FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com march 21, 2013 • The Queens Courier 41 PLATTDUETSCHE RETIREMENT HOME What: A housing complex that features 48 individual apartments, consisting of studios, one-bedrooms, junior two-bedrooms and two-bedrooms, in a three-level building, and 80 single-bedrooms in a separate, supportive-living area. Limited to ages 65 and older, the property was built in 1922, with the apartments added in 1990 and 2000. The development, owned by the non-profit Plattduetsche Home Society, began as a retirement home for poor immigrants from Germany but is now available to all. What you get: The monthly fee includes maintenance of all common areas, security, electricity, gas, weekly light housekeeping and laundering of bed linens, a daily main meal served in the communal dining room and a secure storage bin for personal belongings. Each apartment features a balcony and an intercom connected to the front entrance. Apartments are wired with a telephone jack, cable Fios TV and house TV antenna, and each unit has at least two emergency pull cords connected to a nurse’s aide station. Heating and air-conditioning are individually controlled. Smoking is not permitted in the building. Communal amenities include a spacious dining room, lounge on each floor, chapel with stained-glass windows, library with an enlarger for residents with low vision, hobby room, beauty / barber shop, physical fitness room, billiards, private party room, coin-operated laundry, indoor swimming pool, Jacuzzi and elevator. Outdoor facilities include gardens, seating areas, a gazebo, outdoor pavillion, pond and shuffleboard. Getting around: The development is across the street from a deli and within walking distance of two banks, a liquor store and a pizzeria; a bank representative visits the property every two weeks. In addition, the development has two cars and a 12-passenger van and runs scheduled free trips to a shoe store, greengrocer, supermarket and Roosevelt Field, among other places. If the vehicles are available, the development provides free transportation for medical appointments. Getting in: Apartments currently Available! At times there can be an unpredictable wait, although residents generally move in within a year of submitting an application. Studios are most frequently available, with newcomers having the option of moving into a studio until a larger apartment becomes vacant. Prospective residents must undergo a medical examination that determines their suitability for living independently. Pros: Spotless and beautifully maintained, with ample parking. A geriatric case manager runs informational sessions on such topics as memory loss and over-the-counter medications and helps residents with everything from Medicare to elder law issues. A physical therapist, podiatrist, psychiatrist, and medical doctors visit the development regularly. n addition, residents who have recently been discharged from the hospital can convalesce in the sickbay area, which is monitored round-the-clock by a nurse’s aide. On the social front, the development has a recreational director, and The Ladies Society organizes fundraisers, holiday parties and monthly birthday celebrations. The development’s other activities include crafts, bingo, movies, word games and trips to places such as Lido Beach, Atlantic City, the Amish Country and dinner theaters. Cons: No pets are allowed. The inside line: Henry C. Bohack, the owner of the long-gone eponymous supermarket chain, and Henry Renken, a local dairy magnate, were founders of the charitable organization that started Plattduetsche. It continues to exude a strong German feeling, with its maps, murals, books and magazines. It also shows German music videos. In addition, the property’s chapel features regularly scheduled prayer and nondenominational Christian as well as Lutheran and Catholic services and Bible study. - CARA S. TRAGER Where: 1150 Hempstead Tpke., two blocks west of New Hyde Park Road, in Franklin Square, 516-352-4252 (on-premise office). OPEN HOUSE SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013 - 1:30pm to 4:00pm
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