsch. For older adults, I have learned that addressing issues associated with mental illness is hard. Just because dealing with an issue is hard does not mean you should ignore it. Today, we will not ignore mental illness. Many of you have watched all four seasons of FX's acclaimed TV series, The Bear. For those of you who have not watched any parts of the show, I highly recommend you do. For those of you who have not watched the show, you may want to hold your ears for portions of my talk because there may be a few spoilers over the next several minutes. The Bear does not feel like watching just another TV drama. The show is sometimes difficult to watch. For many of us, it feels like holding up a mirror to our own struggles with anxiety, grief, or depression. The chaos in the kitchen is familiar—not because we've all worked in restaurants, but because the show captures the way mental illness can make ordinary life feel overwhelming, messy, and unmanageable. The strive for perfection – placing the garnish in the perfect spot every time, trying to fit in, concerned that we are not good enough or worthy enough, concerned about what others will think of us. On the surface, it's a show about a struggling Chicago sandwich shop and the people trying to turn it into something better. But beneath the cooking, the chaos, and the shouting, The Bear is really about the weight of mental illness—and how it shapes the way we work, love, and live. The main character, Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, is a world-class chef returning home after his brother's suicide. Carmy carries unprocessed grief and survivor's guilt into the kitchen. His perfectionism and relentless standards often spiral into anxiety attacks, reflecting how unresolved trauma can manifest in daily life and relationships. The show doesn't isolate mental illness to one character. Richie, Carmy's cousin, struggles with his own identity, anger, and loneliness. Sydney, the ambitious sous chef, deals with anxiety and the burden of expectations. These characters aren't "case studies" in mental illness—they're people, flawed and human, stumbling through life the way so many of us do. The kitchen itself is symbolic. It's loud, hot, fast, and overwhelming—just like a panic attack. Yet, it is also a place of creativity, teamwork, and redemption. When the staff begins to function together, the kitchen transforms from a battlefield into a family. This duality reflects the experience of living with mental illness: chaos and beauty coexisting, struggle and resilience side by side. The Bear validates something many of us already know: mental illness isn't rare, and it isn't shameful. While we can't always silence the noise inside us, we can keep showing up, day after day, with the people who matter. In the season four finale (this is the spoiler alert), Carmy decides to leave the restaurant and hand the keys over to the people he has hurt. Carmy comes to the only conclusion he can - the only way to find the space to heal is to step away from an environment that is clearly unhealthy for him. This is a very human way to deal with his mental health. We all need to step away, at least temporarily, from things that cause us hurt. Carmy is not abandoning anyone. Instead, his gift isn't a decision to wash his hands of a failing enterprise. Instead, it's an expression of hope and confidence – a sincere declaration that his friends and family can do better than him. At the heart of all the Bear family craziness and Michelin star-chasing antics is a deeply human story about how we process grief and deal with one's mental health. Today, we will tackle these issues head-on as they relate to older adults. So, I hope you all enjoy this wonderful day of sharing and learning. As a born and bred Philadelphian, I am required by law to end my remarks by saying ‘Go Birds and Go Phils.’” | 
