SOUTH AMBOY – Windsor Healthcare Vice-Presidents and Siblings: Joshua Jacobs, Batsheva Katz, Michael Jacobs stand behind their father, President and CEO of Windsor Healthcare Hyman Jacobs
By: Katherine Massopust
SOUTH AMBOY – The Amboy Guardian was privy to a tour of the newly built Venetian Care & Rehabilitation Center. Windsor Healthcare owns the new Venetian Center and nine other “nursing homes” across New Jersey.
Windsor holds the highest ranking in Nursing Home excellence. President and CEO Hyman Jacobs owns Windsor Healthcare, a family run organization. 3 of his 5 children make Windsor the success that it is. Jacobs built facilities like Venetian on the premise to change the culture of the concept of a nursing home. The facility is based on the principles of: Honor Dignity and Respect. “We want to de-institutionalize institutional life,” states Batsheva Katz, one of the 3 children who are Vice-Presidents of Windsor Healthcare Communities, along with siblings Michael and Joshua Jacobs.
“It took 6 years to find a place (to build),” states Michael Jacobs. “One of the many reasons South Amboy was chosen was because of the location near the waterfront and the pleasant view (available from every room).”
When one enters the Venetian Facility, the first thing noticeable is the warm colors, high ceilings and welcoming atmosphere. “We’re a Kessler #1 rated company,” states Katz. There are 180 beds – 120 beds for long term care and 60 beds for sub-acute (short term rehabilitative care). The facility is open 365 days a year/7 days a week/24 hours a day. There are between 200 – 250 employees.
With 6 elevators and 4 floors (3 floors for patient residency) Venetian offers a state of the art facility. The patient rooms are large, and the walls are 3/4 length of the room between rooms for privacy. Each room is equipped with Wi-Fi, television, controlled temperature. Showers are private so residents can choose where to bathe rather than keeping to a schedule dictated by staff. This also goes for waking up, going to bed and mealtimes.
Not finalized yet, patients may be able to bring their pets (within reason) to help with their comfort.
The “wings” in the facility are known as “neighborhoods” where social interaction is encouraged. Each neighborhood is built like a home and has a kitchen in which residents can cook a meal if they choose to. The specialized stove allows cooking without a flame so the patient can’t accidently burn him/herself on a pot.
Artwork will be displayed in one of the spacious areas upon entering the facility
*Photos by Katherine Massopust
Patients in neighborhoods are given caregivers and that caregiver will stay with those patients for the duration of the patient’s stay at the facility. The care given is patient specific personalized care – not a one for all situations as in many nursing homes.
Amenities will include libraries, an exercise/physical therapy room and hospitality based treatment. There is a gift shop, a non-denominational chapel/meditation room and recreational areas. There will even be a garden with a Koi pond. This garden is modeled after the award winning most innovative garden in a nursing home in the United States in Merwick, Princeton (Another Windsor Facility). There will be a gallery featuring local artists with rotating exhibits.
“We do everything we can to encourage life,” Katz states. Patients can choose to eat in their rooms or in a bistro style restaurant downstairs. “We have eliminated trays and institutionalized style eating. The patients are served as in a restaurant.” There will be a hot/cold food station for each patient’s enjoyment.
“This is their home,” Katz states. “We offer a convivium (living together in good company).”
Residents can enjoy activities in abundance including being transported (in the summer) to the waterfront concerts, summer barbecues and plenty to do all year long. For patients needing physical rehabilitation (such as learning to walk again), all sorts of surfaces (e.g. sand, dirt, sidewalks, etc.) are provided for the patient to walk properly and prepared when released.
When Hyman Jacobs was asked why he built Venetian and other facilities like it, he stated, “I wanted to do something different with the highest level of quality. I believe we were able to achieve it. You start with how you treat your staff – then the staff is empowered. We like to grow from within.”
Venetian is based on patient satisfaction. In the preliminary stages of building the entire facility’s staff (at other Windsor facilities) – everyone from nurses down to maintenance were asked what was needed to improve nursing home care, whether it be where the garbage is disposed of or patient comfort – any input was welcome.
One example is there are no florescent lights, an annoying staple in many institutions.
“We are a restraint free organization: both physical and psychological,” Katz states proudly, “Windsor views the use of psychiatric drugs as form of restraint.”
Windsor Healthcare Communities owns Briarwood Nursing Home (formerly Carriage House). “Briarwood is going to be demolished,” states Michael Jacobs. Many of the patients at Briarwood are being transferred to Venetian as are most of the staff.”
Venetian offers all type of internships from high school level to higher levels of education. “All sorts of teaching takes place here,” Jacobs states. The entire Jacobs family are hoping the Venetian Facility will be open by September 2014. For more info go to www.windsorhealthcare.org.
