(Courtesy of Jewish Home Family) On Sunday, September 16, the Jewish Home Family marked an important and exciting milestone in its history. Nearly 150 community members, local clergy, New Jersey legislators and representatives from national senior care organizations gathered to break ground on the Charles P. Berkowitz Center for Rehabilitation Excellence. This new state-of-the-art facility is a key element in the Jewish Home Family’s Second Century Project.

The new center is named in honor of Charles P. Berkowitz, president emeritus of the Jewish Home Family. Berkowitz devoted his long and distinguished career to the care of older adults in our community.

Building on its 100 year history and commitment to meeting the needs of older adults, the new center will enable the Jewish Home Family to offer the latest in rehab services for both inpatients and outpatients. These services will include new treatment modalities including warm water aquatic therapy and will offer both individual therapy pools and a larger warm saltwater pool for group therapy and exercise.

“We are very excited about moving forward with this project as we know that rehabilitation services have become increasingly important,” said Carol Silver Elliott, president and CEO of the Jewish Family Home. “Through physical, occupational and speech therapy, individuals of any age can improve not just their health but also their quality of life. Aging well is more than just growing older—it is growing older as well as possible.”

In addition to the center, the first phase of the project includes 60 new private rooms for inpatient rehab stays. New additions also include a designated ambulance entrance centrally located between the new construction and the existing nursing home, that will provide greater privacy for patients and residents and greater ease of access. The new Center for Rehabilitation Excellence will be enable the Jewish Home Family to add new treatment modalities, add new key services including warm water aquatic therapy, as well as additional room for outpatient rehabilitation.

For further information about the new Charles P. Berkowitz Center for Rehabilitation or the Second Century Capital Campaign, please contact Melanie S. Cohen at 201-750-4231.