JAA unveils new senior residences, centered on community and Jewish values
“The idea is an intentional desire to create community," Plung said.
For Lou Plung, the Jewish Association on Aging’s new personal care residences are about community.
Plung, the JAA’s immediate past chair, helped envision the 30 new units that were announced in 2024 as the first phase of an urban senior village off Browns Hill Road in Squirrel Hill, in the former Charles M. Morris Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The new units are leasing now.
When completed, the two-phase project will be home to a senior community of almost 400 people across a spectrum of support: independent living, personal care and memory care. That includes up to 58 people in the new units, as well as those at the AHAVA Memory Care Residence and residents at The New Riverview Apartments.
The JAA is creating “an urban campus village,” Plung said. “We’re really excited about it.”
That concept, he continued, will draw people to the campus.
“People are going to move here, not just because there’s a good view of the river, but because they want to be a part of a community of people that they grew up with or remain friends with,” he said. “They will move here and still be able to connect to people that aren’t here, but there will be a unique community here.”
The campus will grow, develop and expand based on the wants and needs of the community, explained JAA Board Chair Glen Feinberg.
“We’re at the front end of doing surveys and focus groups to get specifics,” he said. “What amenities does the community want? What do we need? What can create a sense of community? What can draw Riverview into the community?” he said.
That community involvement will go beyond the physicality of the JAA’s campus, according to Mary Anne Foley, JAA president and CEO.
“For personal care, which is the first phase of the project, when individuals move in, rather than us developing what the activity schedule needs to look like, we’re going to survey them,” she said.
To put it another way, Plung said, “The idea is an intentional desire to create community.”
That community might begin with JAA’s “wraparound services” that typically occur in a person’s home or off campus,and may continue if a person moves into the organization’s independent living units. The personal care units will be available if a person’s doctor determines there is a need, as will the AHAVA Memory Care Residence.
The model allows for couples to stay together in ways they might not be able to otherwise.
“That’s the beauty of what we’re talking about,” Foley said. “People can move through the whole continuum and we’re able to keep couples together. Somebody may move in and their spouse may be in AHAVA. They can go down and eat meals with them. I think there are a lot of nuances that, as this building gets up and running, we’re going to be able to accommodate individuals where they are in life.”
The goal, Plung said, is to reimagine aging.
“The key is the social interaction that we’re fostering,” he said. “That’s the whole concept driving our vision.”
The new personal care residence includes two studio apartments, 18 one-bedroom units and 10 two-bedroom units, with the option of converting another 30 units; but like everything on offer from the JAA, that depends on the needs of the community as the organization moves to the second phase of construction and beyond.
Continental Real Estate Cos., a Columbus-based developer, partnered with the JAA on the new residences, assisted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, which helped put together a task force dedicated to the project. Financing was through First Eagle.
“Without any one of them,” Plung said, “this wouldn’t have happened.”
The project continues to espouse the JAA’s commitment to Jewish values. Plung called it the organization’s “ethos.”
A walk through the new personal care residence provides a physical manifestation of that Jewishness, though the new units — like all those at the JAA — are open to everyone.
There are mezuzahs in the outer doorways of each unit; Rabbi Dovid Small, the JAA’s director of pastoral care, has an office in the building; and a sanctuary, complete with a Torah and ark, is available for Shabbat and holiday services, and includes a kosher kitchenette for onegs and kiddushes.
Kosher food is available for those who observe kashrut, supervised by the Vaad Harabonim of Pittsburgh.
Beyond the Jewish values evidenced in the building are residences with modern amenities.
Natural light is prevalent throughout, both in the individual units as well as the common areas, which include spaces to play games, have meetings or watch TV. A patio overlooks the walking trail that surrounds the entire JAA campus, providing views of the Monongahela River.
The units themselves provide opportunities for sightseeing; exterior units have a view of the river while the interior rooms overlook the campus’ courtyard.
Units feature washers and dryers and kitchenettes, and in the two-bedroom units there are large walk-in closets. JAA staff is stationed throughout the two floors of the 30 units, ensuring that residents have access to the care and medicine they need throughout the day.
After spending so much time planning and envisioning the new personal care residences, Foley is excited to see them finally come to fruition.
“It’s hard to believe the reality is here,” she said.
A ribbon cutting and guided tour of the new units will take place at the JAA’s annual meeting on Sept. 4 at 6:30 p.m. PJC
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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