The New Jewish Home, Manhattan — Local services in New York

I should have put up my review sooner. Took my Mom their recommended by Mt Sinia Hospital .My Plan with the Dr was to give a month of rehab at this facility to get her strength back after have 8 hr operation on her leg bypass surgery due to poor circulation. Then return her to Mt Sinia to complete the bypass surgery which they where not able to compleat with the 1st bypass surgery. Well my only problem there house Dr and nursing staff need to get it Right no wound speaclist. My Mom leg suffered from this. I was there everyday keeping my eyes on things. One afternoon I got there 3pm I had errands to do in the am I found her in room door closed she was screaming in pain delirious and naked.I went to the nursing staff and told them have you lost your minds. She needed to be transferred back to Mt Sinia.This is no way to ignore a patient in pain and semi-comatose.The nurses where relieved that I took action. There is a silent rule that administration has a policy patients are not to be transferred out of the facility I could see how eager the staff was willing to do the right thing once I demanded it. I also made sure that the transfer request was coming from the facility not by my request because Medicare wouldn't cover her bills at Mount Sinai if I removed her on my own. They also did it the right way so that medicare continued without interruption. What a learning experience. Here is something to think about. 1) never leave a love one unattended. 2) Family members should take turns staying with the patient 24 seven. I choose this place because they said I could stay 24/7 with my Mom if I like to. I am a registered nurse for 37 yrs and the staff knew it. They were nice with me we where in the same click and this still happened.My Mom and I went in an ambulance back to Mt Sinai and spent 24hr in the ER they didn't have a room for her and they put her in an isolation room due to her screaming. Mt Sinia is not the same place as when I worked there at the start of my nursing career. My mom died 4 days later. They also attempted to move her to a palliative floor without my permission. A day later I then agreed. There they tried to give her morphine in her mouth when she wasn't showing she needed it another silent form of practicing eu·tha·na·sia. It is a message how rehab doesn't transfer a patient to a hospital when there condition changes and requires a Hospital due to losing money and a hospital that trying to save cost by transferring without permission to a palliative floor to save money. Once you agree to a palliative floor and sign you can't return to the medical floor you where on even though the palliative care floor is in the same hospital Medicaid won't pay for it. They entice you to transfer by saying nursing staff is better trained and have more time to care for the patient remember eu·tha·na·sia also they give you a room private looking out to Central Park a frig a cot to sleep on and free cable. When I told nurses coming in to give my mom morphine that she didn't need at the time. I ask the nurse does my mom look like she is in pain they said no she doesn't they would leave then they would send in a different nurse to attempt to give her morphine and again she didn't need it yet.this happened 3 times then the head of the floor director came and said we need to have a family meeting I informed him I am all you need to discuss my Mom affairs. He then told me she can only stay on this palliative care floor for 1 week then she has to go home or a hospice. I told him you sweetened how wonderful her coming to this unit would be plus all the other things. Private room, Free TV, Nice view of Central Park Etc but forgot to mention the small print about only a week stay. Again because I got in the way of eu·tha·na·sia .Sinia wanted to get rid of my mom cause they lose money and wanted to get off the floor to palliative care because it not considered part of the hospital.well they fooled me and I'm a nurse. I been in the community working and things have changed in hospitals. "In the name of the dollar". I...

I find it hard to understand some of the negative reviews here on Google. My experience at The New Jewish Home was the exact opposite. I spent seven weeks in short-term rehab in the Friedman cardiac-focused last May and June and I must say my overall experience was very positive.

The institution is an established non-profit, so their motivation for care is not based on the bottom line as are so many of the corporate-run facilities. They have Mt. Sinai doctors on staff on each floor five days a week, as well as a nurse practitioner, and an evening and weekend floater doctor, which is not the case in the corporate-run facilities, where a doctor is present only three hours a week. Their nursing staff is excellent and compassionate (a shout-out to the wonderful Natalia and Athena, my main daytime nurses) and often go out of their way to help when asked.

My rehab team, specifically Ahmet and Farah, were also excellent. Even on my most difficult days, when I could only walk a few steps without exhaustion, Ahmet and Farah supported and encouraged me, telling me it would get better. They never let me get discouraged.

