The Lazarus Endowment

The Gerontology Program will award a research grant to Parker Institute to fund research of caregiver burn-out, and the dynamics of interaction between caregivers and people with Alzheimer's. The funds for research come from the Lazarus Endowment, which is specially for the funding of Gerontoligical research.

The Lazarus Endowment was established in 1998 by Dr. Phoebe Lazarus in memory of her late husband, Mr. N. "Bud" Lazarus, who was described as a New York boy" with a fondness for adventure. Born in 1919 Mr. Lazarus attended New York public schools and later NYU. He married his wife Phoebe in 1942 just before entering the United States Army where he served as a High Speed Radio Operator in the "Army's Navy" (Air/Sea Rescue Service) saving pilots in training who went down in the Gulf of Mexico. Upon completing his military service he returned to his former career, where he followed in the footsteps of his father in the paper and plastics industry. His aptitude for this industry and his ingenuity earned him early retirement when he developed a new food wrap that challenged Dow Chemical Company's Saran Wrap, and ultimately led to the sale of his firm to the Borden Company. During retirement he found a new passion in photography and mastered it through his travels. When his wife completed her doctoral studies in 1970, a celebratory trip to Africa became the first of 49 such adventures to this area. During his many visits to the regions of Africa, Mr. Lazarus became a free-lance photographer, audio-visual slide-show producer and safari consultant. He covered the territories using all available means, including Land rover, small aircraft, hot air balloon, dug out canoe and by foot. The African wildlife, people and landscape have all become part of Mr. Lazarus'; photographic and recorded experience. He has been published in travel magazines, textbooks for Afro-American Studies and children's television shows. His photographic archives continue to be in demand.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Lazarus is survived by two adult developmentally disabled daughters who have been residents of a local group home for the past twenty years and who became the impetus for this generous endowment. When one of her daughters, now age 50 began to show signs of cognitive and emotional regression, Dr. Phoebe Lazarus consulted with Dr. Ruth Gold, Director of Hofstra University's Center for Gerontology regarding available information about early senility among the developmentally disabled population. As a result of these discussions and the fact that her husband was also diagnosed with dementia, Dr. Lazarus established this endowment which enables Hofstra's Center for Gerontology to support creative day programs for persons with Dementia.

Some of the programs that have benefited from this endowment to date are:

• Support to expand the Music Therapy program at the Gurwin Adult Day program for persons with Dementia
• Staff training support for a Reminisence program
• Support of Deer Park Intergenerational Programs
• Support of the Horticulture Therapy program at the Parker Jewish Adult Day Care Program
• Support of creative arts projects for persons with dementia at the Great Neck Senior Center's social model Adult Day Care program