You’re going to need a lot of candles for this one! Something remarkable happened recently at Esplanade of Woodmere: The assisted living facility which specializes in memory care had the honor of celebrating a truly momentous milestone – two of their residents, Adele Weiss and Frank Rosati, turned 101! Surrounded by caring staff, doting close friends, and beaming loved ones, it was a festive party that few assisted living facilities have the honor and opportunity to experience.
I had a chance to speak to Adele’s daughter, Barbara Guinan, to learn more about this special centenarian. Adele Weiss was born on June 26, 1924, in the Bronx to parents who emigrated from Europe. She had a brother who was 12 years older than her as well as an older sister. A trailblazer for her time, Adele wanted to pursue a college degree, but because her family didn’t have the funds, she went to work as a bookkeeper. Barbara says this has been her mother’s biggest life regret. She later got married and had two children, both of whom attained advanced degrees while following stellar careers in education. She is also the proud grandmother of several grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Adele has many unique talents including being an amazing seamstress who designed and made her children’s clothes. She is also very talented at knitting and needlework, with much of her art on display at her children’s homes. She ultimately became a bookkeeper and worked most of her life for a group of anesthesiologists until she was able to retire.
Although education and a career were important to Adele, nothing was more important than family. Barbara describes her mother as a “quintessential Jewish mother” who lives for her kids. To showcase this, Barbara recounts that when her mother was offered a bookkeeping job, her one condition upon acceptance was that she could not arrive at work before 10 a.m. and she must be home by 2 p.m. so that she could be back in time to pick up her children from school. Barbara says that her mother’s biggest joy in life is when the grandkids come to visit, especially with their babies. Her favorite activity is feeding babies. And that is exactly how she celebrated her 101st birthday at Esplanade, surrounded by friends, family, caring staff, some nosh and cake. When asked what the highlight of her party was, Adele did not mention the cake, entertainment, or music, but rather it was when her niece came with her two children, and Adele was able to give the baby a bottle.
Rich Rosati’s father, Frank, also recently turned 101, and his family is thrilled that he is in Esplanade, where he continues to recover after his stay at rehab recovering from a severe case of pneumonia. Frank, a World War II veteran stationed in Burma and India, has always favored simplicity, and chose to spend his special day being surrounded by family while enjoying cupcakes. Rich tells me that Frank was always an amazing father who impressed them with the value of getting a good education. After working many blue-collar jobs in construction and truck driving, he was most proud that both his children graduated from college and worked in white-collar professions.
Frank was born in 1924 in New York, one of six children to parents who emigrated to America from Italy. He met and married his wife in Ozone Park and lived there while raising a family. Rich says his father always enjoyed cooking, horse racing, golf, playing cards and watching football. Frank, an extrovert, was a member of several social clubs. With his eyesight dwindling now, his son says that his greatest challenge has been to remain independent with limited visibility. Rich hopes that with the care he is getting from Esplanade, he can eventually take his father out to do what he loves most: betting at the Aqueduct Racetrack and of course spending time with his grandchild and being around family.
Frank has been at Esplanade since March and Adele has been a resident for several years. Relatives of both say their loved ones are thriving there due to the facility’s excellent attention to care, especially in the realm of memory disabilities. “This is why we opened Esplanade of Woodmere,” explains Executive Director, Hindel Jesselson. “We want to ensure that people dealing with memory issues are treated with dignity, respect and given quality of life. At Esplanade of Woodmere we are especially proud of our innovative Montessori Moments in Time program. The program was developed through years of thorough research coupled with first-hand experience from their residents. Much like the Montessori program designed for children, Esplanade utilizes the same techniques but customizes it for seniors ultimately infusing validation and purposeful activities into each resident’s day.”
Esplanade of Woodmere is currently the ONLY kosher memory care assistant living certified by the VAAD of Five Towns. Tradition is alive here with residents being able to engage in long-time beloved rituals such as a Pesach seder and lighting the menorah, just to name a few. They are a Scharf family community with the Scharf family at the helm for three generations. Owner David Scharf is frequently seen walking the halls and conversing with staff and residents.
“I want them to see a familiar presence there each week; a Jewish presence that gets them,” he explains. For the Scharf Family this is not a business, this is personal, this is about family.