When I arrived at the facility in May I doubted I would ever be able to walk again (after spending eight weeks on a hospital bed will drain you of all your strength), and by the time I was discharged at the end of June I could walk up and down the long hallway.

When I left it felt like I was leaving family behind. The CNAs were also excellent, always willing to help and do the difficult and "dirty" work. I am sending a special shoutout to Norma and Gordon. The Social Worker, Peter, was very friendly and professional and always on top of our care meetings and discharge plans and interfacing with insurance companies. Another great aspect of TNJH is their outdoor patio and pond, filled with Koi fish and four friendly turtles, who will literally crawl out of the pond to greet you if you have a strawberry or grape in your hand. I was lucky that my rehab took place during springtime, as the weather was mostly beautiful and sunny and I spent almost every day outside. There is also an aviary with colorful, cheerful birds, a library, a convenience store and an auditorium where they show movies and have events.

The only issues I had were (i) the food - kind of boring and repetitious, but edible (thank goodness for local Upper West Side restaurants and takeout) and (ii) communication.

It was often difficult to get hold of people who were listed in the phone list they give out, which frustrated my wife when she was trying to ask questions or deal with an issue. However, they have a twenty plus year employee, Jean, who is part of the WeCare staff, and anytime we had an issue we could ask her to help and she jumped to it. She is a valuable and important part of the facility and is I'm sure responsible for keeping the residents happy all these years.

The best part of my stay was catching up on dozens of Law & Order SVU episodes that I had never seen, watching the Rangers in their playoff run. They helped to pass the time.

No institution is perfect, and if you have a spouse or child who advocates for you while you are there, that is always better in any situation, but in general, the staff members are competent, caring, ethical and...

I posted the paragraphs below about my late husband's experience as a patient. He died in the home, at night, in January, 2019. The day after he died, I went to collect his precious personal belongs and found they had been tossed into garbage bags. I had asked that his wedding ring be removed before he was taken for cremation. It was not. I needed to go to the morgue to get the ring off his finger.

Now, 2025, Jack (not his real name), a dear friend and very kind man, is a private pay patient on a long-term floor. He is very verbal and self ambulatory using a wheelchair. He is very grateful for the care he receives and regularly thanks the staff. They all seem to know and like him.

We speak most days and today he said, "Things are so screwed up here." He told me he has been reporting recurring headaches to the medical staff, who listen, then do nothing. After we talked, he was on his way, once again, to the nurses station to ask for help.

He has no dietary restrictions and his meals arrive LOOKING attractive. The vegetables are always soggy. Any fish or chicken is usually rock-hard, tasteless, and inedible. The first time I was there when such a meal arrived, we called dietary. A frazzled staffer said she can't know the food is bad unless Jack tells her, that he should report it every time, then wait an indeterminant amount of time for a new meal to be sent upstairs. Most days, Jack leaves his dreadful, prepared meal, goes down to the 1st floor snack bar and buys a sandwich.

Jack never remembers to ask for the weekly, tiny-print, menu option sheets, and none are brought to him. He only receives receives them from the day room when I bring them to him. Some weeks, they do not arrive in time for any of the residents to fill them out.

I have never seen a group activity in his dayroom. Occasionally strolling singer/guitar players pass through the floor.

On my last visit to Jack, I saw posters about special Halloween events, but no daily activity schedule ANYWHERE IN THE BUILDING. I assume there were no Halloween activities for patients who could not get themselves downstairs to the party room.

From 2018:

My husband has Parkinson's/dementia. He is now on a longterm floor, is safe and seems to be content. The home's best features are the outdoor garden, indoor "bird-scape", and recreational programs. Without 1:1 attention from me or a private duty nurse I pay out-of-pocket, he would be left sitting at the table in his dayroom, and seldom get to enjoy any of these.

For his first 3 months, he was on a shot term floor and suffered numerable falls, cuts and bruises due to understaffing and/or careless staffers who hate their jobs. I believe most staffers care about the patients and do their best despite overwork and a constant struggle for supplies. A few cleaners are marvelous, but many appear to hate their jobs. The public restrooms are usually dirty, low on soap and paper products. Patient areas are usually too cold or too hot. Last week, the room thermometer I placed by my husband's bed read 90º. On another floor, I was told an adult daughter put sleeping caps and scarves on her mother to keep her...