Directions Search CONTACT US

Resident Life

Jewish Home Lifecare is committed to helping elders continue their lives with dignity and meaning.

In support of this commitment, we serve the needs of all elders – physical, emotional, social, and spiritual.

Elders who become residents at one of our campuses join a vibrant community and enjoy round-the-clock access to specialized services. Our goal is to help clients enjoy a rich, full life.

Communities Of Caring
Resident Life
Supporting Independence
Recreation’s Benefits
Being Social, Having Fun
A Variety of Settings
Part of the Community
Outings to Places New and Familiar
Food for Thought
Celebrating Our Cultures
Religious Life
Feeling Well

Communities Of Caring

The goal of Jewish Home Lifecare’s innovative communities of caring is to provide our high standards of service within small home environments that are kind, gentle, and satisfying places to live, work and visit.

These communities transform a facility into a home, a patient into a person, and a schedule into a choice.

Communities of caring involve the participation of everyone—residents, staff, volunteers and families—working together to make every day rich with possibilities. Residents play a role in communal decision-making, reinforcing their sense of purpose and individuality.

Quality care delivery depends on a qualified staff. Our staff is a vital part of our community, and works together with residents to plan activities based on individual interests and abilities. Jewish Home Lifecare recognizes that respect, empowerment, and recognition contribute to high staff and resident satisfaction.

Resident Life

We do everything possible to ensure that our residents live comfortably. Through life-enhancing activities, elders can enjoy days full of enriching interactions with other residents, friends, family and volunteers.

Engaging in activities helps satisfy the needs of the “total” person, including physical, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being, by allowing individuals to use their strengths, to maintain positive attitudes and to find meaning in their lives.

Residents are encouraged to indulge in new talents and discover the pleasure of singing, writing, drawing, painting or participating in a lively group discussion. Developing friendships is important, and therapists encourage this.

Therapists take the time to learn each elder’s interests and habits, today and before they became residents. Therapists make every effort to understand residents’ life histories. For example, were they active in the church? Then the therapist will introduce the resident to the appropriate clergy. Were they involved in politics? The arts? There are suitable, enjoyable activities for all.

There are many bedside recreational activities and programs for those residents who can’t join events outside their rooms.

Supporting Independence

Group participation is definitely not mandatory – therapists make an effort to get to know individual clients; recreation is self directed.

Staff also encourages residents to pursue independent activities, like reading the newspaper. Or, for example, for a resident who loves to create art but is not so interested in group activities, therapists will supply the resident with art supplies so he/she can work on his/her own.

Recreation’s Benefits

Recreation participation has significant benefits including increased self-esteem, improved social skills and feeling a sense of meaning and accomplishment.

Some impaired persons may require specialized treatment or professional intervention in order to enjoy a meaningful leisure experience. The Therapeutic Recreation staff is continuously enhancing existing programs and creating new ones.

Relaxation. Depression and anxiety are common maladies plaguing elders. Therapists help residents relax with techniques including but not limited to:  aroma therapy, music listening, guided imagery, sensory stimulation, hand massage, deep breathing and stretching.

Pet therapy. Volunteers and their dogs visit residents both at bedside and in the dining room.  Our relationship with the “Good Dog Foundation” facilitates visits by trained dogs with their masters. Many of our elders have had dogs in their lives and respond very positively to being able to hold and pet a dog. Family members and friends visit with their dogs, as well.

Art studio. The art studio offers individual art instruction. Residents are then encouraged to work in a medium of their choice (for example, paints, pencils, collages, needlework, beads/crafts, crocheting.) Residents work on their own projects and use art to express thoughts and feelings.

Cooking. Cooking groups are held in community dining rooms. Residents discuss what to cook, follow the recipe, and sample the food. The groups also discuss ethnic foods, cultural traditions, and have a chance to reminisce about the past.  The aroma of cooking draws residents to the activity and community.

Music therapy. Music and related activities improve physical, emotional, creative, and spiritual well-being. Music therapists at Jewish Home design therapeutic programs and activities for groups, as well as providing one-to-one music therapy for clients who cannot leave their rooms.

Creative writing. Residents who enjoy expressing themselves with language have joined to form Creative Writing Groups. Residents collaborate on pieces, hold discussions, and work on their own compositions.

