The Move To Menorah

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TH E D ETRO I T J EWIS H N EWS

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from the former Borman Hall move
to Menorah House, owned by a
private nursing home operator, Frank
Wronski.
The move has been long anticipated.
Late last winter, Mr. Wronski promised
to purchase Menorah House (formerly Mt.
Vernon Nursing Home) and operate it as
a Jewish home. He signed a contract with
Federation. The contract stipulated that
Mr. Wronski would provide a Jewish
nursing facility, with a kosher kitchen, for
the frail elderly. Federation would equip
the home with Jewish decor and conduct
religious and cultural programs.
In early fall, renovations began at
Menorah House. Under the former
ownership of Isidor and Asa Eisenberg,
the facility had been cited by the Michi-
gan Department of Public Health for sev-
eral serious, type-A code violations.
Air—PH reviF3ited the home last month and

reported that Mr. Wronski's company
had corrected those violations.
"We have confidence that the facility
has the capability of meeting the needs of
the residents that they're now receiving
from Borman Hall," says Dr. Richard
Yerian, chief medical consultant for the
Michigan Bureau of Health Systems.
Mr. Wronski's Medilodge Group has
focused efforts on first renovating the
south wing of the second floor, where Bor-
man Hall residents have relocated. The
walls have been stripped and repainted.
The floors have been retiled and recar-
peted. There are new curtains, bedstands,
headboards and lockers for clothes.
"We're turning the whole building
around," Mr. Wronski says.
Federation has furnished a sanctuary
for religious services. It will fund religious
and cultural programming. Volunteers
with JHA's auxiliary will operate the gift

shop and "nosh nook" snack bar, which
had been a favorite fixture for years at
Borman.
"The residents come shopping," says
Gail Mandel, -glowing at the promise of
an as yet unfinished Menorah House gift
shop. "Candy's a big item."
Mrs. Mandel and other auxiliary mem-
bers are optimistic about the new home.
"I think it's going to work out really
well," she says.

Still At Heartland

Shirley Graff lives in Southfield. Her
mother, Blanche Siegel, has resided at
Borman Hall for 3112 years.
Ms. Graff and Ms. Siegel decided
against the move to Menorah House.
"My mother was always very, very
happy at Borman Hall," she says. "The
staff has always been wonderful. She's

kind of a fancy lady and they treat her
with a lot of respect and dignity."
Ms. Graffbelieves Heartland will carry
on a tradition of good care.
"They have gone overboard to make the
facility very clean. The care is excellent,"
she says.
Harry Weinsaft, a Borman-turned-
Heartland resident, also opted against the
move to Menorah.
"I think people who run this home are
very sincere," he says.
Ms. Graffsays the structure of Meno-
rah House did not appeal to her. Three
people to a room, she says, is too cramped.
She and her mother prefer the private and
semi-private rooms at Heartland.
Other residents have complained that
Menorah House has one bathroom for
every six people. Susan McKenna, liaison
between Borman and Menorah, notes that
many of the residents use catheters and

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