Clifton—One of the pleasures of living in the Miriam Apartments at Daughters of Miriam Center/The Gallen Institute is access to the beautifully landscaped grounds. The buildings of the independent-living senior facility are surrounded by gardens and trees that make time spent outdoors relaxing and peaceful. Apartment tenants enjoy walks among the trees, al fresco meals or simply sitting on a bench appreciating the wonders of nature. Thanks to the efforts of Bonim Builders, those surroundings just became a bit more lush and vibrant with the addition of several new trees and shrubs.
Bonim Builders is an outreach organization that is part of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey. Formed in 2002, it seeks to address the lack of affordable housing in northern New Jersey by assigning volunteers to hands-on projects, renovating or performing critical repairs for low-income homeowners and nonprofit agencies in Bergen, Passaic and North Hudson counties. While they are part of the Jewish Federation, volunteers perform these services for community members of all races, religions and ethnicities.
The volunteer group that came to Daughters of Miriam Center were all co-workers from Goldman Sachs who specifically wanted to do something beneficial for seniors. The volunteers not only gave of their time—they also purchased all of the beautifully planted trees in the gardens. Several tenants came out to chat with volunteers as they worked and admired the new garden. While a few of the larger trees required the assistance of machinery run by the Center’s maintenance and engineering staff, for the majority of the work, the Bonim Builders volunteers, quite literally, dug in. It was hot, sweaty work, using shovels to dig holes for the new trees and shrubs.
Linda Emr, manager of the Esther and Sam Schwartz Building (Miriam Apartments II) commented, “Being able to enjoy the outdoors makes such a difference in the lives of our tenants. These new plants and trees will be an enduring improvement to our grounds and we are grateful that Bonim Builders chose the seniors at Daughters of Miriam Center for this project.” The gardens are an important part of life at the Miriam Apartments. During the warmer months, outdoor activities take advantage of the grounds and a large gazebo provides a beautifully shaded area for tenants to simply sit and enjoy a perfect summer day.
In 1979, the office of Housing and Urban Development started a pilot program that offered congregate services that allowed seniors to maintain their own homes for as long as possible. The Esther and Sam Schwartz Building was one of only three facilities in New Jersey chosen to participate. Congregate services combine shelter and services for the elderly, particularly for those who are no longer fully capable of maintaining a completely independent lifestyle. Through provision of the opportunity for congregate meals, housekeeping services and assistance in one or more of the activities of daily living, the program provides a residential environment that incorporates shelter and services in order to promote normalization of lifestyle for the impaired or socially deprived elderly.
Daughters of Miriam Center/The Gallen Institute is a state-of-the-art long-term care and subacute facility providing broad-based services to seniors. Emphasizing a continuum-of-care focus, Center divisions include a skilled nursing facility, a subacute-care wing, a dementia-care pavilion, a rehabilitation program, a sheltered workshop, hospice care, a respite program and senior housing with supportive services.