Beauty salon. Residents look forward to having their nails done, make up applied and hands massaged.

Cognitive stimulation. Word games, card games, trivia, puzzles, name that tune, music memories, and scrabble are just some of the ways residents keep their minds sharp.

Horticulture Program. Residents engage in growing plants, for common areas and their own rooms.

Being Social, Having Fun

There are diverse entertainment offerings throughout the year on all Jewish Home Lifecare campuses. Piano recitals, poetry readings, games, current events programs, music appreciation and dancing are some of the ways residents enjoy themselves.

For many events, volunteers add to the occasion with a sense of fun and offer residents a chance to interact with people of different ages.

Music is a big part of life at our campuses. Here are a few of the performances residents have enjoyed:

• Sunday Concert Series
• Classical concerts throughout the year
• Summer Serenade concert, held outdoors with refreshments

Several orchestras performed for residents, including the NY Mandolin Orchestra, North Carolina Baptist Choir, and Yale University Chorus.

Periodic afternoon teas and Decadent Desserts social hours give residents a chance to socialize and enjoy delicious snacks.

Grandchildren can visit our campuses and lead an activity such as piano playing and singing.

There are fashion, talent and comedy shows with resident participation throughout the year.

Friday and Saturday night at the movies are regular events, and Casino Nights are a popular way to spend an evening.

A Variety of Settings

Our campuses offer a variety of settings in which to enjoy activities.

Resident communities promote the feeling of home. Each community is its own little neighborhood, making it easier to form relationships and create bonds between the residents and those who care for them.

The gardens on our campuses are lovely places to socialize or simply enjoy the enjoy sunshine and flowers. Some of the activities that happen in our gardens include:

• Holiday celebrations and weekly parties with live music
• Barbecues
• Special summer concerts

The Neighborhood Trip program brings residents, families and friends together for an afternoon out in the garden with a special luncheon.  Lunches are catered from neighborhood restaurants that offered diverse and ethnic food.  These trips permit those residents not able to tolerate a bus trip to enjoy the weather and a special lunch.

Aviaries, coffee shops, a children’s playground, and fitness center are other amenities on our campuses. (Amenities vary by campus.)

Part of the Community

One of Jewish Home Lifecare’s distinguishing features is the commitment to engage and build community. Volunteers, individuals of all ages, ethnicities, and religious backgrounds from public, private, and government sectors, come to share their special talents, skills, and education with our elders.

Youth volunteers support elders during recreation, dining, and when transportation is required. Our Intergenerational Youth program empowers disadvantaged youth, nurtures students’ interest in healthcare as a career, provides safe supervised space after school, and offers mentoring and life skills training.

Our elders especially enjoy getting visits from children and young adults. Intergenerational programs encourage elders to share their wisdom with today’s youth through mentoring relationships and social activities. The students help keep our residents “young at heart”.

Some of the ways volunteers interact with the elders at Jewish Home Lifecare:

• “Mommy and Me.” Residents join visiting children and parents in the library, to sing songs and play.
• Elementary school children pay visits to residents. Holiday baking, crafts, sports and games are some of the things elders and children do together, When possible, regular visits enable residents  to form bonds with the kids.
• Students conduct “history interviews,” asking residents about their lives.
• Planting Program. Students, families, and residents work together to decorate pots and plant. The residents keep the plant.

Adult corporate volunteers are present and participate at recurring events like the Roseland Dance, game nights, and the wheelchair square dance. They also add to the fun at our summer outdoor BBQs and Cinco de Mayo party.

Outings to Places New and Familiar

Excursions take place throughout the year for residents whose health permits, including trips to museums, theaters, restaurants and shopping centers.

Family members are invited to attend. Student volunteers receive special training to serve as escorts and companions.

Philharmonic Rehearsal Concerts at Lincoln Center are always popular. Coney Island, shopping trips, baseball games, apple orchards, the Philharmonic in the Park, City Island, botanical gardens, Broadway performances, South Street Seaport , Music in the Park at Bryant Park, cruises, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Radio City Music Hall and visits to the city’s Holiday Lights are just some of the outings residents can choose to enjoy throughout the year.

