The Hebrew Home at Riverdale is a dynamic, vibrant community situated on 19 acres of lawns and gardens overlooking the Hudson River and the Palisades. For 91 years, The Hebrew Home has been deeply committed to assuring the maximum quality of life for each person in
our care.
Several unique living environments are included among the 22 residential neighborhoods. These neighborhoods meet the specific needs of those residents who need minimal assistance, those with Alzheimer’s disease who can benefit from a specialized therapeutic milieu and those who require sophisticated around-the-clock medical monitoring and intensive nursing care.
A staff of full-time physicians provides 24-hour on-site coverage, supported by a roster of over 50 visiting medical specialists affiliated with New York City’s major teaching hospitals.
A dedicated team of nurses and nurse’s aides, social workers, physical, occupational and speech therapists, audiologists, registered dieticians and therapeutic activity professionals ensures the highest level of care, most comprehensive treatment and close personal attention to individual needs and concerns.
An on-site laboratory and pharmacy, x-ray, dental and ophthalmology facilities provide a full range of ancillary services to residents.
Sexual Expression Policy at the Home
The Hebrew Home at Riverdale is the first facility of its kind to develop a policy to recognize and protect the sexual rights of nursing home residents, while distinguishing between intimacy and sexually inappropriate behaviors.
Nearly a decade ago, the Hebrew Home began to address the following issues: What should the staff of a nursing home do when its elderly residents want to engage in sex? How should they respond when a person makes sexual advances toward someone suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or other form of dementia? How should staff determine matters of consent for residents with confusion and lost verbal skills? How and when is intervention necessary in the ongoing management of residents who are in an intimate relationship?
Assisted by a grant from the New York State Department of Health, the Hebrew Home created a comprehensive staff training video called “Freedom of Sexual Expression: Dementia and Resident Rights in Long-Term Care facilities,” part of a training program that serves as the standard for all long-term care facilities across the state and the nation.
“We encourage our residents to express their sexuality in a responsible, ethical and moral fashion, while acknowledging the need for our staff to be trained in taking appropriate measures in cases in which a cognitively impaired person might be involved or the rights of one or more residents compromised,” said Daniel Reingold, President and CEO of the Hebrew Home. |
