Daughters Of Israel

The Healthcare Foundation of
New Jersey
Alzheimer's Special Care Unit
At Barnhard Pavilion

Overview of the
Special Care Unit Program
Our Special Care Unit is designed for the treatment of people suffering from memory impairments due to Alzheimer’s Disease and related disorders. We admit residents who are in approximately the early 4th to late 5th stages of the disease process.

Our supportive therapeutic environment is designed to maintain quality of life with emphasis on the resident's existing abilities. Our Social Activity model creates feelings of usefulness, success and pleasure thereby preserving dignity and self-esteem.

Therapeutic Environment
Our supportive environment includes an outdoor terrace with a walking path. Indoors we feature vignette areas that include a nursery, kitchen, living room, fireplace, office, formal dining room and men’s club. Interactive artwork is used to prevent purposeless wandering. These areas provide reminiscence and create a home-like environment. Directional signage and contrasting colors are employed to help with way finding.

Quality of Life
Our state of the art Activity Program is designed to promote existing skills. It includes a full complement of programs supervised by a therapist trained in Activity Based Dementia Care. Some programs include music, art, exercise, horticulture, religious programs, trips, cooking, outdoor events, Snoezelen therapy, and parties. We program seven days per week until 8:00 p.m.

Support services
Making the decision to place a loved one in a special care unit can be difficult. Our professional staff is trained to provide support groups, offer educational information and referrals to outside support services.

Individualized Plan of Care
Our trained clinical staff gathers as much information as they can in order to provide your family member with a 24-hour daily schedule as close to his or her prior home life as possible. We pay special attention to bathing and grooming rituals, menu likes and dislikes, preferred activities and those areas that provide your loved one with peace and tranquility.

Physician and Nursing Services
Our expert medical staff is trained in dementia care. Each shift is professionally supervised by a registered nurse who has expertise in dementia care. A Dementia Capable Registered Nurse Coordinator oversees the full program. We staff with extra Certified Nurse Aides enabling the ability to cue each resident to maintain their independence for as long as possible.
Peace of mind is the knowledge that your family member is receiving the best that Alzheimer's Care has to offer. We welcome you to tour our safe, secure, state of the art environment that is based upon the latest research available.

The Special Care Unit is certified by the New Jersey Department of Health and Human Services, Endorsed by the Northern New Jersey Alzheimer's Chapter.

An Overview of the Various Cognitive, Physical and Social Activities Offered on the Special Care Unit

Here at Daughters of Israel, every resident’s quality of life matters to us. That is why we are very committed to providing activities that are focused on their optimal health and well-being. The following is a simple explanation of the different activities that we offer.

Physically Stimulating Activities

The purpose of this type of activity is to provide:
Increased range of motion
Increased mobility
Strength training
Socialization
Teamwork
These types of activities occur daily on the SCU and they include:
Sit and Be Fit Exercise
Movement to Music
Sit & Stretch
Active Games: bowling, basketball toss, etc.

Intellectual and Educationally Stimulating Activities

The purpose of this type of activity is to:
Help maintain resident’s cognitive abilities
Maintain memory and attention span
These types of activities occur weekly and they include:
Trivia and Discussions
Reminiscing
Word Games
Bingo

Socially Stimulating Activities
The purpose of this type of activity is to:

Decrease resident isolation
Develop meaningful relationship with peers
Improve self-esteem and self-worth
These types of activities occur at least 2x monthly and they include:
Baking Bunch/ Soup Making
Ladies Afternoon Club
Karaoke/Music Fun
Lunch Outings
Birthday Parties
Men’s Club

Spiritually Stimulating Activities
The purpose of this type of activity is to:

Provide residents with the opportunity to find comfort and solace in religious or spiritual-type programming based on their personal preferences and cultural background.
These types of activities occur at least once a week, except for daily services and special holiday services:
Daily Minyan
Shabbas Simcha
Jewish Music
Holiday Services
Shabbat Services

Sensory Stimulating Activities
The purpose of this type of activity is to:

Increase self-esteem
Encourage residents to be aware of stimuli and their surroundings.
These types of activities include:
Manicures
Hand Massages
Baking and/or Cooking
Afternoon Food Socials
Name that Tune
Pet Visits

Creative/Self-Expression Activities
The purpose of this type of activity is to:

Encourage self-expression other than verbal
Bring personal reward of inner satisfaction
Create a feeling of achievement & gratification
Offer another opportunity for socialization
These types of activities occur at least once a week. Some of these activities include:
Arts and Crafts
Small Group Programs

SAFETY MEASURES:

To ensure the safety of our residents during all programs by qualified, specially-trained Special Care Unit staff are present to provide supervision and assistance. Residents are supervised and assisted to and from all off unit activities.

Special thanks to our benefactors without whom the Alzheimer's Special Care Unit would not have been possible:

The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey
New Jersey State Council on the Arts
United Jewish Communities of MetroWest New Jersey Priority Reserve Fund
Women's League of Daughters of Israel

For more information contact Karen Callahan, Director, 973-400-3832 or kcallahan@doigc.org

In 1906 we pledged to provide the elderly with the finest care imaginable.
Today, we’re still keeping that promise!

Daughters of Israel
Plafsky Family Campus

Cooperman Family Building
1155 Pleasant Valley Way
West Orange, NJ 07052

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