Hebrew Home of Greater Washington
Our mission is to deliver quality care and meaningful life experiences to older adults with dignity and compassion. The COVID-19 pandemic strengthened our determination to protect those we serve with passion and commitment and address their health, safety, and emotional well-being.
Over 70 percent of Hebrew Home’s residents are Medicaid recipients, and Medicaid only reimburses half of the cost of their care This gap creates a significant budget shortfall and threatens the superior level of care that we provide for the needy elders in our community.
Currently, the gap between Medicaid reimbursement and the actual cost of the care we provide is $51 per person, per day. Broad-based community support, with gifts at all levels, is essential to the Home’s ability to ensure the highest quality of care.
What began as a volunteer effort in 1910 to house homeless elderly has grown into an extensive campus offering retirement housing, assisted living and state-of-the-art nursing and rehab care, and other services for seniors and their families.
Today, more than 1,000 people make our campus their home and rely on us for sophisticated inpatient rehabilitation, specialized cognitive care, nursing home services, senior housing, assisted living, homecare, and outpatient medical care.
Hebrew Home of Greater Washington offers on-staff, full-time physicians, 24-hour nursing care, physical, occupational and speech language therapy, social work services for residents and families, special diets and kosher meals, extensive activities, religious services, housekeeping, laundry, beauty parlor, banking services, plus hundreds of dedicated volunteers.
With 517 beds, Hebrew Home is the largest skilled nursing facility in the mid-Atlantic region. Nearly 70 percent of the nursing care provided at Hebrew Home is for residents on Medicaid.
Every day, over 1,100 older adults take advantage of:
- Independent living at Ring House and Revitz House
- Assisted living at Landow House
- Memory care assisted living at Cohen-Rosen House
- Long-term care at the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, in the Wasserman and Smith-Kogod Residences
- Rehabilitation and therapy services in the Post-Acute Care Center at the Hebrew Home
- Outpatient medical services at Hirsh Health Center
- In-home care through our private-duty home care agency, in partnership with Augustine Home Health Care
- Advocacy and temporary shelter to safeguard seniors from abuse through the ElderSAFE Center
During a century of service, the Hebrew Home has touched the lives of thousands of seniors and their families in the Washington DC area, providing a safe home, or a pathway to recovery regardless of ability to pay. The Hebrew Home’s residents have many different life experiences: like Gary, who was a sports producer for WTTG and the USA Network, and Dr. S., a former neurosurgeon. Now their stories are part of our story.
Paula’s story:
Paula first learned about the Hebrew Home decades ago as a newly-minted lawyer fresh out of American University's Washington College of Law. After landing a clerkship with a Montgomery County Circuit Court judge, she was assigned to a pro bono case involving a Hebrew Home resident. The positive impression drawn from this contact — that the Hebrew Home "seemed like a place filled with interesting people from diverse backgrounds" — stuck with her. Thus, years later, when progressive health challenges convinced her that she needed full-time nursing assistance; Paula knew immediately where to turn for care. She entered the Hebrew Home as a resident in October, 2009.
Raised in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, Paula attended Boston University, leaving to marry an artist and head for Europe. The adventuresome couple spent the 1970s living in Spain and Portugal before returning to the U.S. and the DC area, where Paula completed her B.A. at George Washington University. Following a stint in the work force and several stay-at-home years with a baby, Paula shifted her sights to law school. A productive legal career ensued.
Paula's approach to life remains positive. "You have to accept your situation and live according to what you can do," she states. And this she does — with a cheerful disposition, a zest of learning and new experiences, and appreciation for the uniqueness of everyone she encounters. Paula goes off to lectures (she loves Rabbi James Michaels' popular talks on traditional Hebrew music and dance), Shakespeare classes, performances, and various events planned by Recreation Therapy staff in the Smith-Kogod residence.
Hebrew Home’s operations are monitored by the state of Maryland, and we have a strong volunteer governance board as well as annual audits. Our annual report is accessible on our website, smithlifecommunities.org