The Jewish Home Family Charles P. Berkowitz Center for Rehabilitation Excellence officially opened last week, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Rockleigh, New Jersey, and the unveiling of cutting-edge warm-water therapies and other advanced modalities for Bergen and Rockland counties and beyond.
“The Jewish Home Family has more than a century of service to our community,” said President and CEO Carol Silver Elliott at the ceremony. “Starting as an orphanage, we have grown into a continuum of services for older adults including assisted living, memory care, long-term care, short-term rehabilitation, home care, a specialized program for those with Parkinson’s disease, and the only elder abuse shelter in New Jersey. The Center for Rehabilitation Excellence sets a new standard for rehab services in our region.”
The Jewish Home at Rockleigh, right near the New York/New Jersey border, provides subacute rehab following hospital stays, as well as outpatient therapies. “The new Center for Rehabilitation Excellence will serve a wide variety of people, and a wide variety of ages from our region,” said Silver Elliott. “Whether they are here for inpatient or outpatient care, individuals will receive a full range of physical, occupational and speech therapy based on their specific needs. Our aquatic therapy center, with three warm-water venues, offers tremendous benefit to anyone with joint or mobility issues. And the emphasis on practicing the life skills that people will need at home, from walking on different surfaces, taking a shower, cooking a meal, getting in and out of a car and much more, will enable our patients to be discharged prepared to succeed.”
A tour of the facility reveals a refreshing mindset to rehabilitation technology. In addition to the aquatic therapy familiar to most people, JHF offers underwater video assessment and analysis for ambulatory functions from a perspective not visible to a therapist watching from above. The inpatient physical and occupational therapy space is bright and cheerful, generously equipped with traditional and advanced technologies and a working kitchen and laundry facility for real-life practice and training. There is also a driving simulator to assess a person’s ability to safely operate a vehicle. Each private patient room in the rehab facility is equipped with Alexa technology as well.
So what makes JHF special? Why would someone choose JHF? Silver Elliot explained: “The Jewish Home Family is a mission-driven, values-based organization. We pride ourselves on providing care for the body as well as the mind and spirit, looking at each person we serve as an individual with unique needs and unique gifts. Our work is not just health care; it is helping to ensure that life for our elders is meaningful and purposeful. We are always focused on quality and always focused on making aging a meaningful and enriching experience.”
The residential and rehab facilities are RCBC certified kosher. For families who would like to spend time with their loved one over Shabbat, on-site overnight accommodations are available.
For more information, contact Jewish Home Family via the website: [email protected] or call (201) 750 4234.
By Ellie Wolf
