To many, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers bring to mind a clinical atmosphere: all white walls and foreign terminology—sometimes literally—without a trace of the comforts and sensations patients leave behind.
New York City is a city full of vibrant cultures and people of all ages and abilities, and at The Allure Group it is our belief that nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities should reflect that. While wellness begins with quality healthcare, adding comfort and culture into the mix rounds out the experience to make both short-term and long-term patients feel at home.
The Allure Group’s program Salud Latina, offered at our Crown Heights Center, is “sub-acute nursing, short-term rehabilitation and long-term care provided by bilingual physicians, nurses and social workers who ensure all needs are communicated accurately and timely.” The 52-bed unit strives to be an environment that reflects patients’ backgrounds and traditions.
Hispanics and Latinos comprise over a quarter of New York City’s population at 27.5%, many of whom are immigrants or speak Spanish as a first language. New York City is home to the most foreign-born senior citizens by far: at 463,000, roughly one in ten older immigrants live here. It is also the largest Hispanic city in the US. In the last decade, the number of older Latinos grew by 58%.
It’s been proven that environment plays a key role in the healing process. For Spanish-speaking seniors, having staff that they can communicate with easily is one important way to make their environment comfortable. As such, Salud Latina’s bilingual staff understands their patients’ language and culture, making for streamlined and exemplary care. This service helps to make seniors’ experience an enjoyable one, and to puts their families at ease too.
Salud Latina also serves authentic Spanish cuisine in an intimate setting where patients can dine together, offers religious services in Spanish, provides in-room Spanish publications and TV programs, and utilizes a customized recreation calendar to top it all off. By merging healthcare with community, The Allure Group has infused this unit with culture to make its patients’ stay as authentic as possible.
The goal of Salud Latina, ultimately, is to provide a comfortable and nostalgic atmosphere fo New York City’s Hispanic residents at a time when they are most vulnerable, and thusly in need of familiarity and kinship. As Latino populations continue to gray, services like this one will be vital to the care of the city’s seniors, who deserve more than austere white walls in their old age.
—Joel Landau
Joel Landau is an New York-based entrepreneur and visionary who is dedicated to enhancing the healthcare delivery system. As the founder of The Allure Group and Pinta Partners, Joel works tirelessly to grow thriving companies that share his passion and vision. Follow Joel Landau on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn to stay up to date on his latest blog posts and relevant news articles on the changing healthcare landscape.
