The Hebrew Center, located on Abrahams Boulevard, recently renovated its 257-bed health and rehabilitation center, adding state-of-the-art mobility equipment and updating its long-term care facilities.

By Mia Jaworski

The center showcased its renovations during a “Care Reimagined” event on Oct. 15, offering attendees tours of the ballroom, rehabilitation room, memory care unit and café.

The main hallway featured a European-style street café, complete with an awning and windows with planter boxes. Coined the Main Street Café, the eatery offers a place where patients and visitors can enjoy coffee or a bakery item.

The ballroom had a jazz duo performing “Stand by Me” as attendees enjoyed food prepared by the center’s chef and specialty cocktails, including a “new” Old Fashioned that was smoked after shaking.

The Hebrew Center offers short-term rehabilitation, long-term care and specialized medical services, including cardiac recovery, stroke rehabilitation and memory care. It also has an on-site salon, offering classes and quick pick-me-ups for residents.

One of the major upgrades was the LiteGait system in the rehabilitation room. The machine, costing upwards of five-figures, provides mobility support, including walking assistance and body-weight support. The rehabilitation room also includes a mock apartment, complete with a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom, to help ensure patients are prepared for daily life after rehab.

In the residential areas, new flooring, walls and décor were added to make residents more comfortable. Clear trophy boxes outside each room showcase residents and their interests. The renovations also included a sensory room, a recreation room with murals mimicking storefronts, and newly renovated bedrooms.

During renovations, patients were moved to completed areas to allow them to continue living at the center, then moved back when their section was finished. This extensive undertaking is common when renovating rehabilitation facilities.

“Something important for us was to have the memory care unit make residents feel they were free to themselves,” said AK Darko, Director of Admission. “This is their home.”

The center offers a variety of living and leisure spaces. Staff joked that even the married couple living at the facility doesn’t have to see each other if they don’t want to.

Care with a long history

The Hebrew Center traces its roots to a group of Orthodox Jewish women in Hartford. The home first opened its residential housing to four residents on Oct. 14, 1901.

“In a time when prejudice and discrimination against Jewish people were so deeply rooted in society, Jewish seniors often found themselves with nowhere to turn for senior healthcare,” said Penni Martin, Hebrew Center administrator.

The Hebrew Home was renamed the Hebrew Home for the Aged of Hartford in 1937 before relocating to Abrahms Boulevard in West Hartford in 1989. In 2009, it operated as Hebrew Health Care Inc., a nonprofit network that included skilled nursing, rehabilitation, hospital and residential care services. Following financial challenges and bankruptcy, the 257-bed facility was acquired by National Health Care Associates in 2016.

The acquisition ended the religious affiliation, but the Hebrew Center continues to maintain its Jewish identity, traditions, and kosher standards.

The event also included a dedication marking the Hebrew Center’s 125th anniversary and honoring its history.

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford! Click the blue button below to become a supporter of We-Ha.com and our efforts to continue producing quality journalism.