Many Programs for the Community
The Jewish Home’s impact on the frail and elderly population goes much beyond the obvious. The obvious is that the Jewish Home at Rockleigh is a 180 unit long-term care facility which provides skilled nursing, sub-acute, chronic and dementia care in its four units. What is not obvious is that out of respect for our elderly the Board of Directors allowed us to build all private rooms with private bathrooms and individual thermostats. That we have an outstanding rehabilitation program which provides physical, occupational and speech therapies to our inpatients is well known, but we also provide rehab services to many people living in the community who wish to continue their therapy at the Jewish Home, after discharge.
Also obvious is the Gallen Adult Day Health Care Center program which presently brings in 50 members of the community in the morning and provides nursing care, recreational activities, social services, a hot lunch and snacks as well as making available the many medical services in our clinics. To accommodate extra time the caregivers may need, we offer an extended service day so the participants can be picked up early and brought home late. What I am sure is a long lost secret is that this program was the first in the State of New Jersey and has been serving the frail and elderly since 1973 — first in Jersey City, then River Vale and now in Rockleigh. The demand for this service is growing and we are awaiting approval of 5 additional slots by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services.
In addition, the obvious is that we recently opened a 107 unit Assisted Living facility in River Vale, on the site of our 50 unit long-term facility which had been there since 1968. Within the 107 units are 24 serving the dementia population in “Memory Lane.” The facility is beautiful and is intended to provide care for those who can no longer live independently but do not require skilled nursing.
One of the best kept secrets is the kosher food programs which the Jewish Home has provided since the early 1970’s when we began to deliver meals-on-wheels to hundreds of peoples’ homes throughout Jersey City as well as to many temples and synagogues in North Bergen, Bayonne and Jersey City. When the United Jewish Community called us over 15 years ago because the County of Bergen could not get anyone to bid on their contract to provide kosher food, we agreed to bring meals to the JCC on the Palisades, the YM-YWHA in Hackensack and then in Washington Township, as well as the Teaneck Temple and Jewish Community Center. Since opening in Rockleigh, our meal program has expanded to the Jewish Family Service in Fair Lawn, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, while continuing to deliver to Hudson County. Tens of thousands of meals are delivered each year throughout Bergen, Hudson and Passaic Counties.
In the past year, we provided congregational nursing services in Bergen County thanks to the efforts of Alan Sweifach and the UJA of Northern New Jersey. Unfortunately the funding dried up and the program was ended, but we hope to once again find funds for this program in the future. The Jewish Home also received a small grant for Holocaust Survivors and it was well spent providing services to this population. We hope to once again receive funding, in 2008, for this population. In an effort not to duplicate services, we contracted with Jewish Family Services to provide counseling when necessary.
We have kept a close relationship with two very special programs in our community: the Adler Aphasia Center for which we provide transportation for their participants through a Bergen County Transportation Grant and the Jewish Association for the Developmentally Disabled.
During the last High Holidays we were fortunate to receive a grant from a couple in the community which enabled us to start two new community programs which you will hear more about in the coming weeks. The first is the provision of kosher meals on Shabbat and the second is the provision of transportation for the elderly living in the community who would like to come to the Jewish Home for Shabbat services and the Oneg Shabbat kiddush that follows. Lunch will be offered as well. This program will benefit those living here as well, as it will help us have a weekly minyon.
If you know anyone who would benefit from any of these programs and would like to participate, please contact me.
We would like to duplicate the independent living facility which we had in Jersey City, as there is no question that affordable housing for the elderly is needed in Bergen County. If I touched a sensitive note and you feel that you are in a position to help us financially to develop new community services, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly at 201-750-4230.