Max Gratch, recently of Glendale, says he finally has peace of mind. And that is because, on Tuesday this week, he became the first resident to move into the new Sarah Chudnow Campus, the state-of-the-art senior living community in Mequon that is one of the facilities under the Jewish Home and Care Center umbrella.
“It is the answer to my last question: ‘How to have peace of mind?’” said Gratch, who took time out from packing to speak with The Chronicle on the day before his move.
“I’ve been thinking about this move for the last two years. The important thing for me was that I wanted Jewish surroundings. I visited several places here [in the Milwaukee area] and some in Madison. I found that [the Sarah Chudnow Campus] was very much what I was looking for. The only question was, could I wait that long?”
The $27 million, 100-unit facility, situated on 17.4 acres southwest of the intersection of Port Washington and Mequon Roads, opened this week, on Feb. 1, after seven years of negotiation and less than two years of construction.
An integrated and comprehensive continuum of care facility, it includes 41 independent living, 26 assisted-living, 20 rehabilitation, nine memory care and five hospice units, said Mina Tepper, president of the Jewish Home and Care Center, which includes the home, the Helen Bader Center, Chai Point Senior Living Apartment Complex and the Sarah Chudnow Campus.
The assisted living units are slated for occupancy in March and the other units are set to open in April.
The facility also includes a fitness center, chapel, gift shop, kosher café, bank, beauty salon, library and physical, occupational and speech therapy services, which are available to residents and outpatient clients, Tepper said.
“The Sarah Chudnow Campus is a wonderful living environment — a place for people to come and enjoy life. Our goal is to provide individuals with what they need to meet their mental, physical and spiritual well being,” Tepper added.
Gratch, who said he recommended the campus to four friends who have also decided to move there, is looking forward to being active and participating in activities.
“It has a beautiful set-up: It has everything you could want. And the people there are very willing to help. I’ve bothered them a few times, so I know what I’m talking about,” he quipped.
‘ Best of everything’
Anne Riches, also of Glendale, will move into the Mequon facility next Monday.
Her son, who is on the board of the home, came up with the idea to move to the campus, Riches said. Her initial reaction was, “I’m not ready!” she said in a telephone interview.
But, she said, there are quite a few stairs that she has to negotiate at the condominium building where she has lived for the past 32 years.
“It took me while to get used to the idea but the more I’ve been there, the more I like it. I met the chef [Gary Strothmann], who was the chef at the Boulevard Inn, and I’m excited about that. He’s very nice…. I was the associate food service director at UWM [until retirement 12 years ago],” she added.
Riches, who noted that, despite her name, she isn’t rich, was impressed that the facility is so beautiful. “All of the [kitchen] equipment is the best of everything,” she said.
Although it is smaller than her condominium and she is struggling with what to take and what to leave, she is looking forward to life in her new home. “There are going to be a lot of interesting things going on,” she said.
Rita and Erv Teplin, who are now preparing for the coming move to the campus, said that they chose the campus because they wanted more security, they wanted to rent, rather than buy, and they didn’t want to move into a large community.
Both are excited about the Jewish component of their new home, they said. Erv was particularly impressed that there is no entrance or endowment fee.
Food and a focus on wellness are special interests of Norma Adams, campus director. “We hope to achieve a gracious dining experience,” she said and noted that all food will be served under rabbinical supervision.
For residents “in the independent-living units, the kitchens are beautiful. They all have a dishwasher, stove, refrigerator, microwave, [clothes] washer and dryer,” Adams added.
“We will have a personal trainer, exercise classes, a clinic with a nurse who can take weekly blood pressure, and a social worker working in groups and one on one,” said Adams.
The facility, she said, “is gorgeous because it’s new and in a lovely natural setting.”
The campus is named for Sarah Chudnow. Her son, Avrum Chudnow, and his family committed $3 million to the project in October 2002 in honor of his mother’s dedication to caring for the sick. In addition, there were many other local donors.
Loading ...