West Virginia Senior Living

West Virginia features 9 active Jewish communities and for faithful seniors looking for an assisted living environment where their faith will not be forgotten, the best choices will likely be assisted living centers that are set in one of these 9 communities.

These Jewish communities are set in Morgantown, Charleston, Huntington, Blacksburg, Wheeling, and Bluefield, West Virginia. In these same communities, there are dozens of assisted living centers available and for Jewish seniors, these locations will offer the greatest opportunities for a Jewish assisted living experience.

In Charleston, WV, seniors will find Brookdale Charleston Garden. We offer this as an example not because this is a Jewish assisted living center but because Brookdale homes are known for making specific changes in each of their residences, based on the population in each. If the population in the assisted living center has a significant Jewish population, it is likely they will have made adjustment to help them stay spiritually healthy.

Cost of Jewish Assisted Living in West Virginia

Given the lack of specific information about Jewish assisted living facilities in West Virginia, we will assume that they are not significantly different for all of the other in this state, and that should be good news. While the US average for assisted living sits at $4,000 per month, the average rate in this state is $3,750. Check out Beckley, WV, and seniors can find rates that drop even lower, to $3,250. There are pricier destinations as well, like Weirton, WV, where the average tops $4,500. In the end though, they are all reasonably priced and pretty budget friendly.

Jewish Assisted Living Communities in West Virginia - Amenities

As seniors explore these Jewish assisted living centers, they need to pay special attention to four key amenities. These are the mark of a true Jewish center, or at least one that is supportive of those that are true to the faith. Stay focused on these and it shouldn’t be hard at all to separate those that will welcome Jewish seniors into a welcoming environment from those that will leave seniors to find their own path to faith, with little or no support.

Here are those four key amenities.

Jewish Retirement Communities in West Virginia - Religious Amenities

An assisted living center must be in easy reach of a synagogue and the Jewish community that surrounds it. They must make accommodations to help seniors become active members of these congregations. They should even have developed relationship with these communities where key members participate in various events and programs in the assisted living center. This will allow Jewish seniors to enjoy the positive effects of membership in these congregations, even while the center is not specifically Jewish.

The next key is having ready access to a local Rabbi. These members of the faith are critically important, and not just because they lead the Shabbat and other holiday services. They are teachers and counselor. In fact, the best of them actually becomes extensions of the families they minister to. An assisted living center that is supportive will have developed a relationship with a local Rabbi that keeps them close and available when needed most.

Jewish life is a life that is in constant spiritual motion as members of the faith work to develop a personal relationship with God. Part of that perpetual motion revolves around the continuing effort to remain faithful to God’s teaching and to atone when they inevitably stray. Atonement can take many forms but most often, this is an effort to do good works, in support of others, and that is best done with the support of a Jewish community. Assisted living centers will understand this and often add their own opportunities for volunteerism that can help meet this need to atone.

Eating kosher is another important part of Jewish life. It requires avoiding certain foods while ensuring the foods that are consumed are certified kosher. In a Jewish assisted living center this would be easy since the center will have done the work to earn their certification. In secular homes, this will requires reaching out to the local Jewish community and helping senior residents prepare more of their own meals.

Jewish Assisted Living in West Virginia - General Amenities

You cannot go through life focused on the end of the road. That isn’t what was meant when people said, think about the future. There can be a lot of future before then end and there can be all sorts of great opportunities seniors can experience, if they will just focus on them. The future will offer many twists and turns and with a positive attitude, each one can be conquered and even enjoyed.

Assisted living centers help seniors focus on the good while dealing effectively with the not-so-good. They make the challenges little more than minor bumps in the road, rather than major potholes. They do this with a group of tasks known as ADL’s, (Assisted Daily Living), where seniors get direct assistance with daily hygiene, mobility, tasks that are impacted by limited manual dexterity and more. They are monitored for their health and medications are actively managed. And, all of the normal daily chores associated with keeping house and fixing stuff that breaks down, are cheerfully done by others so seniors can stay focused on enjoying life.

For Alzheimer’s patients, there is an additional level of care known as memory care. This is offered in sections of the assisted living facility that is more secure, more organized and less distracting. Therapies, like music and pet therapies are employed to help regain access to lost memories while helping to manage the negative emotions that often impact these individuals.

Most assisted living facilities take great pride in their meal services. They offer restaurant quality breakfasts, lunches and dinners, along with snacks in between that seniors are simply going to love. And, they are served in the company of friends so seniors get to enjoy a dining experience rather than just a simple meal.

Studio apartment, one- bedroom units and two-bedroom suites in assisted living facilities offer seniors a space they can call their own and where they can enjoy their privacy. In some cases, and when budgets are tight, seniors can still enjoy all the benefits of these assisted living centers from the comfort of a semi-private suite.

There are plenty of assisted living centers set in Jewish communities, where they can comfortably settle in.