Trips out to lunch range from familiar fare to exotic cuisine, giving elders a chance to socialize and enjoy a meal together in a fresh environment.

Food for Thought

Jewish Home Lifecare campuses offer libraries stocked with a variety of books, magazines and newspapers, many in large print. Educational lectures, broadcasts, and group discussions round out the cerebral offerings. For example,

“92St. Y Live” features live broadcasts of lectures held at Manhattan’s 92nd Street Y, available to residents, families, friends, and members of the community. Speakers have included Katie Couric, Eli Weisel, Alan Alda, and Garrison Keiler.

In Manhattan, Professor Herb Greenhut has been teaching the History “class” for more than 10 years. The Professor intersperses his compelling lectures on New York City and national history with music and videos to emphasize key points.  The history classes often cover events that have happened during the residents’ lives and evoke a powerful discussion.  At the end of each semester, attendees are invited to “graduation”.

Discussion groups, like the Armchair Travel talks, are held in communities and campuses.

Celebrating Our Cultures

Festivities to mark the year’ special days are something residents and staff look forward too.

National holidays, cultural celebrations and days of commemoration are all part of life at Jewish Home, on all of our campuses. Residents enjoy monthly birthday parties as well. Family members are welcome to attend.

Grandparent’s Day is a joyous occasion for residents and their families. Often, many children’s activities, such as face painting and balloon art, are featured to entertain children and elders alike. Ice cream and live music ensure a fun day for all.

Passover Seders bring together communities and campuses.

Mardi Gras celebrations include a parade floats made by resident communities, visiting Jazz band performances, and local school students joining in the festivities. And beads, of course.

For Cinco de Mayo, residents can enjoy an outdoor celebration. Past parties have featured live mariachis, traditional Polvorones (large type of cookie), and a performance of “La Raspa”(Mexican Hat Dance) by local students.

July 4th features outdoor concerts, watermelon and other refreshments.

To celebrate Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanza, multi-cultural Holiday parties with live entertainment take place.

To ring in the New Year, dinner and dancing occurs, with live bands, champagne, and of course, hats and whistles.

During a recent Black History Month, residents were invited to watch movies featuring black artists. For Older American Month, the Jazz Elders group played a concert.

Other holidays observed with events and/or religious services include: Mothers Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Israel Independence Day, Hispanic Heritage Month, Martin Luther King Day, Tu Bishvat, Purim, Easter, Holocaust Memorial, Rosh Hashanah, and Thanksgiving.

Religious Life

For over 155 years, Jewish Home Lifecare has welcomed the Jewish community while meeting the religious needs of all its residents.

Jewish services are held weekly and are conducted on all Jewish holidays. In addition, classes and discussion groups on a broad range of Jewish topics are regularly offered, as well as many special events.

Catholic and Protestant services are conducted weekly and on religious holidays. Visits from clergy of other faiths may be arranged through the Director of Religious Life. All campuses have liaisons with nearby churches.

Family members, friends and volunteers are welcome to join religious services.

Religious discussion groups are held in conjunction with the Rabbi, and Catholic and Protestant clergy.  Groups such as “Circle of Healing” and “Conversations with the Rabbi” foster discussion and prayer among the residents.

Feeling Well

Jewish Home Lifecare provides skilled nursing and inpatient services, to improve the physical and emotional quality of life for our residents, patients and clients.

Our around-the-clock skilled nursing staff includes registered nurses, nurse practitioners, licensed practical nurses and certified nursing assistants. Everyone on staff receives ongoing training and education throughout their tenure at Jewish Home, to advance their skills and update their clinical knowledge.

Read more about our excellent medical care.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

The use of complementary and alternative medicine to help people enhance their well-being is an expanding field of study. A pilot program at JHL demonstrated the benefits of these innovative techniques in our communities for residents with dementia. Consequently, many programs have been designed to help residents better adjust to their surroundings or participate in activities.

We encourage residents to explore the variety of complementary therapies we offer, including:

aromatherapy, reflexology, acupuncture, mediation, spirituality of healing, guided imagery, tai chi, pet therapy, and music therapy.

 

• OUR CAMPUSES:
• Manhattan
• Westchester
• Bronx
• Jewish Home Lifecare in Your Community

• STAFF