By Susie Davidson

Advocate Correspondent

BOSTON - In their continuing capacity to envision and provide the highest quality, most comprehensive care for Jewish seniors, Boston’s Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for Aged has launched a new initiative.

On Sunday, June 3^rd from 1:00-3:30 pm, a new, 21-bed Recuperative Services Unit for adults over the age of 65 will be presented at a public Open House. The RSU will provide short-term care for patients who have been discharged from a hospital and require rehabilitative care before returning home. It will be a kosher facility reflective of the exemplary standards and warm compassion which distinguish the Center.

RSU patients must have spent at least three days in an acute hospital and exhibit a capability for medical, surgical or orthopedic rehabilitation. Varied conditions are admissible, but the unit at this time is not designed for those adults who are ventilator-dependent, or who require spinal cord injury, burn, hemodialysis, total parenteral nutrition or head injury treatment.

As opposed to the "home" stature of the Center for a typical resident, 13-30 days is the projected average length of stay at the RSU.

The Unit will be headed by Director of Nursing Diane Barsomian, RN, who has been at the Center for six years and who will oversee all

clinical aspects of patient care as well as admissions and

referrals. She will be joined by Unit Administrator Sue Baron, of Genesis Eldercare, who will oversee operations and compliance issues.

"The goal is to be able to send these patients back to their homes," says Barsomian.

Services offered at the new unit will encompass physical, occupational and recreation therapy, post-surgical rehabilitation, pain management, nutrition counseling, skilled nursing observation, wound management, patient and family education and respiratory management.

Providing such services will be a team comprised of skilled geriatric care practitioners including physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers and physical, occupational, speech, audiology and recreation therapists. This team will work together with the aim of reestablishing the greatest level of function and competency for each patient.

Dr. Randi E. Berkowitz will serve as medical director.

"Our staff," says Barsomian, "is a 50/50 mix of people who have

worked in long-term care and those who have experience in acute care

settings. We have also drawn on Center employees to fill many of our

positions."

The current, multi-building locale was built over the 1960’s and early 1970’s; the Center has been in existence since 1903. The expansive agency serves both its residents and the outer senior care community with a top-quality nursing and management staff. Ongoing renovations maintain a technologically sound, 725 room site which includes religious services areas, a bakery, hair salon, myriad recreation rooms, offices, public areas, and more.

The Center offers its residents a diverse program of services which include long-term care, research and training within a housing community. With the RSU, a shorter-term framework will be in place as well.

"With the opening of the RSU," Vice President for Nursing and

Clinical Services Peg Corbett explains, "we will be able to respond, for the first time, to requests for nursing home placements from those in an acute hospital setting who are in need of rehabilitative services. It was never something we could do before."

"By providing short-term rehabilitative care," explains the Center’s public statement, "the Center is able to serve a broader segment of the Jewish community and expand the continuum of services it offers." "It also allows the Center to share its expertise in geriatric care with an ever-widening circle of people."

The admissions procedure entails a hospital screening by a case manager or discharge planner and subsequent physician and family consultation. If the patient’s care plan and objectives fall within the realm of the RSU’s offerings, admission will follow for a short-term stay.

The RSU accepts only Medicare or private payment (skilled nursing is a covered Medicare benefit).

The Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for Aged is located at 1200 Centre Street, Boston. For information on the Open House and/or the new Recuperative Services Unit, please call (617) 363-8372.