Choosing the Right Nursing Home

The smell of freshly baked bread drifts from the kitchen. Old friends chat as a dog chases a tennis ball nearby. These are the sights, sounds and smells of what senior living should be.

Your Golden Years aren’t a time to “settle.” After a lifetime of hard work, you should enjoy bright, elegant and friendly surroundings – where you can indulge in hobbies, challenge your mind and commune with nature.

To be happy, you don’t have to live in the house where you raised your family. “In fact, the older we get, the more overwhelming owning a home can become,” says Aric Spitulnik, president of Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital. “That’s when it’s important to research new living options, so you can make life worth living without the headaches.”

His first tip: Start with a checklist of the things most important to you. Examples may include:
-Privacy, both with bedroom suites and bathrooms
-Internet connections
-Pets that live with you
-Beautiful grounds
-Nearness to shopping and museums
-Closeness to family
-Proximity to medical care
-Being treated with respect and compassion

Aric’s second tip: Get recommendations from friends, houses of worship, aging organizations and the Internet, and check each place yourself if possible. “The old institutional feel of nursing homes is not good enough for our elders,” continues Aric. “That’s why Levindale began a $31 million construction project in January – to create a modern, warm home that fits the desires of seniors ‘on the go’ and of seniors seeking dignified care.” It will be located on the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg campus.

Aric’s third tip: Give yourself enough time to figure out what accommodations will guarantee you a lifetime of fulfillment, and then take action. For more information about Levindale, call 410-601-WELL (9355).

-Helene King

Weinberg Foundation Leads the Way in Levindale Renovation and Expansion

Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital celebrated the first phase of a $31 million construction project with a ceremony yesterday evening.

Thanks to generous donors, the expansion campaign has already taken off in a major way. The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc. pledged $10 million, the largest gift to a long-term care center in the foundation’s history. In appreciation of this gift, the campus is now The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg campus at Levindale.

In addition to the Weinberg Foundation gift, Willard Hackerman, president and CEO of Whiting-Turner, pledged $5 million to the project. These two leadership gifts reflect an unprecedented campaign to raise money through philanthropy.

“The leadership and support from the Weinberg Foundation will be felt for generations to come, not only in our city but around the country,” says Aric Spitulnik, president and COO of Levindale. “That gift, along with the gift provided by Willard Hackerman, will guarantee that we can continue to treat the elderly with the dignity and respect they deserve while encouraging their independence.”

“This is a perfect grant for us. It involves older adults, it involves our hometown of Baltimore, it involves the Jewish community, and it's a capital project,” says Barry Schloss, the Foundation treasurer and one of its trustees, who became involved with this project six years ago. “I'm so excited to see it get to this stage.”

The new Levindale, which will be completed in 2012, will be a cheerful, inviting, modern home for residents, while providing a comfortable, elegant and friendly atmosphere. Spacious yet intimate, the building will have small households with private bedrooms that have full, private showers and bathrooms; a country kitchen with family-style Kosher cooking and dining; a den for reading, music and watching television; and a cozy hearth area.


Click on the video below to hear more about the benefits of the new Levindale from Spitulnik.